Designing And Constructing A Tray Ceiling

Adding a tray ceiling to one of your rooms is a project that can add instant style, and perceived height. A tray ceiling is one in which the middle of the ceiling is recessed and accented with crown molding. This molding can take the form of several levels for more elegance, or it can be just a simple molding that makes the transition from ceiling to recess.

How Does a Tray Ceiling Add Depth?

Some rooms have low ceilings without much chance of being able to raise them without making major revisions to the room and spending money in the process. A tray ceiling gives the room the perception of more height because the slightly lowered edges keep the middle open and "higher" than the rest.

Is It Only for Low Ceiling Rooms?

A tray ceiling can add a great decorative element to any room. Dining rooms, living rooms, master bedrooms and foyers are all examples of rooms that benefits from the formal design of a tray ceiling.

Gather Your Materials

Building a tray ceiling is a great weekend project and should only take a few hours to accomplish.

• 1x4 lumber
• 1/4" plywood
• Drywall
• Metal corners
• Drywall mud and tape
• Paint/brushes
• Drill
• Drywall screws
• Measuring tape
• Circular saw
• Mitre saw

Initial Design

When designing your tray ceiling, think about such things as how deep the recess should be, how far should the soffits come out and how many levels of crown molding will you need? Once you know these answers then begin planning your tray ceiling.

Build Soffits

To give the ceiling some depth build some rectangular soffits. These are simple boxes that are built to your design specifications. For instance, if you want a 4-inch recess, the box will have a height of 4-inches. You will need at least 4 of these boxes to go all around the room. Attach these soffits to the ceiling with anchor bolts screwed into the ceiling joists.

Cover with Plywood or Drywall

Depending on the kind of finish you want, you can cover the soffit with either plywood or drywall. Drywall provides the most finished look. Put up the drywall, cover the corners, tape the seams and apply the mud. Sand it smooth.

Add Crown Molding

Cut the crown molding to length, and carefully cut in 45-degree mitre cuts for a snug wrap around the corners. If there is a gap, or you make a mistake, a little wood puddy can hide a lot of little goof-ups.

Paint To Match

After everything is secured you are ready to paint to match the room. You might want to paint the recessed part a little darker shade to create more depth in the recess.

Options

Your may want to further accent your tray ceiling by adding a tin ceiling in the recessed part. You could also add track or recessed lighting, or even hang a chandelier in the center.