A lot of heat and cool air are sometimes lost in a vaulted ceiling.
Installing a lower ceiling to replace a vaulted ceiling is a matter of building solid support structure. There are at least two ways to lower the ceiling to create flat space. You might convert the high ceiling to a standard 8-foot ceiling, for example. But, you can construct a tray ceiling. With its sloping sides, a tray ceiling looks like an upside down tray shape over the room. One reason to lower the vaulted ceiling is to save on heating and cooling. The initial cost of changing the ceiling won't be inexpensive, however, because the job will be labor-intensive.
Instructions
1. Sketch the room with the type of ceiling you want. Plan to install a typical 8-foot drywall ceiling, for example. Draw a tongue-and-groove board ceiling, as another option. Sketch a tray ceiling that will require attaching attic joists higher on the A-frame vaulted ceiling. Make the ceiling's flat area 10 or 11 feet high, for example.
2. Draw the ceiling's new color and lighting features. Install recessed lighting around the edges of the "tray," which will have a flat border approximately 2 feet wide. Plan to paint the border taupe and the higher flat ceiling, which is the tray "bottom" in white, for example. Design a chandelier to hang down from the new flat ceiling in the center, if you desire.
3. Plan new kitchen features to add during the construction process. Design how a new range hood, made of stainless steel, for example, will fit with the flat or tray ceiling. Use the ceiling remodel as an opportunity to install new venting for the range. Plan a sky well shaft directing light into the kitchen from a skylight capping it, during the design process.
4. Measure the dimensions of the ceiling rafters needed. Plan to install 10 or 15 rafters that will span the flat ceiling, for example. Use special hardware to attach the rafters to additional wall or ceiling framework. Don't rely on simple screws or nails to attach this kind of weight. Confer with a building expert to understand the installation steps the new rafters will require.
5. Route electrical wiring and finish up the 's finish. Install drywall, for instance, and add crown molding around the kitchen's perimeter. Rent scaffolding to install tongue-and-groove boards over the ceiling, if this is your design choice. Paint the ceiling before hooking up all light fixtures.
Tags: tray ceiling, ceiling example, flat ceiling, vaulted ceiling, example Draw, lower ceiling