Standing back a bit, you can see the overall effect.
Then I dangled the attractive set of copper pans.
Photos by Marc LaBossiere / Winnipeg Free Press
First, I installed the rack, with the two recessed lights.
My fellow contractors will agree — it’s next to impossible to set aside adequate time to start, let alone complete, renovations at our own homes, because most our time is spent completing renovations for hire elsewhere.
This has been the running theme for me lately. Plenty of upgrades have been planned for the house, but they all remain on the back burner. For now, anyway.
Luckily, on occasion, there opens a window of opportunity to undertake a few proposed tasks, smaller projects that can be completed in a day or two.
It had been a desire of mine to install a lighted ceiling pot rack in my kitchen since moving into my house over a decade ago — I just never got around to it.
Recently, a sale at Rona gave me the nudge I sorely needed. It was perfect: a stainless-steel pot rack, with two recessed lights — the ideal complement to my existing kitchen lighting fixtures.
Having already received an early Christmas present of new copper frying pans, my excitement grew as the image of these pans dangling from my new ceiling pot rack invaded my thoughts – yup, this task definitely needed to get done!
As this would be an introduction of a new ceiling lighting fixture, the exact position was chosen by measuring the centre of the stovetop, then transferring these measurements to the ceiling.
The shape of the light fixture junction box was traced onto the ceiling. The drywall was then breached using a utility knife.
The pot rack itself is rather heavy. With the additional weight of several pans, properly securing the rack to the ceiling would be crucial.
As such, the traditional method of fastening an electrical junction box to a nearby joist using a couple of screws would more than likely not suffice.
A framework was assembled within the cavity of the ceiling piece by piece, using short lengths of two-by-four lumber, which was subsequently fastened to the adjacent joists with 3/8 diameter lag screws at six inches in length to ensure that the junction box could support the substantial weight of the rack and several pans.
The junction box itself was also fastened using the 3/8 lag screws. Now came time to bring power to the box.
With the kitchen light switched off, the fluorescent bulbs were removed from the existing fixture.
The junction box cover of the existing fixture was opened to reveal the wiring configuration.
As my intention was to have the pot rack lighting activate with the existing kitchen fixture, there would be no need to introduce a new switch.
Therefore, a short length of 14/2 wire was run through the joist cavity from the existing kitchen light fixture junction box into the new pot rack light fixture junction box.
The pot rack lighting wires could then be connected to the existing kitchen light circuit.
A quick flick of the switch as a test revealed the wiring was correct — the lights were on.
The ceiling pot rack light fixture was then lifted into position and secured to the junction box with the mounting and installation parts provided, and as per the manufacturer’s instructions.
With the pot rack in place, it was immediately obvious that the rack’s two lights vastly improved the overall lighting in the kitchen, predominantly above the stove and cooking area.
And of course, hanging the new copper pans proved to be the icing on the cake. The long-awaited task was finally completed.
The new copper pans are fantastic, and that pot rack rocks.
These two awesome Christmas gifts will keep on giving for years to come.
The best gift of all, however, is sometimes hard to see: It’s that sense of accomplishment you feel once a project has been attempted, and completed successfully — truly the gift you can give to yourself at any time of year.
So, if you happen to find something under the tree this Christmas that urges you to finally tackle a long-awaited household project, get your DIY on and get’er done. No better time than the "present."
Happy Holidays! And, be good to yourselves.
BossEnterprise@outlook.com
