How to Repair a Falling Faux Wood Beam

Quick Column Summary:

• Faux beam coming off ceiling
• How to push it back in order to secure it
• Place scrap piece on underside of beam
• Place temporary 2x4 under it to push it up

Stan Pierce, who lives in Palm Coast, FL, emailed me on May 24, 2014, asking:

"Tim,

 I have a faux wooden beam running the length of my great room.  It's about 12' off the floor.  It was nailed to sheet rock (?) above the ceiling and is now creeping down.   I have to prop it back up and, I guess, use long screws to secure it.  House is 15 yrs. old.   How do I force the hollow "beam" back up so I can secure with screws?"

Stan, this is a good question!

I would locate a scrap piece of 1/2-inch plywood or similar piece of wood. It should be as wide as the faux beam and perhaps 2-feet long.

You carefully place this against the underside of the faux beam and then place a temporary 2x4 between the floor and the piece of wood. The 2 x 4 needs to be long enough that it pushes the faux beam tight to the ceiling, but not so tight that it crushes the beam.

The faux beams are often made of foam and can be fragile.