How to Create Your Own Coffered Ceiling

Coffered ceilings, originally made from stone, have been around since the ancient Greeks and Romans. These days, homeowners are finding themselves attracted to the modern version of this classical architectural feature.

Recently, I took on a coffered ceiling project myself using modern materials and up-to-date installation methods. Here’s how things went.

The first step was to layout the design taking into consideration the size and shape of the room and deciding how large we wanted each coffer (box) to be. To reassure myself that everything would work out as planned, I marked the layout on the ceiling with blue masking tape. This also provided video viewers with a sort of roadmap.

To form the grid or boxes we used smooth, polyurethane faux beams that were u-shaped and hollow inside. We painted these white before putting them up. The beams were installed using a system two by two rails. The rails were secured to the ceiling with toggle bolts, then the beams were attached to the rails using either screws or nails.

Once we had the beams up, the grid pattern was quite obvious. While we could have stopped here, the plan was to take things even further by installing decorative foam ceiling tiles and foam crown molding inside the coffers or boxes. To add contrast and a look of more depth, we painted the ceiling tiles a dark grey. The crown molding, we left white.

While the beams and crown molding can be cut with a handsaw, I used a power miter saw. If cutting the ceiling tiles is necessary, this can be done with a simple utility knife.

The finished job was quite impressive. Of all the ceiling projects I’ve taken on, this one, to me, had the most dramatic impact. The coffered ceiling is probably most often seen in living rooms, but it can also add stunning detail to kitchens, bedrooms, and family rooms.