Engineered wood floor beams, often crafted using timber laminating adhesives, offer exceptional structural efficiency.

Q. I'm getting ready to build a large room addition that needs a beam to support the floor joists. I've been told that a wood beam will work, but I've always seen steel I-beams in other houses. Is ...

Actually, any beam is fairly complex, whether it’s made from wood, steel, concrete or some combination of materials. Structural engineers specialize in beams like this.

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.

Wood beams can be treated with borate chemicals to minimize wood rot and prevent infestation by insects that can't harm steel. If you want to fasten something to a steel beam, it's a challenge.

Q: My house plan calls for steel beams that will support the floor joists and even parts of a brick wall. Can I substitute wood beams for steel? Is a steel I-beam hard to handle on the job site ...

That is one advantage of steel over wood when you’re working with materials that are roughly the same size. Pound for pound, steel is so much stronger than wood. What’s fascinating is to see ...