Making Your Own Ceiling Medallion

In ancient times, ceiling medallions were ornate, beautiful and took skilled artisans a long time to create. They were made with iron, plaster and a variety of other materials. Long gone are the days of Michelangelo and the Sistine chapel but not the spirit of artistry and creation that inspired them. Many people love expressing themselves through the do-it-yourself projects around their home. Ceiling medallions are generally sold at remodeling stores or online at various sites, but for the lion hearted, there is another way. An easy and inexpensive way to make your own ceiling designs is with plaster stencils. They are available in a variety of places including eBay. On the surface, they may not seem to be a cheap alternative because they cost thirty-five to over one-hundred dollars a piece. Now you could say for that money I can go and purchase a pre-made medallion install it and be done, but consider this once you have purchased the stencil it is yours to use repeatedly, you could conceivably even make money-doing medallions for your neighbors. I was impressed with one particular website, it had a good selection of product and plenty of how to be at your fingertips. This website is included at the end of the article. Following are the tools and product you will need:

Joint compound or similar pre-mixed wall compound

A trowel

Drop cloth

Stencil

Masking tape

All these materials can be found at your local retailer such as Wal-Mart or Kmart. If the store in your area does not carry them, you can check the closest home improvement store such as Home Depot or Lowes and if all that fails, any good hardware/lumber yard will carry them.

Place your drop cloth on the floor directly under your workspace. Next, you will need to tape your stencil in place with the masking tape. Some advise that you can use a repositionable adhesive but I find that unnecessary and potentially damaging to underlying material. Now you will use your trowel to smooth the joint compound over the stencil, the stencils are extra thick and when removed will leave a raised "plaster" medallion. It may be helpful to clean the trowel and run a clean edge across the joint compound insuring fewer ridges. Finish by gently lifting the stencil away from the compound. When the compound has dried, you can then decorate it in any fashion you choose, paint, leafing, or decorative stones. To use stones you will need an adhesive safe for use on the joint compound or your ceiling materials. Finally clean up the area and enjoy your new self-made ceiling medallion. The nice thing about joint compound is the ease of clean up a small damp cloth will remove unwanted plaster.