How to Create a Tray Ceiling Look

Fill any cracks or holes in the ceiling with filler before you begin, to make a smooth surface. Allow the filler to set. Cover the floor and furniture with dust sheets. Sand the ceiling filler smooth with medium-grade sandpaper.

Use a ladder to measure approximately 12 inches in from where the wall meets the ceiling, and place a pencil mark on the ceiling every 10 to 12 inches, until you have marked all the way around the ceiling.

Use a yardstick or a long, straight-edged piece of wood to join the pencil marks, creating a 12-inch border around the edge of the ceiling.

Mask along the top edge of the wall and along the pencil border line with masking tape, leaving exposed the ceiling border you just created.

Paint the ceiling border with the same paint color as the walls, if the walls are a fairly dark or bold color. If you have light, neutral walls, such as cream, paint the ceiling border with a darker neutral shade, such as mocha. Remove the masking tape, and allow the paint to dry for 24 hours.

Measure 12 inches in toward the center of the ceiling from the edge of the newly painted ceiling border. Mark with a pencil and continue around the room until a second border is marked on ceiling. Use a straight edge to join the marks as you did before.

Mask either side of the second border, and paint it in a complementary, but slightly lighter shade than the previous ceiling border. For example, if you used a light mocha on the first border, mix a little white into the same color for the second ceiling border.

Paint the ceiling area inside the borders with an even lighter color, such as a light cream. The step effect of the three gradually lighter colors tricks the eye into believing the ceiling is recessed.