This tray ceiling has mirrors in the recessed area and rope lighting.
If you live in an older home, chances are your ceilings are only eight or nine feet high. You can enhance the look of a boring, low ceiling by creating depth and drama with a tray ceiling. The name "tray ceiling" comes from the finished look, which resembles an inverted tray. The difficulty in adding a tray ceiling is not in making it, but rather in designing it, since your choices are many.
Instructions
Planning and Design
1. Purchase several different types of crown molding and bring them to the room where you're adding a tray ceiling. Try out several combinations in the available light to see what looks best.
2. Determine where you want the lower ceiling. In most older homes with low ceilings, you should leave the main ceiling at its current height, and add the tray effect around the perimeter. It can either be free-standing with trim on both sides, or butted up to the wall. Consider an octagonal design for added elegance.
3. Measure your room. If adding the tray to the perimeter, quadruple the measurement. Divide by the length of the 2-by-4 studs to get the proper amount of materials. For example, if your room is 12-by-16 feet, the total measurement is 56 feet around the perimeter. You will need 224 feet of studs. If your studs are 8 feet long, you will need 28 studs to build your tray ceiling. You may want to buy a few more, because you'll need to cut some of them.
4. Select the crown molding you want. Most tray ceilings have multiple crown molding combinations in a stair-step effect. Determine what the final look will be. Consider adding rope lighting on the inside of the dropped part of the ceiling, painting the inside a different color from the rest of the ceiling, adding a chandelier to the center of the recessed area, possibly painting a mural in the recessed area or adding tin or glass panels.
Build Lower Ceiling
5. Nail together a box out of the 2-by-4s to the size you've determined for your tray effect. Attach to the ceiling joists with a nail gun. Continue until you have four sides.
6. Add recessed lighting, if desired, before you enclose the box. Unless you understand electricity, it's best to leave this step to a professional.
7. Cut Sheetrock to fit over the box. Attach with drywall screws.
8. Nail up metal edging strips to finish off any outer edges. Tape the joints, using joint compound to adhere the tape. Allow to dry.
9. Add two more coats of joint compound to the seams, sanding between each coat. Allow to dry completely.
Hang Crown Molding
10. Calculate the amount of crown molding that you will need by measuring the inside and outside edge of the new soffit and adding those measurements together. You can add crown to the part of the soffit that attaches to the wall, or to the bottom of the soffit, or both. Purchase a bit more than you will need to allow for miter cuts.
11. Join each piece of crown together with a miter cut, using a miter saw and a coping saw to cut. Attach to the soffit with nails and a nail gun.
12. Prime the drywall with primer paint. Add rope lighting, if desired.
13. Paint the new tray ceiling for your final effect.
