A vintage chandelier can be rewired to add even more charm to your coffered ceiling.
A coffered ceiling is a gridlike structure of beams and inset panels that adds expensive-looking character in any home, be it 100 years old or newly-constructed. A coffered structure, which requires a high ceiling for best effect, can be made even more grand with the addition of a chandelier. Chandeliers are generally hung in the center of an inset panel on a coffered ceiling in either the center of the room or offset over a dining table or other room feature. Choose the panel nearest the original light fixture box for easiest installation.
Instructions
1. Turn off electricity to the fixture at the main breaker panel. Flip the switch in the room on and off to double-check that the electricity to the existing fixture in your coffered ceiling is off.
2. Set up your ladder under the existing fixture. Ensure the ladder's hinges are fully extended and it's on a level surface.
3. Remove the existing fixture and the electrical box that's screwed to the joist. Carefully pull the supply wiring out of the back of the box. Set the old electrical box aside.
4. Stand back and look at where the hole for the light fixture is situated in terms of both the room as a whole and the inset panel of the coffered ceiling. When your panels are finished wood, it's best to mount the new chandelier in the same location. When you're working with drywall panels, the fixture may be moved slightly if you want to center it on the panel or the room, but the drywall will need to be patched.
5. Hold your new electrical junction box up to the drywall panel where you plan to install the chandelier; use a junction box rated for use with a heavy fixture. Trace around the perimeter of the junction box with a pencil. Carefully cut a hole along the traced line with a drywall saw.
6. Turn the shaft of the fan brace until it's collapsed to its smallest size, then fit it through the hole for the new junction box. A fan brace is an expandable metal bar featuring plates on either end with small spikes on the sides facing away from the bar. Place the bar perpendicular to the joists and directly above the hole with the lower edge of the plates touching the inner side of the ceiling drywall. Twist the bar to expand it until it's hand tight and the spikes on the plates are biting into the wood of the joists. Insert an adjustable wrench into the hole and give the fan bar one more twist to ensure it's secure -- do not over-tighten the bar.
7. Reach up through the hole and put the U-shaped bolt over the bar, adjusting it until it's centered over the hole. Slide the included support plate, or flange, up the threaded bottom of the U-bolt. Secure it with nuts.
8. Feed the electrical supply wires through the hole in the side of the junction box -- in some boxes you may have to remove a metal plug covering the hole on the same side as your wiring. Attach the junction box to the plate with the included screws, using the appropriate screwdriver. The rim of the junction box should be aligned with the face of the drywall panel in your coffered ceiling.
9. Screw in the ends of the hanger bar included with your chandelier into the screws on the edges of the junction box.
10. Lift the chandelier fixture up near the junction box -- the help of another person is critical at this stage. Work its wires through the hole in the center of the hanger bar installed on the junction box and twist the long, threaded tube -- called a lamp nipple -- into the hole to secure it with nuts on either side of the hanger bar. You can now wire the chandelier and secure its canopy plate as you would any other light fixture.
Tags: coffered ceiling, through hole, existing fixture, light fixture, your coffered