Wooden Suspended Ceiling Revisited

[Owen Gregg]

Hi All,

I've decided to go ahead with the installation of a suspended wooden ceiling like that in WOOD magazine a few months ago. During the planning stages, I've run into a few quandries that I'd like to ask opinions on.

I've wanted to use recessed lighting. The number and wattage of bulbs will be the same as existing. Are there any kinds of fixtures that use an energy efficient compact flourescent bulb? I'm a huge fan of these and have replaced most household bulbs with them already.

I'm actually hanging this ceiling 8" lower than the existing 9' ceiling. The biggest panel will be 4' x 4'. Will I need to drop the ceiling a little more to allow room to get that panel in there?

Reason behind leaving the existing ceiling up:

1. Existing ceiling is plaster and lath; hate taking the stuff down.

2. Normally I'd deal with the hassle of taking the ceiling down, but the dust and general nastiness that stuff puts in the air is unacceptable with two new babies in the house.

3. The suspended ceiling will allow me to fabricate nearly all parts elsewhere and reduce dust produced in my house to little.

Are there any concerns mounting a recess fixture in the air cavity between an existing plaster ceiling and suspended wooden ceiling a minimum of 8" lower?

In the case I need to tear down the existing plaster, any ideas as to a good system to vent the dust outside without sucking the heat out and ruining a bunch of filters? I'm already assuming sheeting the entire room off with plastic sheeting.

Thanks for any insight.

[Jim Becker]

Make a mock-up that simulates the 8" of clearance and see if you can slip your intended panel design into it.

[Micah Carter]

I don't know about the panel size, but I can help with any electrical questions. You can use any compact fluorescent lamp you like in a recessed can so long as it fits. Take a bulb to where you're buying the cans and check it out.

If you're doing a suspended ceiling though, why not look into lay-in fluorescent lighting? The new fixtures with electronic ballasts aren't heavy like the old ones, and they're available in several different sizes, 2'x4' being the most common. Then you'd have true fluorescent lighting without mussing with the little CFL bulbs.

Also, if you're stuck on recessed cans, there are recessed LED lights available now. I don't know about the price, but the light is beautiful, well matched to daylight, and they have a life of close to 100,000 hours.