Let's change out these cornices!

[Meowtorhome]

Who has recovered, replaced or completely done away with your cornices. As our 2014 Sightseer 35G approaches her 10th birthday we are thinking we need to update her look. Since we have some shade that need replaced, now is the time to figure out a game plan for these cornices. Curious what everyone else has done and would love to see pics!! >^..^<

[Ray,IN]

following. We are in the same phase.

[creativepart]

They are called RV lambrequins or sometimes Valances.

[Morich]

We used to do a wide variety of work on Rv and my wife wound up doing custom drapery, etc projects.
As a first question, how do you feel you want to go on the project? Does the wooden frame need redone or is it just the fabric that needs a refresh?
Or are you at the stage where that is the big question??

Sometimes we kind of know these things and other times it really needs some discussion to get down closer to what you may finally do.
Lots of options and lots of different ways to go with total replacement of wood and all as being more difficult because it involves both wood and covering but the sizing and getting it correct to fit the windows is more involved than just a much less involved recover of the existing wood.

If happy with the size, shape and working of the current and it is just getting rundown looking, just a recovering may be plenty and that might be as simple as dIY or taking it to a drapery shop to let them take the measurements as well as do the work.

So what level sort of feels right?

[Meowtorhome]

These are our current window treatments. Ready for a color change and maybe even something completely different design wise. Have considered just recovering with a new fabric but with these having the fancy design, don't know how easy it would be to simply cover them. We are open to any sugggestions!

[Morich]

Yes! Definite change would be on my plans!
But that is also not one of my areas where my wife and I would agree. I like simple, both to build and to look at after!

I'll throw in what I would likely do and then it's your choice?

It looks from here as it they went with more wood/frame items that made it "fancy"? If fancy is your thing?

I drew up what I like as simple and straight, rather than fancy.
If you can cut the wood for simple straight cuts and cut and hem fabric to staple on, this is doable by most folks.

What I see is a bit like a box with only three sides and a top!
A front panel, two side panels and one top.
The ends help to cover the edges of the shade and close it, the front holds both ends and covers the roller shade, etc. of your choice. Maybe reuse those if in reasonable shape? And the top serves to tie it all together to make it all stable and give a place to mount the shade.



My plan would be to take measurements of what you have to transfer to the new wood.
when the wood is done, wrapping it in fabric has some choice. Do you want it first covered with thin foam? I like this as it tends to both hide small defects as well as make it softer when I bump it as well as it tends to last better if the sharp edges of the wood are padded instead of just fabric stretched tight over corners.
So I kind of "more or less" wrap the wood to make a pad and cover the rough edges. This part if not that precise as it is then covered with fabric.
Ignore gaps where the foam meets and don't build up a bulge! gaps where the ends meet are better than bulges!
Wrap it like a guy might do a Christmas present?

Then look more carefully and cut better and straighter when doing the fabric.
Before cutting look that the fabric will wrap all edges and overlap slightly at corners as well as have that little bit extra to wrap at corners and tuck under.
This part is like a really well trained Christmas wrapper might do it!

Except that you will want to plan ahead to make the exposed seams where it will be hidden at the point where two manels of wood meet!

Think of the green and blue panels coming together at an angle and you will find there is something like 1/2 inch where both seams can hide! That means even a somewhat messy hem can be hidden!
I might do left and right panels first and tack them together as a first step for something stable to then work for the front and top. I leave the top uncovered as it tends to be out of sight and also makes mounting the shade easier without fabric.

How to tack the pieces together can depend on what tools are on hand. We use an air stapler/ tacker for quick and easy but hand tools can also do it, just slower and possibly less accurate.

For the mounting? We often just go back using the methods and materials we removed on the old!

Takes some thought and planning but can be a real money saver as well as taking less time to find the right people to do the job.
When we do one of these we start with the basic idea that we may screw up some material but if we do, we just figure it as a very small cost compared to getting somebody else to screw it up!
We can work it until we are happy, where if we pay to have it done and it is screwed up, we have a whole different problem that may be twice as bad!

[Meowtorhome]

Excellent info Richard!!! You really have me thinking about the legs now. We replaced the sofa with a new reclining sofa from Rec Pro a few years ago and the legs are actually a pain in the butt. We currently have the center ones off due to that. Since one of the blinds along the back actually needs replaced, I am wondering if we shouldn't just replace both of them, make them a little wider than they currently are to add extra coverage at night with the two legs being gone and then just make one single cornice to go over the top instead of the two. Based on your great info, that should be fairly easy to do. Only downside would be when purchasing the fabric, to avoid seams along the width I would have to buy several yards to accommodate that rather than a smaller amount of yardage that I could easily cut to provide the coverage for a couple of windows. Sounds like some new matching throw pillows may be taking up the extra. LOL I wonder if by doing that if I could attach the new cornice, and the blinds for that matter, to the bottom of the overhead cabinet to avoid having to drill any new holes into the wall. That is my biggest concern about changing the size of the blinds.

[Morich]

Okay, there IS a time to "cheat"!
One cheat on the fabric might be to use two widths of smaller fabric (I'm not the fabric guy!) and cover the center seam with a small strip wrapped in fabric only?

From the wood part, there are various small moldings like screen bead, lattice, etc that can be found at any lumber supply. If the right fabric was chosen for the main, the scraps might work to wrap the strip to cover the joint in the two fabric sections?
Or go bold if you like more stand out things? Go for a really broad, bold center stripe ?
Wrap a 1X4 in bright GOLD fabric scrap???
Keep in mind, YOU the boss!
Something soothing to be around while napping or something so bright it lights the room ?
Maybe avoid anything with strong horizontal lines that would make matching them left/right a trick?
Ever done wall paper and tried to match left/right? Hard to do, so vertical stripe, etc or something that doesn't require careful matching is easier. Plain is great for me but the "designer " half has strong ideas, so she gets to decide!

Any thoughts on having solid ends caps but when it gets down low and causes a problem, would just leaving loose fabic down there to close off any view leaks but easy to fold out of the way ?

YOU de BOSS! Have fun and always remember, you can fire the guy that did it!

[Morich]

I was just reminded of a second way to connect the ends, top and front all together if the idea of tacking them is not sounding right?
Small metal El brackets can also work to make a different way to hold it together!
Small brackets, placed inside so they are hidden except when looking directly up can do it and not show except for the real nit pickers looking for defects!

[Lemonade]

I'm still trying to get the darn things off, so no help there. I did replace the curtains with homemade insulated roll up window coverings. The best deal for fabric was a large Harbor Freight canvas drop cloth. Wash and dry first for shrinkage. Design is literally a blank canvas! I left the window coverings natural, but will use Procion dye for the dinette seat covers.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Meowtorhome

Who has recovered, replaced or completely done away with your cornices. As our 2014 Sightseer 35G approaches her 10th birthday we are thinking we need to update her look. Since we have some shade that need replaced, now is the time to figure out a game plan for these cornices. Curious what everyone else has done and would love to see pics!! >^..^<

A friend removed the vertical side panels and recovered the top. Looked great.

[jerichorick]

Originally Posted by Lemonade

I'm still trying to get the darn things off, so no help there. I did replace the curtains with homemade insulated roll up window coverings. The best deal for fabric was a large Harbor Freight canvas drop cloth. Wash and dry first for shrinkage. Design is literally a blank canvas! I left the window coverings natural, but will use Procion dye for the dinette seat covers.

I take it it is the valance that is "the darn thing". Removing the shades will give you access to the screws going into the top of the valances.

[Morich]

When dealing with pretty thin wood like these, one way to help locate the screws, etc to get them down is handy.
If we stick something like a pry bar in between the surface and the valance, we can pry gently at different points. Some places will be further from the attachment and some less, so the place that bows out easier will be further from the attachments!

Getting the shade popped off the brackets will often let you spot what holds the rest up!
That may be just a small metal tab sticking out along the edge of the shades and kind of hard to spot?
But if you run fingers along the edge of the shade where it meets the valance, you may find it by feel?
Then forcing a flat screwdriver point in to pry that metal clip outward may release the shade.
The clip may then have a single screw attaching it to the wood above?



To put it back on the new, first fit the backside groove of the shade into the back of the clip, then rotate the shade up as you force the clip to move outward until it snaps into the front groove.

But that is just what I've seen, so you may find different!!

[Meowtorhome]

Originally Posted by Lemonade

The best deal for fabric was a large Harbor Freight canvas drop cloth. Wash and dry first for shrinkage. Design is literally a blank canvas! I left the window coverings natural, but will use Procion dye for the dinette seat covers.

I’m always trying to think outside of the box! What a great idea!!! I love to sew and with the cost of fabric this would save a lot of money!!! I’m wanting to go for a much more neutral look and lighter colors, so this has definitely been added to my idea list. Thanks!

[Morich]

Outside the box?
When shopping fabric, don't overlook something used if it is not "used" in the way we normally think!
There are great values in used fabric that is sold in salvage stores as used curtains! They may habg for years but get very little wear and be sold for $3 and you may get 6 yards of fabric, so just cut off what doesn't work and you have lots of cheap that works well for what you are sewing up!

Valance don't take large sections, so look for sheets, bedspreads or whatever might appeal to you! A pillow case can rip out to be pretty big!
You may choose something like a big bold header with muted sides panels, etc.? What you had only matched in a crazy/kinda/sorta way so why should the new if it feels right!

[Meowtorhome]

Originally Posted by Morich

Outside the box?
When shopping fabric, don't overlook something used if it is not "used" in the way we normally think!
There are great values in used fabric that is sold in salvage stores as used curtains! They may habg for years but get very little wear and be sold for $3 and you may get 6 yards of fabric, so just cut off what doesn't work and you have lots of cheap that works well for what you are sewing up!

Valance don't take large sections, so look for sheets, bedspreads or whatever might appeal to you! A pillow case can rip out to be pretty big!
You may choose something like a big bold header with muted sides panels, etc.? What you had only matched in a crazy/kinda/sorta way so why should the new if it feels right!

That’s usually what I do. Amazing what you can make from sheets and pillowcases!!