DIY Tray Ceiling Feature

Stephanie Abbott
by Stephanie Abbott
3 Materials
$150
3 Days
Medium
Our tray ceiling was boring and the drywall tape job was so bad. But I knew some molding and paneling could make this room amazing!

You know you’ve hit a home run with a DIY when it becomes the instant star of a room. This DIY Tray ceiling feature is definitely the star now! In fact, when my Mom first saw the update, she said she didn’t even notice we had a tray ceiling before. What?! Something like a tray ceiling should always be the eye-catcher in a room. But ours had some problems.
Before picture: We had 2 problems here. 1. The ceiling paint color was too stark white. It made our crown molding look a bit yellow. 2. The drywall tape job bubbled and cracked along a lot of those seams.
So, both issues needed to be fixed.
You can see the bubbling tape here.
I wanted the sloped part of the tray to have a smooth wood paneling look. But it had a ceiling texture applied. So, I had to start by applying thin cabinet grade plywood to the sloped area. If you're ceiling is smooth, you can probably skip this step.
If you head over to my site, you can see how I measured up the ceiling and planned out where the trim should go to hide the gaps between the plywood panels.
Once all of the plywood panels were up, I filled the nail holes with drydex wood filler. And primed the panels with a Latex Primer. I also painted the ceiling and walls at this point.
Next, I applied a basic base molding to the ceiling. I used a stud finder and Brad Nailer to do this. The arrows here point to the marks I made on the ceiling for each stud.
Once all of the base molding was attached to the ceiling, I could add 1 1/2" lathe to cover the gaps in the plywood panels. Make sure you measure everything carefully along each step. You want the lathe evenly spaced. After nailing the lathe in place, it's time for the most important step. I think this step is the most important part of any molding or trim job because skipping it would make the whole job look bad.
Applying wood filler and caulk along all seams and gaps where any of the pieces meet and where the board meets the ceiling is key. Do this carefully and you'll get a professional look.


After I was sure the caulking was perfect, I painted the new trim and molding to match the rest of the trim in our house. I also gave the original crown a fresh coat.


Note: I planned this feature based on the existing crown. I couldn't use anything thicker than lathe or it would have stuck out past the crown molding. I love the way this ceiling looks, but you can always pick different molding for your own design.
The new trim and paneling on the slope makes the whole ceiling a feature. The lighter paint on the walls and ceiling makes the room feel lighter and bigger. The final reveal for this room will be coming soon on my site. I have DIY Wall Art, Curtains, and a few more things to add first. :)


Get the full DIY Steps and more how-to pictures by following the link to my site.
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Stephanie Abbott
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