Interior Column Plans

Hear ye, hear ye, we FINALLY have the column plans done! WAHOO!  The final interior column plans that we designed for our living room, only ya know three 3 years ago are finally here.  Ever since we have been showing you the wrap up of the living room, and the built in’s plans part one and part two we have had a lot of questions on how we built our columns, so,  we broke the process down for your building pleasure.    

The great news is, that this design can be used for a standalone column or on the corner of a wall.  We used it in both ways in our living room.

Here is the model of the interior column with some basic dimensions to give you a sense of how big it is.  Below I show you a step-by-step plan of how I approached the construction of it.  You can always change up the dimensions for your needs.

Notes

• If you wanted to add an interior column/pilaster on the corner of a wall, you would just start at step 3 and not add any sheetrock.  Since you would use the sheetrock that is already on the wall.
• Measure as you go.  Floor the ceiling heights may vary from mine and even from column to column.
• The sides can be slightly shorter on the bottom because the base molding will cover any gaps to the floor.  So if you have any gaps, be sure to hide it at the bottom of the column.
• Nail the mitered edge together first, then nail the rest in place.
• Measure twice or three times then cut once.
• For a great finished look, sand the outside edges to 1/8″ round, even the joints that butt up against each other.  This will also help it keep from chipping down the line, ro being a really sharp edge.

Materials Used

• (3) Pine 2×4′s
• (1) MDF Sheets – 4’ x 8’ x 5/8” (for the spacer moldings to match the thickness of the decorative moldings)
• (1) 1×6 MDF – 8′ length (base and cap moldings cut to width on table saw)
• (1) MDF Sheets – 4’ x 8’ x 1/2” (for the sides and corner moldings)
• (1) Sheetrock – 1/2″ thick
• (2) Door Casing Molding - 7′ 
• (1) Crown Molding – 6′ (buy a little extra in case of a messing up a cut)
• (1) Decorative Half-round Molding – 8′
• (Approximate 200+) Brad Nails - 1 1/2” ( 18 or 16 gauge depending on your nail gun gauge size)
• (100) Sheetrock screws - 1 1/4″ min.

Tools Used

• Table Saw (optional, but best for mitering the corner moldings and the top sides)
• Circular Saw
• Miter Saw
• Nail Gun
• Air Compressor
• Sanding Block
• Tape Measure
• Framing Square
• Pencil
• Level

Cut List (length x width x thickness)

• (2) 2×4′s – 96” x 3 1/2” x 1 1/2″
• (2) 2×4′s – 12” x 3 1/2” x 1 1/2″
• (1) 2×4′s – 9” x 3 1/2” x 1 1/2”
• (2) Sheetrock Sides– 96” x 12” x 1/2”
• (2) Sheetrock Sides– 96” x 4 1/2” x 1/2”
• (4) Spacers - 96” x 1” x 1” (use scraps if you have them or rip strips from the 1/2″ sheet)
• (2) Sides - 79 1/2” x 13” x 1/2” 
• (2) Sides – 79 1/2” x 7 1/2” x 1/2” 
• (2) Corner Moldings - 79 1/2” x 3 1/2” x 1/2” (outside edge mitered)
• (2) Corner Moldings - 79 1/2” x 2 1/2” x 1/2”  (outside edge mitered)
• (8) Spacers – 16 1/2″ x 1″ x 1/2″ (use scraps if you have them or rip strips from the 1/2″ sheet)
• (2) Top Sides – 16 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ x 1/2″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Top Sides - 16 1/2″ x 15″ x 1/2″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Top Spacer Molding – 16 1/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Top Spacer Molding - 9 3/4″ x 1 1/2″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Bottom spacer Molding - 16 1/4″ x 4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Bottom spacer Molding - 9 3/4″ x 4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (4) Decorative Molding - 16 1/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (4) Decorative Molding - 9 3/4″ x 2 1/4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (4) Middle Molding – 7″ x 4″ x 1/2″
• (4) Middle Molding - 3 1/2″ x 4″ x 1/2″
• (2) Cap Molding – 18 1/2″ x 1 3/4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)
• (2) Cap Molding - 12″ x 1 3/4″ x 5/8″ (miter both edges)

13 Construction Steps For Building An Interior Column

 What do you think of the column plans?  Do you want to give it a try in your house?  Hope so, and if you do, I would love it if you sent me some pictures of the finished product!   This was a great improvement to our living room and I will totally consider doing this project again in another house!  

Thought I would throw in a before picture so you can see how much these columns did for our space!  We’d lived there for about a year at this point so there are a few updates in these pictures but not much:  

Before:

After:

Here are two other final shots of the space with the columns!

Don’t forget all the other free plans that we have created for you to build.  Be safe, follow all equipment safety rules and have fun!

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