How To: Make Your Own DIY Cornice Window Treatment For Less Than $20 Dollars

Custom cornice window treatments can be extremely expensive. In this tutorial we show you how to make a diy window cornice for about $20 dollars each. A window cornices are the square window covers at the top of windows that provide a very nice looking alternative to full drapes.

diy cornice window treatment
With a little creativity and a sense of diy style, you can make these window covers for much less than a professional company would charge you. You really only need a few types of common tools that most people already have.

To make your own diy Cornice Window Treatment you will need:

Builder’s Insulation Foam – 1/2 inch foam insulation, only $8 per sheet from Home Depot.
Duct Tape – To hold the builders foam together.
Batting – To go between the foam and the fabric.
Fabric – To drape over the builders foam.
Staple Gun – To staple the fabric and batting to the foam sheets.
Scissors – To cut the fabric and the batting material.

cornice window treatment diy _1

Here are the windows before the cornice window treatment was installed.

cornice window treatment diy _5

Here is the 1/2 inch foam insulation sheets we purchased. These work way better than wood! Lighter too!

cornice window treatment diy _3

The foam boards have been cut to size and we have secured it together with simple duct tape.

cornice window treatment diy _4

We then added the batting and fabric and used our staple gun to secure it to the foam boards.

cornice window treatment diy _2

For under $20 bucks we added these to our new homes windows. Cheap, easy and anyone can do it!

8 thoughts on “How To: Make Your Own DIY Cornice Window Treatment For Less Than $20 Dollars”

  1. If your hanging over blinds that are outside mounts they will almost just sit on top of the rail. You can run a bolt through top of foam and through the rail hangers of the blinds. Simple “L” brackets work great to if just want to attach to the wall.

  2. Stephanie Smith

    That’s a really cute idea! I recently moved into a new apartment, and the windows are pretty bare. I’ve been thinking of getting curtains, but I’m really liking the cornice a lot more. I’ll have to make a stop at the craft store and get a fabric that will match the interior of my home, thanks for the tips :)

  3. DIY Project Help Tips

    Karen,
    If you use many of them, then yes we believe it would be just fine. Just make sure you are using the lightest materials possible for the Cornice.
    -RR

  4. I’m confused as to how to hang them? I don’t see a top header to the cornice, which I’m sure you’d need to hang them.

  5. DIY Project Help Tips

    Heather,
    Using drywall anchors will work if you determine the correct size. Also, using a stud finder can help to locate the wood beams in your wall and attaching with wood screws is a second option.
    -RR

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