Hello!!
No idea if this is the right topic but I can't find anything on "how to make necessary things look OK".
In our upcoming renovation, load-bearing posts will be placed in the center of the house to initially support the intermediate floor and later also a ridge beam. One of the posts can be completely hidden in a culvert, but the other will be fully visible in the living room.
I assume they should be metal posts, and off the top of my head, it doesn't seem super nice to have a steel post (or whatever it is) just standing there in the room.
Any ideas on how to make it look better or choose a stylish design?
Pictures?
Thanks in advance
No idea if this is the right topic but I can't find anything on "how to make necessary things look OK".
In our upcoming renovation, load-bearing posts will be placed in the center of the house to initially support the intermediate floor and later also a ridge beam. One of the posts can be completely hidden in a culvert, but the other will be fully visible in the living room.
I assume they should be metal posts, and off the top of my head, it doesn't seem super nice to have a steel post (or whatever it is) just standing there in the room.
Any ideas on how to make it look better or choose a stylish design?
Pictures?
Thanks in advance
Diversearbetare
· Göteborg
· 11 228 posts
Works perfectly fine with glulam beam at 115x115. That's usually standard. These can be worked on to some extent and of course spackled and painted.
You'll need to tell a bit more or show pictures of the style of the house and the interior before you can get more concrete tips.
You'll need to tell a bit more or show pictures of the style of the house and the interior before you can get more concrete tips.
Thanks Johan. Difficult with pictures as the whole thing will be remodeled quite entirely (walls moved, etc.) but basically, it's a 40s house with parquet floors, 236 ceiling height, quite traditional with windows with mullions. However, slightly larger windows in the corner closest to the pole.
I have seen a metal pole that was painted and looked somewhat like a flagpole, but it was quite "plain", didn't stand out and disturb. It was round too, so that might be possible as well.
An important thing is that the pole must be extendable afterwards, as we won't build the second floor until certain reinforcements, etc. are done. I understand that you can weld onto metal poles, but how do you splice a glued laminated beam? Won't it be a weak point right at the splice?
I have seen a metal pole that was painted and looked somewhat like a flagpole, but it was quite "plain", didn't stand out and disturb. It was round too, so that might be possible as well.
An important thing is that the pole must be extendable afterwards, as we won't build the second floor until certain reinforcements, etc. are done. I understand that you can weld onto metal poles, but how do you splice a glued laminated beam? Won't it be a weak point right at the splice?
Diversearbetare
· Göteborg
· 11 228 posts
As long as the vertical beam is secured laterally, it's sufficient to stack them on top of each other. In my house, I have three glued laminated beams standing on top of each other with a horizontal steel beam in between. Built into a wall, they do not move a millimeter sideways.
Johan: you missed the detail that the post will be free-standing and therefore not secured sideways.
I think the glulam beams are nice, but I don't know if it is possible to have them on two levels.
You can always do as we did on our terrace: the very ugly (ruekosa) metal posts are clad with the same decking wood that we used on the terrace. Indoors, it's standing boards of some kind with some nice moldings, square or some other shape, like hexagonal or octagonal.
I think the glulam beams are nice, but I don't know if it is possible to have them on two levels.
You can always do as we did on our terrace: the very ugly (ruekosa) metal posts are clad with the same decking wood that we used on the terrace. Indoors, it's standing boards of some kind with some nice moldings, square or some other shape, like hexagonal or octagonal.
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Hello and thank you all for your comments so far.
What do you mean by "secured laterally"? Is it not if it goes through two floors? Or can you ensure that it becomes so? On the upper floor, it SHOULD be built into a wall, on the other hand, you might want the freedom to move the walls in the future. That's kind of the point with the post and beam solution.
Can you, as Nyfniken says, replace the entire beam and put in a new one when it's time for expansion? Do you lift it in with a crane then and how do you handle load-bearing in the meantime?
Encasing (metal?) posts as Anna_H suggests is also a possible solution... just having a hard time visualizing it (I'm a bit fixated on a hand-carved black stained piece I saw in an attic apartment once, THAT was really nice, but maybe fits better in even older houses than ours).
What do you mean by "secured laterally"? Is it not if it goes through two floors? Or can you ensure that it becomes so? On the upper floor, it SHOULD be built into a wall, on the other hand, you might want the freedom to move the walls in the future. That's kind of the point with the post and beam solution.
Can you, as Nyfniken says, replace the entire beam and put in a new one when it's time for expansion? Do you lift it in with a crane then and how do you handle load-bearing in the meantime?
Encasing (metal?) posts as Anna_H suggests is also a possible solution... just having a hard time visualizing it (I'm a bit fixated on a hand-carved black stained piece I saw in an attic apartment once, THAT was really nice, but maybe fits better in even older houses than ours).
Diversearbetare
· Göteborg
· 11 228 posts
As long as it's spruce wood, it's perfectly OK. Spruce is generally the most robust wood for such loads. Little risk of it bending. That's why it's used as a post in molds and as masts on sailing ships.
Secured laterally simply means that there must not be any possibility for the vertical beam to move horizontally at the top and bottom. A couple of nails usually suffice as a brace against a wooden joist.
Secured laterally simply means that there must not be any possibility for the vertical beam to move horizontally at the top and bottom. A couple of nails usually suffice as a brace against a wooden joist.
