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DIY for Homeowners

How to WOW with a Builder's Grade Bathroom Light

7/11/2015

4 Comments

 
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We both have those builder's grade row lights in our bathrooms—you know the ones with the bare bulbs that are ubiquitous in almost every home?! Steph was unable to find a new fixture she liked, so we came up with a plan to disguise the light. Much like you’d make a cornice in a window treatment, we decided to do the same for the light.
We decided to use a piece of live edge wood to bring a bit of nature into Steph’s bathroom.

Materials/tools:
  • Live edge wood, cut to size
  • 4 corner brackets & the screws that came with them
  • 6 large bolt/nuts
  • Drill with bits/drivers
  • Speed square
  • Miter saw
  • Measuring tape
  • Clear protective spray
  • Pencil/permanent marker
  • Safety equipment—masks, eye protection, gloves, ear muffs
  • Magnetic stud finder
  • LED light bulbs
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We made our plans up as we went and had a few bumps in the process, but in the end we were pleased with the results. This is how we got from bare lights to covered.

First we replaced all the incandescent bulbs with LED lights for these reasons:
     1. LED are cool to the touch & with the wood covering we didn’t want a buildup of heat.
     2. The bulbs last a long time, so changing them will not be an issue for many, many years. 
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Before making our cuts we sanded and sprayed a protective finish on the wood.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Next, we needed to determine how long we wanted the cover. Finding the closest stud on both sides of the fixture determined the length as we knew we needed to screw it into a stud for support.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
After making our cuts, we attached the corner brackets to the front/sides of the board. We first marked the placement & drilled pilot holes, then screwed everything in place.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
It took a while to get the angle right. We ended up making a cardboard template to play around with the angle before making the cuts.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Once we got all our cuts made we realized the live edge wood was not level, which caused it to not lay flat on the bathroom wall. Back to the drawing board we realized we needed to make new side pieces and make one slightly angled to compensate for the uneven live wood cover.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We drilled our pilot holes and screwed the L bracket into the wall first.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
We held the wood in place and used bolts to attach the cover to the wall. This will allow us to remove the cover easily if we need to replace the lights.
Wood cover for bathroom light fixture. MotherDaughterProjects.com
What we learned:
  • It's easier to use lumber that is straight and flat. This project probably would have taken two hours or less if we had not used the live edge piece. 
  • LED lights are a must for this project otherwise you can’t use a cover like this.
  • Attach the cover with bolts. They will make it easy to remove when needed.
4 Comments
Lori Jones
2/16/2017 12:41:12 pm

Does this cut down on the amount of light?

Reply
Steph
2/16/2017 05:29:17 pm

Hi Lori! I thought it might but it really doesn't. Maybe like 10% less light than before but its really not noticeable.

Reply
Pam
2/9/2018 01:07:06 pm

Hi. I have TWO bathrooms with these strip lights and despise them both. I have thought and thought and thought about ways to make a cover for them using similar design to yours but have yet to secure it. I bought the LED lights for coolness factor (cool to the touch, that is, because they aren't cool to look at if you get my drift and I am sure you do since you have the same light fixture!) ...but I digress. I am no t a DIY person but have aspirations to be so seeing your gorgeous live wood light cornice has been a definite boost to my creative juice and I am willing to revisit the project. I had thought to use craft wood from Hobby Lobby or Michaels so the cover wouldn't be as heavy but seeing your design opens more doors for me. Thank you for the inspiration.

Reply
Steph
2/10/2018 06:02:13 pm

Thanks for sharing that Pam! We are so excited you got inspired by the project!

Reply



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