Ceiling Medallions: Installation, Purchasing and Manufacturing Advice

You can find just about anything on the internet, with the exception of an easy how-to guide for making your own ceiling medallions. Unfortunately, this guide won't offer an easy to follow series of steps either. But don't despair; the task actually can be quite simple for the lay-man. First and foremost, wooden ceiling medallions are possible to make or purchase. Normally, a wood craft would be recommended for a do-it-yourself (DIY) project; however there are some things to take note of before attempting to make a wooden ceiling medallion:

One- wood is prone to warping and cracking.

Two- wood is subject to termite infestations.

Three-most wood crafts are relatively easy to work with even with a limited amount of artistic skill, however a ceiling medallion's purpose is to "finish" a specific artistic theme and requires a great amount of skill and attention to detail; they full of circular repetitive patterns.

For these reasons, wooden ceiling medallions are a rarity. Even DIY woodcrafters often turn to premade ceiling medallions or might only make one for the purpose of using it as a mold for medallions of other ingredients. The time and effort required to craft a ceiling medallion makes them somewhat cost prohibitive. A positive note about DIY ceiling medallions is that each one is likely one-of-a kind and actually can demand a high return that some eccentric shoppers willing to give.

The popular alternative to DIY ceiling medallions involves a host of manufacturing processes and the use of resins and polymers or even exotic foams. Ceiling medallions that are not made of wood last longer and do to the manufacturing process are far more economical to make. For those DIYs who are interested in what goes into the construction of these ceiling medallions, here is a detailed DIY guide that illustrates the effort and explains the ingredients to one style of complex construction.

Other popular ingredients are fiber reinforced plasters and polyurethane. Some manufacturing processes involve the use of metals such as tin or even gypsum.

Commercial manufacturers generally do not make public the methods and chemical formulas for their ceiling medallions; trade secrets and patents are protected by law. However, the shear variety of manufacturing processes allow for any DIY crafters to buckle up to the challenge of constructing their own ingredients and styles. DIY crafters who specialize in wood, metals, or hybrid plasters have a plethora of manufacturing processes open to them.

Keep in mind though that many of the modern ingredients involved in the making of ceiling medallions are highly toxic in their raw forms. Great care should be used when using these substances. Be sure to enquire into local environmental laws and building codes; you will want adequate ventilation in your workspace. Just the start-up of a DIY ceiling medallion manufacturing process could prove challenging, but once worked through and with the construction of a few molds, you will be well on your way to implanting your own techniques and styles that people from all over the world will want decorating their ceilings.

http://www.imperialdesign.on.ca/ELEMENTS/Poly-MEDALLION/medallions.htm, some wooden medallions for purchase.

http://www.vermontfurnituremakers.com/item_detail2.php?ID=34&Item=216, a wooden mold

http://www.rensup.com/Search-Results/Ceiling-Medallions.htm, foam medallions

http://www.plastermaster.com/usg/medallion.htm, guide to a very complex DIY ceiling medallion

http://vytasornamental.net/vceiling.htm, fiber reinforced plaster

http://www.ceilingdomes.com/ceilingdomes/medallions.htm, polyurethane ceiling medallions

http://goceilingmedallion.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2620, gypsum

http://www.heritageceilings.com.au/tin-ceilings-ceilros.htm, tin