How to Screed Up Agains a Wall
Acquire how to build your own woods window cornice box to clothes up your window frame. Building a custom woods window valance is a dandy beginner building projection!
Encounter more than of self-taught DIYer Jenny'southward home and tips for start DIYers here — you won't want to miss her cute kitchen and living room! Plus read how to install like shooting fish in a barrel craftsman window trim around any window.
In my son's room, the window is on the wall reverse the door. The window is the focal point of the room, the beginning matter you see. I dressed it upward with a DIY window cornice. The cornice adds weight and visual interest. Information technology's also a decorative emphasis that adds a bold pop of color to the room. (I liked how it turned out and so well, that I made similar cornices for my other sons' rooms.)
What is a Window Cornice?
A window cornice is a iii-sided box that frames the top of a window. A cornice typically covers—and extends out over—curtain rods, the top section of blinds, and window casings. It can be as tall as you care to brand it, unproblematic or fancy.
A window cornice is typically solid, like these made from wood in this tutorial, while a window valance is traditionally made from cloth and more than like a short curtain at the top of the window. A wood window valance "box" might also exist chosen a pelmet box, which is typically more than solid than a valance but covered in fabric to lucifer the drapery.
Whether you call it a window cornice, valance, or pelmet, the purpose is to cover upward the window hardware and give your windows some presence and style!
Artistic Window Cornice Ideas
Get artistic with window cornices to fit the function and style of your room. Some ideas:
- Add a shelf to the acme for displaying stuffed animals or kids' soccer trophies.
- Paint the box portion of the cornice a dissimilar color than the trim portions.
- Paint the window casing the same color equally your cornice or vice versa.
- Layer trim pieces to get a distinctive wait or use a router to create a really custom slice.
- And, if you lot're putting crown molding up in the room at the same time equally y'all're doing your cornices, you tin can design information technology so that the crown molding runs seamlessly around the room and the window cornice—-heaven!
For my forest window cornices, I used crown molding that matched what was already in the room —- pretty standard builder-grade stuff that you can discover at any large box store. I also used some ogee trim (also known as base cap).
How to Build a DIY Wood Window Cornice
Please keep in mind that all of these wood dimensions and trim pieces are specific to my cornices—-you lot may want to do something different. For example, I used a ane″ x eight″ board for my cornice box, just if you lot want a taller (or shorter) cornice box, you'd want to buy a wider, or shorter, board, etc.
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Forest Window Cornice SUPPLY List
- eleven/16″ x 1-three/8″ primed pine ogee molding/base of operations cap (for trim along the bottom border of the cornice)
- five/eight″ x iv-5/eight″ primed fiberboard crown molding (bound angle: 53/37); (for trim forth the acme of the cornice)
- 1×8 common board (for the cornice box/frame)*
- 1×2 common lath (for the cleat you lot'll employ to hang the cornice)
- 1×6 mutual board (for the top and sides of the cornice box)
- finishing nails (or 18-guess brad nails if you have a blast gun)
- wood glue
- caulk
- forest filler
- sanding cake
- paint or stain
*This is a soft and inexpensive woods. It oft has knots and is sometimes not direct, so be choosy when selecting your wood. Go the straightest possible pieces with the fewest knots. You tin can employ a harder and higher-quality wood, merely it will be more expensive; if yous plan to stain your cornice, rather than pigment it, y'all'll likely want to invest in a higher-quality woods species.
Wood Window Cornice TOOL LIST
- Compound Miter Saw or Circular Saw
- Kreg Jig (pocket hole jig)
- Table Saw (optional)
- Brad Nailer or Hammer
- Drill/Driver
- Orbital Sander
- Measuring Record
- 18″ Level (or longer)
DIY Woods Window Cornice Box Associates
Stride 1: Plan & Measure
Program the wait of your cornice. Consider:
- What trim, if any, do you want to utilise?
- Will you stain it or paint it?
- How tall and wide do you want it to exist?
- How much space practise you have higher up and on the sides of the window to work with?
Mensurate your window from the outside edge of the window casing on 1 side to the outside border of the window casing on the contrary side. Do not mensurate only the window by itself. Include the casings!
Your cornice will hang downwardly over the window and the casings. I chose to add together 4″ (that'southward ii″ for each side of the window) to my window measurements. Why? To allow for the width of the border of the cornice and for a little space between the window casing and the cornice.
Helpful Reading: Universal Tricks for Good Looking Curtains
Also mensurate out from the wall to determine how deep your cornice needs to be. Will the cornice hang over a pall rod or blinds? The cornice box needs to be deep plenty to extend out over whatsoever obstacles—-the window casing, blinds, or defunction.
Add together at least a 1/two″ or so to your depth measurement so you won't have to worry nearly your cornice scraping up against your window treatments subsequently it'southward installed.
Based on the clearance you have between the ceiling and your window, also as your personal preference, determine how tall you want your cornice to be.
Buy your materials and brand a sketch of your dimensions.
STEP 2: Cut the Forest Cornice Pieces & Crown Molding
I cut all the pieces for my cornice first.
I cut my 1″ x viii″ common lath to length and cut both of the brusque sides at a beveled 45-caste bending using a miter saw. This slice is the front of your cornice box.
For the peak and side pieces of my cornice box, I needed a shallower width of lath, so I ripped my 1″ x 6″ mutual board downward to one″ x v″ (a non-standard size non available at my local lumber thou) using a table saw. I then cut the tiptop and side pieces of my cornice box from the ane″ 10 v″ lath.
For the side pieces, I used my miter saw to cut 45-caste angles on one of the long edges.
I cut my crown molding and ogee trim, both the forepart and side pieces, mitered to meet affluent at the corners of the cornice box.
See this post for tips and resources to help you acquire how to cut crown molding and other trim — and e'er remember to practice, exercise, practice on some inexpensive molding or scraps until you're confident with your cuts.
For the ogee trim, set your table to 45-degrees. Exit your blade on heart at 0-degrees.
For the crown molding, you'll demand to set the angles on your blade and table according to the jump bending of the crown molding yous're using. I used but virtually the most bones and widely available crown molding there is (bound angle: 53/37). I set my miter (angle on table) to 31.5-degrees and my bevel (tilt of blade) to 34-degrees.
The largest piece of crown molding, running along the height of the cornice box, has 2 exterior corners.
The left-hand mitered outside corner is cut by placing the crown to the right of the bract. The top edge of the crown rests up against the fence. The miter angle on the table of your miter saw is set to the correct of center.
You will also cut the correct-mitt side slice of crown this way. The border of the side piece of crown that meets the forepart piece of crown will be cutting at an bending. The other side volition be affluent against the wall, and so information technology'south a straight-border cutting.
The correct-hand mitered outside corner is cut past placing the crown to the right of the bract. The lesser edge of the crown rests up against the argue. The miter angle on the tabular array of your miter saw is set to the left of center.
You volition also cut the left-hand side piece of crown this way. The edge of the side piece of crown that meets the forepart piece of crown volition be cut at an bending. The other side will be flush confronting the wall, so it'southward a straight-edge cut.
When cut crown, I ever add a half-inch or a little more than to the total length I measured before cutting. I'll do a test fit after making my first cut so trim a little more than off if I need to, only with crown, one time you lot cut information technology too short, you're out of luck! And then I'grand e'er very, very conscientious and take my time to exist sure to get it right. Keep in mind, also, that crown has to extend a bit past the length of your cornice box. If the cut edge of the crown lines upwardly exactly with the edge of the cornice box, there won't be enough of an edge left on the crown to meet up with the edge of the side slice of crown, which you'll desire it to do in lodge to get a neat corner.
Footstep 3: Get together the Wood Cornice
I drilled holes using my Kreg Jig along the top, inside edges of my front box piece and my 2 side box pieces. (If you don't own a Kreg Jig, you can bring together your box together by first gluing with wood glue and then using finishing nails or a nail gun.)
I used wood mucilage to bring together the mitered edges of my side box pieces and my forepart box piece and clamped it all to dry out. And so, I used my 18-gauge nail gun to reinforce the bond by nailing the pieces together (y'all could also use a hammer and finishing nails, if you don't take a boom gun).
Next, I used my Kreg Jig screws to screw together the summit piece of my box to the front and side box pieces. Now, yous've got yourself a box. Time to jazz information technology up!
STEP four: Adhere Cornice Trim
I attached the ogee trim flush to the lesser edge of my cornice box with my 18-gauge nail gun (you lot tin too use finishing nails and a hammer). You can glue first, too, if you lot'd similar to.
Before attaching any trim, though, exam the fit of your corner pieces to make sure they fit together properly. 
Make measured marks all along the length of your box where you desire your crown molding to be. Then, utilize a level or other straight edge to connect the marks so you lot accept a line along which to line up the lesser border of your crown molding—y'all desire it to exist level. Nail along the lesser edge of your crown to attach it to your cornice box. It can be anywhere on the box frame yous choose for it to be—-affluent with the peak edge of the box or somewhere farther down the box. I chose to accept a 5-1/2″ gap between the top of my ogee trim and the bottom of my crown molding.
Yous can ever add a shelf to the height of the cornice box, which would requite the crown something to attach to (similar it would if it were being fitted along a wall and ceiling), only since on this cornice, I chose not to add a shelf, I had to mucilage the corner crown pieces to the heart crown piece to adhere them.
Use painter's tape to secure the connection until the mucilage dries. Adhere the bottom of the side pieces of crown with nails along the bottom edge, just as you did with the front end piece of crown.
I would advise confronting trying to nail the top piece of the side crown to the top slice of the front crown, as you'll risk splitting the crown.
Stride 5: Finish and Paint Your Window Cornice
Now, use wood filler on your nail holes and caulk all the seams.
Helpful Reading: Tips for Caulking Like a Pro
After the wood filler and caulk take dried, do a lite sanding to ensure a smooth finished surface. Wipe away all grit and debris.
I used one coat of primer and 2 coats of paint, letting everything dry thoroughly betwixt coats.
Remember to paint the underside of your cornice box, besides, as it will be visible if someone is continuing close to, or nether, the window.
If the top of your cornice box volition exist visible, be sure to paint the meridian, likewise, but nearly of the time, a cornice box will be then close to the ceiling that no one will exist able to meet the tiptop of it.
How to Hang a Wood Window Cornice
Cut a ane″ x 2″ strip of wood just shorter than the total length of your completed cornice box.
Mountain it to the wall above the window where you lot'll be hanging the cornice, using a level and 2″ wood screws. Be sure to attach to studs and not just dry wall.
Proceed in mind how far down over your window yous want your cornice to hang—-that volition determine where on the wall you install the 1″ x 2″ strip of wood (your cornice box will 'hang' on this strip of forest).
You volition attach your window cornice box past 'hanging' it on, and screwing it in to, your 1″ 10 ii″ strip, which you lot accept mounted to the wall in a higher place your window. It won't be secure enough to just 'hang' the cornice box on the 1″ ten two″ strip. You need to spiral down through the top of the cornice box, in to the 1″ x 2″ strip at regular intervals forth the length of the cornice box.
To make the job easier, I screwed my 2″ wood screws partially in to the superlative of my cornice box before hanging it, so that I'd take less screwing to practice after putting the cornice box in identify over the window. Exist mindful in the placement of your screws. Yous don't want them and so shut to the border that the wood splits, thus compromising the attachment. Neither do you don't want them so far away from the edge that they won't screw down in to the superlative of your wall-mounted 1″ x 2″ strip.
You lot tin also use the same concept to create a decorative and/or functional shelf.
Instead of making a box as you did for the cornice, apply only a flat board and add together a shelf on top. Adhere trim just every bit yous would for the window cornice. I used an Ook Hangman French Cleat Picture Hanging Kit to hang the shelf below in my kitchen—-works like a dream! And, yep, you lot can hang it somewhere other than over a window!
Or use the same idea to create a bed crown cornice like Cassity did for her daughter's room here:
More means to make your windows look amazing:
- Easy DIY Craftsman Window Trim (plus DIY craftsman door casing)
- Brand Your Own (False) Roman Shades
- How to Trim Biconvex Windows
- 25+ DIY Window Covering Tutorials
DIY Window Cornice Before and Afters
And just for kicks and giggles, here'due south what those bedrooms looked like when we bought the house and what they expect like now (with the window cornices and other updates):
Be sure to pivot your favorites to save for afterward and share with your friends!
Published 05.03.16 // Updated 05.14.twenty
Source: https://www.remodelaholic.com/build-hang-window-cornice/
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