Of course, this is a personal choice, but to avoid a wood-drenched look, and making the room feel too top-heavy, choosing a light color, different from your floors is best for low-ceiling beams.

Utah-based Custom Wood Beams can renew, refresh and renovate your home. Rand Wilson says their beams are a timeless and historical form of construction that give any space more depth and interest.

Exposed wood beams in a trellis, arbor or pergola, and corbels are also commonly damaged by dry rot as rain and heavy fog wet the top of the wood. Over time the wood splits, allowing the moisture ...