Steps & Items Needed For Hanging A Heavy Chandelier
The heavy ceiling light fixture, including a large chandelier or the ceiling fan, will always require a well-built brace to support its weight. The drywall or plaster of the ceiling is not that much capable of supporting the weight of your heavy fixture. While the metal & plastic support braces are available, the wooden support brace can be cut & added betwixt ceiling joists that implement ample strength for mounting any type of heavy ceiling light fixtures like chandelier or ceiling fan. If you want to hang a heavy chandelier then you need to gather all the required items and follow some simple steps carefully:
Things Needed For This Process
- Stepladder & Stud Finder
- 1 1/2-Inch-Deep Metal Electrical Junction Box
- Pencil & Keyhole Saw
- Tape Measure & 2-By-4 Lumber
- Circular Saw & Power Drill
- 3-Inch Wood Screws
Steps For This Process
- First of all, you need to climb on a stepladder very carefully and then try to locate the ceiling joists on the spot where you want to mount your heavy ceiling light fixture (chandelier). Now the next thing is to place a one 1/2 inch deep
electrical type of junction box against your ceiling and with the edge of your junction box near about 2 inches from the nearby ceiling joist. Also, try to detect the shape of your junction box onto your ceiling simply using a dark pencil. - Now you have to cut out a hole for your junction box by following the marked pencil lines with the help of a keyhole saw.
- The next thing is to climb into the attic & locate the hole for your junction box. You need to measure the distance betwixt the 2 corresponding ceiling joists & cut a section of 2/4 lumber at this length.
- You need to position the 2-by-4 board in betwixt your corresponding joists & precisely over the center of the hole in your drywall. The 2/4 board will be positioned one 9/16 inches above the bottom surface of your drywall. Now you need to attach your board to the 2 analogous ceiling joists with a pair of 3-inch wood screws through with each joint by using a power drill.
- From atop your step ladder, you need to place your junction box in the hole in your drywall & against your wooden brace. In this place, the junction box will be terminated 1/16-inch from the surface of your drywall. With the help of a power drill, attach your junction box to the wooden brace with a pair of 3-inch deck screws through with the backing holes inside your box.
Tips & Warnings
- Before cutting into any area in your ceiling which contains any live electrical lines, you need to turn off your circuit breakers that administer the electrical cables that may be strung throughout the attic. If in case you are not too sure about which circuits may be passing through with the attic, then in that situation turn off the main circuit breaker to your house to obliterate all power to your structure until you've completed the hole for your junction box.
- Also, when working with the power tools like a circular saw, always try to wear protective safety glasses to protect your eyes from any flying debris & dust.
- If your ceiling joists are in part as roof buttress built with 2-by-4 lumber, the wood brace needs to be installed flat & with the outspread side of the 2-by-4 facing downward. If your ceiling joists are 2/6 or wider, then the brace needs to be installed on edge, with the narrower edge of your board facing your junction box below.