Chandelier

[chablis]

I have always wanted a real cut-glass chandelier, not an acrylic replica, in my dining room.

In the dining room we have a hanging ceiling fixture that came with the house. I realize that I will probably have to insert one of those fan-hanging rod affairs in through the hole in the ceiling, but how much weight can they hold? Mind you, I'm not talking about a huge chandelier that would overpower the space, just a smallish residential style one, the kind you see in some older stick built homes.

[JD]

The brace itself is designed to hold a lot of weight. I am not sure which brand you are looking at, but the Westinghouse 1100 Saf-T-Brace is designed to hold up to 70 pounds. They cost about $15-$25. At the very least, they should be designed to hold half that for fan use.

But here is where the problem comes in. While the brace may be designed to hold 'X' amount of pounds, there are a few limiting factors. A lot will depend on how good and how strong the actual installation is. Then there is the strength of the trusses themselves. If they are 2x6 rafter types, as you would see in a cathedral ceiling, they are plenty strong. If you have the 1x2 or 2x2 trusses, they would probably not be strong enough and there is not enough wood to catch the brace anyways.

The main thing I do not like about the fan bars is, they put outward pressure on the trusses and kind of wedge themselves in place. If you have mobile home ceiling panels, this would probably eventually push the staples through the ceiling panel and loose the tension that holds them up. A double whammy. 2x6s with a sheetrock ceiling will probably hold up, but the bar is still trying to do the same thing. If it were me, I would frame it in or make a wood base for the chandelier that fastened securely to two trusses. You can put a nice trim on the wood base and paint it to match or accent the ceiling.

JMO
JD

[chablis]

Thanks for the information, it is certainly food for thought.

My house is a '95 Fleetwood Carriage Hill (doublewide) with what the manufacturer describes as cathedral ceilings (sloped ceilings.) There is a fan box in the living room area, directly opposite the dining area I am thinking of putting the chandelier in, if that is any help. I believe the ceilings are sheetrock under all that sprayed-on popcorn garbage (which I think is suitable for nothing other than collecting cobwebs!)

In any case, the year we bought the place we hung a Hunter 36' ceiling fan with downlights, and have never had a problem with it. We use the fan fairly frequently, if for nothing else than to watch the dog react to it!

I probably should have put the information in my original post, but given these factors, do you think that the original project is feasible?

[JD]

From what you said, I would think that the box could handle a modest chandelier. Personally, I would only put weight on a metal can box. There are some blue plastic ones rated at 50 pounds, but some that you might find in mobile home could be a lot less. I guess it is all about weight and I would imagine your Hunter fan weighed in at 25 pounds or so. Again, a lot depends on how well the box is attached to the framing.

JD

[Brenda OH reregister]

Hey Chablis,

You might want to see if your county has a Habitat for Humanity chapter, and contact them to find their closest building material surplus store.

I see small cut glass chandliers/lighting fixtures at ours in OH often. They are dusty and dirty, but clean up easily, and are very low priced.

I myself scored two beautiful colored glass scone lights that were probably sold for $50 to $100 each when they are were new.

Happy hunting....

Brenda (OH)