of hammer and distress the surface to make them look like hand cut. Even a chain hitting the surface will give them some character. Once done, stain or paint as desired. To install simply cut one more board that fits inside the U shape, nail that to the ceiling and screw the U shaped beam to the ceiling. Whats neat about doing this yourself, Is you can custom make it to fit the room instead of paying a lot of money to have one made for you. This is really a DIY type of project that can be fun to do.