How to Upholster a Cornice
- 1). Cut a 1x12 board and a 1x4 board to the width of the window (include trim) plus 3 inches on each side. Cut two 3.5x12 inch pieces for the ends.
- 2). Glue and nail the two long sections together using carpentry glue and brad nails. Glue and nail the ends in place. Lightly sand to remove any jutting wood.
- 3). Spray glue the long wide board on the outside surface of the partial box cornice. Position the cornice glue side down so that the long board is face down and 6 inches from the side and top edge of the foam running lengthwise. Make sure the cornice is straight and that the 6 inches will wrap the top and bottom. Press the cornice into the glue.
- 4). Lift the foam adjacent to bottom of the long board, and test wrap the foam across the bottom. You should have enough foam to wrap the edge plus 1 inch on the inside of the box. Trim the foam so that it fits snug to the sides of the inner cornice and so that it overlaps the inside of the board. Spray glue the trimmed foam, and press the wrapped edge into place. Staple the foam edge into the wood every 4 to 6 inches on the inside of the cornice box.
- 5). Spray glue the long narrow board on the outside surface of the partial box cornice. Roll the cornice onto the foam. Press the cornice into the glue. Trim the foam so that it fits snug to the sides of the inner cornice and so that it overlaps the inside of the board. Spray glue the trimmed foam, and press the wrapped edge into place. Staple the foam edge into the wood every 4 to 6 inches on the inside of the cornice box.
- 6). Trim the side foam pieces so that you can wrap the ends of the cornice box, overlapping the foam to the inside edge the same as the other edges. Spray glue and staple into position. All of the board edges should be covered with foam.
- 7). Position the padded cornice on the white liner fabric so that the largest side is on the fabric. It is always a good idea to line the cornice box as portions may be visible from outside the windows. The most important face of the cornice is wrapped first (this will always be the largest board). Staple the fabric along the inner corners with a staple every 3 to 4 inches. Keep the fabric straight and flat, and allow the excess to run up the side and top boards (you will cover this later).
- 8). Rotate the cornice onto the long and narrow board (top of the cornice), and pull the fabric snug. The objective is to create a smooth padded face on all sides. Wrap the fabric so that it covers the inside width of the board (4 inches). It should cover the excess fabric from earlier. Trim the fabric 1 inch beyond the inside corner so that you can fold the fabric under for a clean corner line when you staple. Staple the fabric in place.
- 9). Fold the side fabric so that it forms a straight line at the top outer corner and bottom outer corner. Tuck the fabric to the inside of the cornice and trim so that the fabric can fold under to hide all excess fabric. Staple evenly along the inside corner of the cornice.
- 10
Position the decorative fabric face down. Center any pattern. Align the padded cornice face to the pattern. Wrap the fabric to the inside of the cornice. (Trim as necessary.) Staple the decorative fabric just above where the padding ends or approximately 2 inches up the board. Fold the edge of the decorative fabric under for additional strength against the staples, and staple the center first. Place one staple at each end, and turn the cornice to check the position of the design. Repeat this by wrapping, folding and stapling the center and 2 edges of the top board next. This should hold the fabric in position. - 11
Pull and staple in a cross pattern (from one board to the other) so that the fabric is stretched evenly as it wraps the face and the top of the cornice. Fit, trim, stretch and staple the sides last, being careful to fold corner lines straight.