The coffered ceiling is one of the most elegant features that can be added to kitchens, libraries, bars, foyers and we’ve even installed them in bedrooms. They can be painted, stained or as in the picture, a combination of both.
There are two types of coffered ceilings, actual solid hardwood beams or cosmetic beams. Solid hardwood beams tend to be a little more rustic and are definitely heavier and can take several people to install. They have to be bolted to the ceiling joist and in some cases even the ceiling joist has to be reinforced.
The cosmetic beam is another story. It can be installed by one person in a couple days depending on the style. The trick to keeping the coffered ceiling simple is the technique of using L brackets to hold the beams to the ceiling. Now every room is going to be different, and there are no standards when it comes to the size of the coffered beams, so a mock-up piece is recommended in order to find exactly the right size beam. We typically construct somewhere between a five and six inch wide and five and six inch deep beam depending on the height of the ceiling and the size of the crown molding. The higher the ceilings the larger the beam can be.
The first thing that needs to be done in order to build a coffered ceiling after the mock-up is to measure the area and make a layout grid and a story pole. The story pole is always crucial in avoiding mistakes in any type of project and is worth the time making. The grid is mainly used for avoiding confusion and counting the number of L shape brackets used for the mounting of the beams.
These L shape brackets are constructed out of 3/4″plywood (mostly scraps) and glued and nailed together. It is important that these blocks are square, and that they’re built a hair narrower than the bottom beam cap. This is to ensure the beam fits tight in between the two sides. After the ceiling is laid out, the brackets are then glued and nailed to the ceiling. Each intersection will have four brackets that will accept the bottom beam cap and the ends will have one bracket. The span between the intersections will determine if brackets are needed in between.
Make extra brackets, they’ll come in handy!
A nail gun is highly recommended for installing this type of ceiling
The bottom beam cap is installed to the L brackets.
After the bottom cap is installed, the sides of the beam are then added. The sides are fastened to the edge of the bottom beam cap and do not have to go all the way to the ceiling, due to the fact that crown molding will cover this area. This is important for saving material! Why use a 5″ board if a 3″ board will work.
Since a perfectly square room is a rarity, I’ve always found it easier to concentrate on installing one piece at a time, rather than nailing all four pieces together before installing.
There are several ways to install a coffered ceiling, and it never hurts to experiment with other methods. I’ve included a link to a Fine Home Building article I found that is similar to our method and may help out also.
7 responses so far ↓
1 Jason // Jan 25, 2008 at 3:02 am
What a fantastic look and approach to doing these coffereds. I too do a lot of coffered ceilings, all in new construction homes so the approach is different. Our ceilings are always pre-framed and never square nor plumb. I really like the bracket method.
Do you by any chance know of any custom home builders or high-end interior companies in or around the Augusta Ga area? I will be moving to this area in March and will be searching for some work. Any leads would be very helpful. J..
2 Bryan // Jan 25, 2008 at 8:28 am
Thanks, these coffered ceilings used to be a real pain in the neck until Pop came up with this method. One man can do this ceiling without to much difficulty, but two men can knock one out in no time at all. I do not know any home builders in this area. However, there are a lot of new home publications in and around the Atlanta area that builders advertise in. This might be a good place to start. http://www.todayscustomhome.com/
Good Luck, Bryan
3 Kevin Mechwart // Feb 27, 2008 at 6:41 pm
My wife and I are really wanting a coffered ceiling in the family room of our new home. The problem is we would be working off of 2 1/2 walls, not your typical 3 or 4 wall room. Is there a way to lay out a coffered ceiling so that it looks really good with what we have to work with? I have not been able to find anything oline that would give us an idea of what it could look like. Any suggestions would be most appreciated!
4 Pop in Training // Feb 29, 2008 at 11:20 am
Hey Kevin, congratulations on the new home. I’ve seen coffered ceilings in just about any shape you can imagine. Your situation seems a little tricky, but I’m sure it could work. It’s a little tuff trying to visualize your situation. If you want to email me some pictures at bryan@georgiacustom.com I will be happy to take a look and post my suggestions right here. Thanks Bryan
5 Rich // Jun 1, 2008 at 12:46 am
I recently finished my first coffered ceiling and let me say the l-bracket technique and the information you supplied was spot on! The ceiling is just stunning! I would reiterate and say take your time when designing and laying out the plan. I snapped lines matching the entire grip and like anything well planned, life became easier after that! Thanks for the education. When I complete the painting detail, I’ll post a pic! Thanks for your well expressed lesson!
6 Jeff Dempsey // Jun 12, 2008 at 1:17 am
Very cool approach! I was wondering if this could be a one man job and with this method it looks very promising. I would consider myself a novice carpenter, so I was wondering if I were planning to build a coffered ceiling that would ultimately be painted (not stained), what material would you recommend for the exterior facing boards? Also, if I was planning not using crown molding, simply running the side boards all the way to the ceiling, would you approach anything different. Thanks, Jeff.
7 James // Jul 13, 2008 at 8:57 pm
I can’t wait to build a coffered ceiling in the living room of our new house. I am a little concerned with how to secure the L brackets to the ceiling. Obviously, if the L bracket falls on an I-Beam, you can attach it with a nail gun. What if the L brackets fall in between I-Beams? How do I attach the brackets to avoid having the coffered ceilings fall on my head during an episode of “Ask this Old House”.
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