Some people purchase some nice quality things that you don't find in your big box store. This kitchen was one of those jobs: a glass ceiling light and a Roman shade from Pepper Home and Anthropologie, going in over the kitchen sink. Nicely finished walls, a nice backsplash, and pieces the homeowner had clearly picked with care.
When you've spent that kind of time choosing something, you want it to go up right. On this job, that came down to two things: what the light hangs from, which nobody sees, and where the shade lands, which everybody sees.
The light: a puck with nothing behind it
When I opened it up, the old light was just a puck light (a small, flat, low-profile fixture) without a mounting box. That's fine for a puck. It's not fine for a glass fixture with real weight to it.
The National Electrical Code requires a ceiling light to be attached to a box that's designed to support a light fixture. A standard ceiling box has to hold a fixture up to 50 pounds, and anything heavier needs its own support unless the box is listed for that weight. Fixture-rated boxes are marked inside with the maximum weight they're allowed to carry.
There was a joist (one of the framing boards that hold up the ceiling) running along the right side of the opening. So at the same spot as the old light, I installed a side-mount, fixture-rated box that screws directly to the side of that joist. Box makers build these specifically for retrofits, where the ceiling is already finished and you're working through a hole.
The catch: there was no attic access, so all of it had to happen from below through a hole about 6 inches across. I was lucky I'd remembered to bring my specialty drill, one that can drill from multiple angles and fit in tight little spots. A regular drill won't fit sideways in a 6-inch hole to drive screws into a joist.
The result is a light that's held by the framing, not by drywall, and a box rated to carry it.
The Roman shade: it's all about where it lands
For the Roman shade, it wasn't anything too special. Mainly, it's about knowing exactly where the customer wants it.
When you're installing a Roman shade over a sink window, you want the shade to rest just above the backsplash when it's pulled all the way down. That's for looks and for function. It covers the window without sitting on the counter or in the splash zone around the faucet.
Just an inch or two off in any direction, and it's completely noticeable. Too high, and you see a strip of window under it. Too low, and it's bunching on the backsplash. Off to one side, and it never looks centered over the sink again. You'd wish you just had somebody do it right the first time, especially with nicely finished walls you don't want patched.
Pepper Home's own guide is a good reminder of how much the mount style matters. An inside mount (inside the window frame) needs enough depth for the mechanism, at least 1.5 inches on their standard shades. An outside mount (on the wall above the window) needs clear space above the molding for the brackets, and they recommend adding width so less light leaks around the sides. Decide that before you order, because it changes the size you order.
If you bought something nice and want it put up right
Before install day:
- Have everything on site and unboxed. Check that the mounting hardware is there and nothing arrived broken.
- Send the product links or spec sheets. For a light, the weight matters. For a shade, the mount style and size matter.
- Take a photo of what's in the ceiling now. If it's a puck or a flat light, there may not be a box behind it.
- Know where you want it. For a shade over a sink, think about where it should stop when it's down.
What it costs
A decorative light fixture is from $240, confirmed from your photos before I start. A basic light fixture swap is $180, or +$60 as an add-on. Curtain rods or blinds are $125, plus $60 for each extra window, with a $180 visit minimum if it's the only job. Prices are for labor; you supply the part. More on light fixture replacements, curtain rod and blinds installation, what light fixture replacement costs, and my pricing page.
Text those photos and links, a short description and your ZIP code. I'll tell you what I see and what the next step looks like.
Call or text (619) 815-7588.