I get by with a little help from my hardware store ~ Madigan Made { simple DIY ideas }

Madigan made... a cornice board.

I look like a deer in headlights at Lowes. Especially in the lumber area.
And, I needed lumber for this project.

I'm crafty, but not very handy. I'm so jealous of all you power-tool-toting bloggers. I can use basic tools, but I have never operated a power saw. It IS on my list of things to learn. I could do more projects around the house.
Right now, when I need to make a project with wood, I go to Lowes or Home Depot. I bring a cute little sketch of my project, a calculator and a measuring tape. I wander around the lumber area ~~for a long time~~ until I find what I need. Then, the fabulous folks at the store cut it for me in the cutting area!

To make this window cornice board for my kitchen, I did not want to build a cornice box then upholster it. It seemed difficult and created too many corners to navigate with fabric.

I thought it might be easier to upholster each board, then assemble it into a box. This worked, so I wanted to share how I did it.

I have no pictures of the process. Sorry, I made it about a year ago. But I included some diagrams and detail shots that hopefully will help.

As I eluded to above, I really have no clue what size/type of lumber I bought for this project. I just knew it would work! Hopefully my sketches below will help you figure it out.

What I used:

Pre-cut lumber: (refer to Fig C below for general idea of how it goes to together)
-One 5-6" wide board for the 'top' board (The length of my window trim plus at least several inches. The width of the board cleared any rods or other window treatment under the cornice)

-One 8-10" wide board for the front and sides, cut into 3 pieces:

the 2 "sides" need to be about the width of the top board

the longer 'front' board needs to be the length of the top board PLUS a little extra at the ends for the depth of each side board.

Fabric (upholstery weight and some decorative fabric for the bottom edge)
Fusible interfacing
0.5 to 1" thick foam - 3 pieces cut 'tight' to the edge of the three 8-10" boards
Batting - 3 pieces cut with 3-4" overhang for each of the three 8-10" boards
Spray foam adhesive
Staple gun
Glue gun
3 larger L-brackets (and screws)
6-8 small L-brackets (and screws)

Step 1: The top board will not really be seen - but I covered in in fabric with some staples. (Fig A)

Step 2: Using spray foam adhesive (follow directions on label), I adhered each of the other 3 boards with a layer of foam on one side. I used more spray foam and added a layer batting. Then, tightly stapled the batting down on the back of each board.

Step 3: I covered the batting layer with upholstery fabric. I pulled it taut and stapled the fabric in the back. (Tip: Start in the center and work towards the corners. Finish each corner like a wrapped package or hospital corner)

Step 4: I cut a panel of fabric to cover the raw edges on the back of each board. I ironed edges down for a crisp look. A glue gun helped secure the panels. (This allowed the back to look semi-pretty in case people could see the cornice from outside or underneath).

Step 5: I assembled each padded board to the top board and each other. It started to look like a box. See the Fig B below. I was careful to ensure that once the cornice was hung, no one could see the top board. I only saw the padded front/side boards once done (Fig C). Multiple small L-brackets and screws held all the pieces together on the inside of the box. It helped to pre-drill the holes first (through the fabric and wood). I did my best to keep the corners and edges 'tight' together.

Step 6: Once I made the box, I wanted a decorative band of fabric overhang at the bottom. I measured the length/perimeter of the 3 sides of the box. I decided on a 2 inch "overhang" of fabric.

Interfacing: I cut long and even strips of interfacing about 2" wider than the overhang. (about 4" wide) It was about the length of the perimeter (I had to overlap shorter pieces to achieve the length).
Decorative fabric: I cut strips of the decorative fabric double the width of the interfacing. (8" wide) The length of fabric strip equaled the box's perimeter plus about 2 inches. I needed to sew two strips of fabric together to achieve the desired length. I tried to line up the fabric pattern the best I could.

Step 7: Using an iron, I fused the strip of interfacing on the wrong side of the fabric along one edge. I folded the fabric over the interfacing and ironed a crisp edge. For the vertical edges that showed on the sides, I folded the extra edges over to look neat (reason I gave myself 2 inches).

Step 8: I stapled the fused fabric strip to the bottom edge of the cornice in the back. I started from one side and took my time, making sure the visible overhang was even. I had my ruler out frequently during this step to make sure only 2 inches showed.

Step 9: I hung the finished cornice board above the window using the large L-brackets. The top board rested on the L-brackets and were secured with short screws from underneath.