The crossbar or load-bearing beam is an important structural element of apartment buildings and private houses. They are usually made of hard concrete, steel reinforcement inside, but they can also be made of wood. In essence, beams are a load-bearing wall, or rather, its upper part. Do not demolish the load-bearing transoms The floors between the floors rest on them, so dismantling the beam will lead to problems throughout the house. Cracks may appear on walls and ceilings, and in the worst case, structures will collapse.
That is why you have to come up with options for the design of load-bearing beams, which at first glance only spoil the appearance of the room and interfere. At the same time, load-bearing beams are found not only in “stalinkas”, old buildings, but also in new buildings. Sometimes the owners learn about the presence of load-bearing beams only if they are planning a redevelopment. For example, they decide to attach the loggia to the living room or combine the living room with the kitchen.
The easiest option is not to hide the supporting beam in any way, leave it as it is. But this one is suitable only for brutal industrial interiors, high-tech and loft styles.
For all other styles of room design, an uncovered load-bearing beam without finishing is clearly an unnecessary element..
The second way is to maximally “dissolve” the carrying crossbar in space. You can simply plaster it and paint it in the color of the ceiling or paste over with the same wallpaper so that it is not striking. The option is simple and not expensive, but still the rectangular protrusion will be noticeable. According to the designers, in this case, the beam should be balanced with other elements, for example, a storage system of the same shape..
Quite often, load-bearing beams are sheathed with plasterboard. In this case, you can run boxes around the perimeter of the room to create a complete picture. In addition, the plasterboard covering of the beam allows lighting to be carried out along it, that is, to turn it into a functional element of the interior.
By the way, the option when the crossbar is completely hidden under a stretch or suspended ceiling is actively criticized by designers. Too much space will be “eaten up”, the ceiling will have to be significantly lowered.
Another option is to add decorative beams to counterbalance the transom and make it part of the ceiling decoration. We have already written about how beams can be used to decorate the ceiling..
Mirrors help to literally dissolve the beam in space. They can be used to sheathe a crossbar that will simply hide behind reflections. In addition, mirrors always help to add light and space to the room..
Alternatively, a beam can become a room zoning element if it has several functions. For example, to separate the dining room from the kitchen.
In addition, designers consider the space under the load-bearing beam to be an ideal place for setting up partitions. In this case, the girder will become part of the entire structure and will be harmoniously decorated..
In general, as the designers assure, you should not worry about the presence of a load-bearing beam in the room. This structural element of the house can be turned into a bright and useful interior detail that adds dynamics to a boring ceiling..
Is there any effective way to safely remove or alter a load-bearing beam in the interior of a building without compromising its structural integrity?
Can you provide any tips or suggestions on how to overcome or maneuver around a load-bearing beam when working on the interior of a building? I’m wondering what techniques or methods can be used to effectively accommodate or possibly relocate the beam without compromising the overall structure. Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!