Oak RSJ covers were the only solution

How would you want your home to look internally if your house name contained the word ‘Oak’?

As Kathy lives at Oak Cottage, she wanted the inside of her home extension to be oak framed! Her idea would be to have upright oak timbers to be visible in each of the room corners and horizontal ceiling timbers, with curved brackets where the timbers met to add character.

She found Oak By Design online showing an impressive gallery of oak projects. Initially, she thought she wanted to have solid oak beams throughout the space and spoke to Richard about the upcoming work.

Kathy's emailed a few images of her extension and it was already at the breeze block stage; therefore a little too late to really introduce solid oak beams.

She sent more photos of the building work to Richard who suggested an easy solution. Rather than having solid air dried oak Beams, they discussed making oak RSJ covers from Kiln Dried Oak instead.

The advantages of having Kiln Dried Oak were as follows:

1) Stability – Kiln Dried Oak, as its name suggest, has been dried so the majority of the moisture present in the oak has been removed. This makes for more accurate measuring and over time, significantly less movement in the timber.

2) Less Timber Used – For corner posts, for example, a 2-sided oak cover will give the same impression of having a solid timber post.

3) Lighter – Easier to transport and easier to install.

After discussing the pro’s and con’s of each type of oak, Richard provided Kathy with a quotation. Once accepted, he then created a 3D drawing showing how all the timbers would sit together and their measurements.

Kathy wanted a very natural, unfussy look for the oak RSJ covers and so a sample was sent for approval. The edges of the oak were to be planed and with a square edge detail. An oiled finish chosen, Osmo’s Raw oil is very popular due to its very neutral, matt finish.

The area of the room is approx. 6m by 6m. Due to this length being longer than the oak lengths that are available, the longer timbers, where joined along the length. A thin oak strap would disguise the join. Although practical, the straps add interest and character to the covers.

The brackets in the corners of the room are another great feature. Mainly aesthetic, they also add an element of stability to the corner timbers. Where the brackets attach, oak pellets have been left slightly proud for more originality and character.

All the oak covers have a thickness of 30mm and are complete tailor made. This includes their dimensions and numbers of sides. An L shape (2 sided), U shape (3 sided) or 4 sided covers are available.

The oak covers are also fully finished and ready to install. The finish is also fully customisable to suit your home and decoration.