Tray ceiling

[Jeremy Yorke]

I am entertaining the idea to instaling a tray ceiling domething like this www.signaturelighting.net/images/page21_1.jpg (http://www.signaturelighting.net/images/page21_1.jpg) . Any one of you have any experience in constructing it or have one in your home . It sure look nice and very exotic but what are the downside about it? maybe to maintain them? are they becoming more popular? or this something only belong to museums
you thoughts is greatly appreciated

[Per Swenson]

Hi Jeremy,

You say installing, which leads me to think you have a existing sheet rocked

space.

It would be a lot more fun if you were at the framing stage.

Even so if you have 9 foot or better cielings its doable.

With out more information everything else is speculation.

Per

[Jeremy Yorke]

sorry Per
more info.
this would be on an existing single family first floor. and I have a 9' ceiling this house is an old bungelows in Chicago that I am planing to rehab.

[Per Swenson]

Ok,

Its not hard, really.

As long as you can easily reroute your electrical.

For an Idea on how to frame it, see Mr. Pasko's Post here.

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=50116&highlight=barrel

Just leave the barrel part out.

Per

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Jeremy,
I installed a tray-ed ceiling in my dining room many years ago. It added some volume and interest to my otherwise uneventful, small dining room. I agree with Per...it was not difficult to do because I live in a ranch style home and there is no second floor.

We also built a low soffit (3"H x 12"W) along the perimeter wall to give the trayed ceiling a more dimensional look. In the center of the new ceiling is a large contemporary medallion on the ceiling where the hanging dining room light is.

On my ceiling, I did not add perimeter lighting because we previously made soffits over the bow window in the dining room that had a linear lighting in it.

If you can do basic framing, and can hang drywall, this is definately a DIYer with help by a friend. Here is schematic of the framing mods...

cheers, Jeff :)

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Beff2/Presentation1-1.jpg

[Jeremy Yorke]

this will be a tray down I guess 1 foot down

[Jim Becker]

We are planning for this in our new MBR in the addtion as it's a way to get a 9' ceiling and make the roof slope on the outside wall rational with the rest of the walls. (structure is 8' ceilings standard)

[Frank Chaffee]

Jeremy,
Frank Lloyd Wright often designed soffits, lit and unlit, that were below standard ceiling height. He also used them to create transition spaces between areas.

Hanging them from ceiling joists should pose no problem, but yikes!, seeing what Jeffery Makiel and Chris Pasko (via Per), have posted, it looks as tho the sky is not the limit.

Go for it!

[Jeffrey Makiel]

Here is a pic of what it looks like....

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y84/Beff2/DSCF08601024x768.jpg

[Jeremy Yorke]

Jeffery looks so elegant. did you have it done? is it tray down or tray up must be tray up
looks very good:) :) :)

[Jeffrey Makiel]

My brothers and I did it quite a few years ago. It did not require anything in addition to simple framing and sheet rock work. As with any physical job, working with lumber and sheet goods above one's head requires a certain physical ability that my aging body may not agree with today. It helps to have scaffolding, even if it's just planks rasised up about 30" above the floor. The decorative elements were made from MDF board.

The sheetrock was installed without curves. Had there been curves , more work (and skill) would have been required.

Oh...its a tray-up.

-Jeff :)