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A DIY Ceiling Light For My Theatre

17K views 72 replies 12 participants last post by  Prof. 
#1 ·
I've had a ceiling light tray in my theatre since it was built..It's looking a bit worse for wear of late with some warp-age and swelling of the plasterboard panel..

I have an almost flat roof of "Cliplock" with very little space between roof and ceiling and certainly not enough room for anyone to crawl through..and moisture tends to build up in the cavity..

I decided to take it down and replace it with a centre ceiling light..
I looked around for a suitable light fitting from both local suppliers and on the internet and couldn't find anything large enough or of the style I was looking for..
I didn't want an oyster type light nor a pendant type..The style I was looking for (a more futuristic style) was only available in fairly small fittings..with very big prices!!

So I decided to make my own!..I originally thought of making it out of alum. which needed to be curved and folded..but in my neck of the woods, there are no sheet metal shops capable of doing the job..and I didn't feel like driving 200k just to get some metal bent..so I decided to make it out of timber instead..

The light source I will be using for the fitting will be a multiple string of 12v. LED's, in the order of 600 LED's..so there isn't going to be a heat problem using timber..

The light output will be controlled by an IR remote control dimmer, which will be programed into my Logitech remote..to be dimmed at the start of a movie..

One other thing I'm going to have to do is re-route my existing wiring for all the downlights and IR controllers, as they are currently wired to the ceiling tray!

I will post photos as I progress..
 
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#28 ·
Yeah..Being the proverbial cheapskate, I look for the cheapest way of making something..Most times it works out..but not this time! :R

If I have any dimming problems with the new one, I might have to settle for just "on" or "off"..:dontknow:

The light is finally starting to take shape..

 
#30 ·
Thanks Simon..

I'll be fixing a flat white Melamine timber panel to the ceiling..This panel will have approx. 20 LED strips attached to it..
The light frame will fit over the panel and be screwed to it..
The underside of the light fitting will have a clear prismatic acrylic cover fitted. to diffuse the light..At least that's the plan..:D
 
#35 ·
Thanks Simon,

Looks like we've got a few days of rain coming up, so I just got the painting done in time! :whew:
At least I'll be able to continue in doors with the gold foil application.. and when the strip connectors arrive, I'll make a start on getting the LED's wired up..
 
#36 ·
Well, the gold vinyl foil has proven to be unsuitable for this application..It's very thin and creases very easily and creates a lot of air bubbles..It generally doesn't look very professional..
I also found that it's not sticking very well to the timber..So it was back to the drawing board..:scratch:

I recently found a similar product that has a thick paper backing that can be glued directly to the timber, so I'm hoping that this will give a much nicer finish..But it's coming from the UK, so it won't be here for awhile..

In the meantime, the dimmer and connectors should be arriving shortly, so I can then make a start on that side of things..
 
#39 ·
Yes I did Bill..The effect I'm trying to achieve is that the fins look more like Bright Dipped Gold Anodised Aluminium..having that very smooth satin finish..
The gold foil board material has that look about it..

Painting them with a can of spray paint would certainly make life a lot easier, but it's not going to give me what I'm after..

The final effect (I hope) that I'm trying to achieve, is that when the lights are low, the black body of the light will virtually blend into the ceiling and the fins will look like they're floating in space..:bigsmile:
 
#43 ·
Thanks..At one point I was beginning to think that I had bitten off more than I could chew..But it's not over yet and the complication of the electrics could prove to be a bit of a problem..

I can't wait to see the finished product Prof. This is something I want to tackle early next year, luckily I have a great resource for it now! Looking good!
:bigsmile: I managed to get a couple of the fins covered with the new gold foil yesterday..It bonded to the timber very smoothly with no creases or bubbles and they are looking more like what I was after..:T
 
#54 ·
Thanks Simon..I think it was worth all the effort! :bigsmile:

The strips will be attached to the plate that is going to be fixed to the ceiling, so the lights will be firing down..
I'm just currently trying to calculate how many lengths I'm going to need to get a good coverage, so that it doesn't show strips of light, but just gives an overall light source..Obviously the closer the strips are together, the more likely that they will all blend into together..
I have 10M. of strips (which sounds a lot to put into that area) but that will give me a max. of 20 rows..Each row will be 20mm. apart, so hopefully that will be enough..

I'm also a little apprehensive about the sticky on the back of these strips, as to whether they're going to adhere to the Melamine ceiling plate..
I remember you had problems sticking yours down..What did you do to remedy this?
 
#55 ·
I'm also a little apprehensive about the sticky on the back of these strips, as to whether they're going to adhere to the Melamine ceiling plate..
I remember you had problems sticking yours down..What did you do to remedy this?
In the end I resorted to hot glue. They adhesive just wouldn't hold against the matt paint I used on the shelves.

If you don't have a hot glue gun you could try something my dad does when putting up cornice in a room that is already painted. Mix a little bit of aquadhere with some water and then spread that on the surface you want to stick to (the plate) then after it dries the adhesive will be more likely to hold.

Cheers,
Simon
 
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