6 Split Ceiling Medallion Installation Tips

If you’re considering installing a split ceiling medallion, I  have six split ceiling medallion installation tips for you! (Say that six times fast! Haha!)

A ceiling medallion is that decorative circular ring on the ceiling above a light fixture. They used to have a practical use of helping to conceal the ring of soot put off by lighting that involved a flame, but today are mainly decorative.

If you’re considering installing a split ceiling medallion (two half circles you put together) over a regular ceiling medallion, you probably have a very good reason for not wanting to take your light down to install a ceiling medallion.

I had my reasons too and learned a few things along the way that will help you install your split ceiling medallion. Let’s dive right in.

Split Ceiling Medallion Installation Tips

Tip 1: Perfectionists Beware

If you are a perfectionist, a split ceiling medallion is probably not the right medallion for you. There’s a chance that no matter what you do, the seam will be slightly visible in the right light or if you’re really studying it.

I can assure you no one, at least no one who matters, is looking at your ceiling medallion THAT closely, but I wanted to throw that caveat out there.

Tip 2: The More Hands The Better

You can install a split ceiling medallion by yourself, but it is nice to have another set of hands to help in the beginning.

Tip 3: Consider Seam Placement

You’ll try your best to get rid of the seam on a split medallion but, just in case, consider where that seam will be the least noticeable in your room and position your medallion accordingly.

It is also easier to hide the seam if your ceiling medallion has a lot of raised details. My ceiling medallion had a simple design and a mostly smooth surface. A seam along a smooth surface is not very forgiving.

Tip 4: Make It Tight To The Ceiling

However you decide to install your ceiling medallion, with adhesive and/or nails, make sure it’s really tight to the ceiling.

Meaning that when you push on it in any area, there’s not any give or flex, especially around the seams.

If there’s give, it will make hiding the seam and caulking around the top harder.

Tip 5: Hide The Seam

There are some things you can do to hide the seam.

1) Make sure when you attach the second half of the medallion to the first that you put glue in between the seam to attach the two halves to each other.

2) Your ceiling medallion is probably made from coated polyurethane foam and you can lightly and carefully sand down any rough bits on the seam. I assume the rough bits, if there are any, came when the medallion was cut in half at the factory. See the above picture for an example of this.

I used 220-grit sandpaper. You don’t want to sand all the way through the medallion finish and cause a bigger problem, but you can carefully sand off the rough parts.

3) After sanding, my seam still wasn’t seamless, so now it’s time to fill the gaps in the seam. If your entire medallion is really ornate, you might be able to get away with filling the gap with caulk.

The majority of my seam was on a smooth surface, so I filled the gaps in the seam with drywall spackle. I let it dry and then carefully sanded it smooth. I did have to repeat that process twice and probably should have done a third coat.

4) I did use caulk to hide the seam on the really detailed, ornate areas. I kept a damp paper towel on hand to wipe off the excess. I also caulked around the top of the medallion where it meets the ceiling.

Tip 6: Don’t Forget Paint

Because of the work that has to be done to put the two halves of the split ceiling medallion together, you’ll have to paint the medallion after it is installed.

It’s a little awkward but not any harder than anything you’ve already accomplished with this project! You’ve got this!

If you’re reading this blog post, I probably do not need to tell you that ceiling medallions are a detail that can make a huge difference in your space.

What’s the difference? Let me show you how.

Here’s an old and poorly lit picture of the chandelier in our living room. Notice how there is a gap between the light and the ceiling.

I almost always crop the top of the light out of photos because that just looks weird.

I don’t know why the light is installed like that. Maybe there used to be a ceiling medallion there. Maybe something else is going on. I really don’t want to know. I have enough problems and ignorance is bliss right now.

However, with my new ceiling medallion installed, that is no longer an issue!

Doesn’t it look great? That split ceiling medallion elevated the look of our living room ever-so-slightly.

In fact, I think it looks like it always should have been there.

No one can tell that I did not do a perfect job installing it because it’s not that bad and also because friends don’t look that closely at each other’s ceiling medallions. They just say, “I’m so happy to be hanging out with you today.”

I’m going to chalk this project up to one of those things I should have done years ago!

Do you have ceiling medallions in your house? How about projects you should have done years ago? I’d love to know. You can always comment on this blog post, email us here, or reach out via Instagram or Facebook.

Happy decorating!

Split Ceiling Medallion Info:

If you buy any ceiling medallion, definitely shop around for the best price. Not a lot of companies make these and the same manufacturers pop up at all the major retailers.

I bought the Ekena Millwork CM18DI2 Diane Ceiling Medallion from Amazon.

You also need to make sure you measure your light fixture accordingly. Ceiling medallions come in different sizes. You want to make sure what you purchase will not only fit around your light but will look proportionate to your room and light fixture.

Thanks for being here today! I appreciate you. If you’d like another blog post to read, try one of these gems. 

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