Retrofitting Tray Ceilings

Change the Width or Height

• You can retrofit an existing tray ceiling by changing the width or the height of the tray. In a small room, this will make the space feel smaller yet cozy. In a large room, this technique can be used to make your tray ceiling stand out even more. You will need to remove the side wall panels and adjust the width or height. For example, if you want a more pronounced tray ceiling treatment, increase the width and depth of the tray. Conversely, if you want to de-emphasize the look, shorten the height or width of the tray surface area. A shorter tray design will maintain interest value, but the look will be understated.

Add New Molding

• Add new molding to give your tray ceiling an easy makeover. Explore molding styles and designs and look for styles that tie in to the decor of the room. For example, if you have a contemporary-style room, consider dentil molding. The squared lines will work well to add a new look while maintaining a minimalist design treatment. Or if you want to make the room more ornate, build up multiple types of molding pieces by stacking and layering them. Use a thick piece as the base molding and add thinner molding strips on the top and bottom to create a framed look to surround the molding on your tray ceiling.

Create a Second Tray

• Another retrofitting option is to add a second tray to your ceiling. You can build onto the existing tray and add an interior tray to frame it and create a tiered effect. Build inward to make the second tray and make it shorter in height. Add molding around the edges of the second tray so that it pops out then paint the walls of the tray in a different color than what you have on the existing tray.

Change the Shape

• Changing the shape of a tray ceiling is another way to transform the look. If the current tray is squared, you can add angles along the borders. As a result, instead of a conventional four-cornered tray, you’ll have an octagon shape with eight surfaces. To retrofit from a squared shape to an octagon, you will need to cut out corner sections and install new wood panels at 45-degree angles to create the desired shape.

Visual Retrofitting

• You can add visual treatments to retrofit your tray ceiling and bypass the need to saw and remove a single panel. Add a wallpaper border to decorate the surfaces of the tray or add a mural to the ceiling surface. You can also retrofit the look by changing paint colors to make the tray ceiling appear larger or wider. For example, paint the inside panels of the tray ceiling in a light color and paint the bottom panels that face the floor in a darker shade. This will trick the eye, so to speak, and draw the visual interest inward to the ceiling surface area and create a dimensional quality to the look of your tray ceiling.