Contributor Chris Beidel, owner of Pernt [https://www.perntstudio.com/], a handmade-furniture company in Brooklyn, NY, walks you through this ceiling beautification project. (See below for a shopping list and tools.)

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Cost:
About $230
Time:
2 days
Difficulty:
Moderate. Working overhead makes the job more challenging

Shopping List for How to Build a Coffered Ceiling:
1x6 primed finger-jointed pine. Get six 16-footers
Cove-profile shoe molding
Panel adhesive
2-inch 16-gauge pneumatic nails
1 inch 18-gauge pneumatic brads
Wood shims
Wood glue
Wood putty
Latex caulk
Semigloss paint

Tools for How to Build a Coffered Ceiling:
Measuring tape
Painter's tape
Stud finder
1/8-inch drill bit
Drill/driver
Miter saw
Pneumatic nailers (16 gauge and 18 gauge)
Chalk line with nonstaining chalk
Rafter square
Putty knife
Caulk gun
2 1/2-inch sash brush
Small paint roller

If you’d like to add dimension and character to a plain room, nothing beats the traditional look of a coffered ceiling, with its grid of bold beams. Constructing coffers on your own may seem daunting, but we’ll show you how even the average DIYer can create this hallmark old-house feature. The secret is our low-profile coffer design, which greatly simplifies the task of working overhead because you’re installing flat boards and molding rather than assembling box beams.

Primed lumber: WindsorONE+ [https://windsorone.com/products/moldi...] 1x6 finger-jointed pine, $1.35 per linear foot

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How to Build a Coffered Ceiling | This Old House
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