Reclaimed look oak RSJ covers required for renovation project

Tom and his wife Jo called into Oak by Design's showroom to discuss some engineered oak flooring and old oak RSJ Covers.

They were in the process of knocking 2 rooms into one at their 400-year-old farmhouse in Nidderdale, on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. They have lived there for nearly 18 years and had been renovating the property during this time.

Having used Oak By Design many years ago, when they were covering a beam in a previous conversion, they sought them out again!

They had knocked a stone wall down in their dining room, so that they could open the room out. However, they needed something to cover the steelwork and plates which were now supporting the first floor.

There was a lot of old existing beams on the ceilings in both rooms, which they were keen to retain, therefore wanted old oak RSJ cover to look the same as the existing ones.

Tom took in photos of the beams and they decided to go with a ‘Reclaimed Effect ’ finish. This involves cutting into the faces of the cover, brushing, flaming and generally ageing the look of the oak.

During the manufacture of the oak cover, Tom called into Oak By Design’s workshop to discuss with Darren, the Production Manager, the exact colour required. Samples were made and taken back to the property to ensure the oak RSJ Covers fit in seamlessly.

The oak RSJ covers are manufactured from kiln dried oak with a thickness of 30mm. They also encompass an invisible join meaning it won't look like 3 planks stuck together. The manufacturing process means an oak cover can be made to within reason, any dimensions.

At the same time, Tom and Jo picked engineered oak flooring for the hallway in their home. They wanted to keep the traditional elements in their home, the old oak beams and doors however replaced the dark stained woodwork with white, crisp paint.

The engineered oak flooring they chose had a brushed finish (Kolonial); the chosen colour was Smoked Natural. This has a lovely warm finish, which fits perfectly amongst darker oak in older properties, but is still light enough to be modern and light. The boards they chose were 175mm wide and they chose very dark filler for any knot holes.

A few months later after the hall flooring had been laid, Tom called back into their showroom at Tockwith and borrowed a couple of the flooring sample boards to choose engineered oak flooring for the new floor in their new, modern, south facing garden room.

For this light-filled room, they chose the Kolonial board again. This time it was decided that a Smoked White board at 225mm wide would be better. This is a lovely light colour and it fits in well with the Farrow Ball ‘Pointing’ colour to the walls and the neutral furnishings.

After all the works had been done Tom said:

‘We are especially pleased with the old oak RSJ covers which looks as though they have always been there – supporting the old beams.’

‘In the new part of the house, the Smoked White flooring looks great, brilliant, and we are really pleased with it. It’s a much more modern looking floor and the light coming in through the large windows seems to bounce off it, creating more light’.

‘We’ll be back to Oak By Design again in the near future when we move onto the next phase of the renovation/upgrade!’