How to renovate on a tight budget is very challenging, especially when it comes to lighting. After searching for a while for a new affordable light fixture for our kitchen, we decided to DIY this large industrial farmhouse light fixture.
I have wanted to replace the 1980's fluorescent light fixture in our kitchen from day one. It has served its purpose and lit up the kitchen, but boy is this thing ugly up there!
Recently a relative gave us three leftover large schoolhouse style lights from one of his projects and we thought they would be perfect for the kitchen. But we were a little stumped about how to do it with an angled ceiling that is 18 feet tall at the peak.
Now usually, I am the one in our marriage that comes up with the design ideas which my husband usually contributes to and streamlines, and then we make it happen together. But this time my husband said, "I have an idea. I'll be right back." He went into the woods on the edge of our yard and came back dragging this eleven foot long rusty steel beam.
He said he wanted to mount the three light fixtures to this beam and make one giant linear chandelier for the kitchen. Oh yeah, I'm all over this!!
The "C Channnel" beam would provide the perfect channel for wiring the lights.
It is one of the many treasures that were left behind by our home's original owners who lovingly built this house. It's been rusting away in the woods for who knows how long and we needed to stop the rusting, but I really wanted to keep the rusty patina. So before we even started this project we pressure washed the loose chunks off.
And then we treated the beam with our favorite rust inhibitor, Ospho
(please excuse the insanely disorganized garage backdrop.)
We sprayed all of the surfaces of the beam with Ospho, wiped the excess off with a rag, and let it set overnight.
Next came the fun part, laying out the fixtures on the beam. We centered the middle one, of course, and then placed the ones on the ends in a spot that looked right.
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Which gave us the location for the center holes for the wires.
And we drilled a 5/16" hole. To explain the sawdust while drilling through a steel beam, there's a wooden block under there to support the beam.
After that was dry, we attached the fixture mounting plates, and grounded the beam to the fixtures.
We used a plastic bushing in each of the three holes to protect the wires.
Then we ran the wires for the lights.
To suspend the beam of the linear chandelier, we decided to use a trapeze made from chains and bolts. We put the top bolt through a stainless steel tube, just to make it sit evenly on top of the wooden beam. We spray painted these a dark brown to match the beam.
Now we were ready to hang this big thing! We started by hanging the trapeze supports from the wooden beam of the house.
I didn't get good pictures of this part because it took my husband, my father-in-law and me to lift it into place.
After the beam was up, my husband wired up the lights and finally attached them to the bases on the steel beam.
And now finally...the finished linear chandelier!
So that's our new DIY industrial farmhouse chandelier for our kitchen! Thanks so much for stopping by to check it out with me! It's much better than a 1980's fluorescent light, right?
15 comments
I love this project!! It's genius
Looks fantastic but where are the cables hidden from the lights to the mains? I cant see any going into the beams or along the chains.
That is gorgeous. Just perfect.
how/where did you wire the lights to the electric source??
Beautiful looking cabin. I had one some years back. A comfortable place with attractions for the eyes...Anyway old Post I'll throw in my 2 sense. Novel idea. I've had a few friends agree with me the light fixtures don't go at all with the cabin. And easy to tell their new. So the old charm goes out the window. Why is the step of getting the beam up and in place left out. That would have been interesting and a learning experience as well. Sorry guys A for attempt D for looks.
Absolutely Beautiful BUT where is it connected to the electricity?
Dear Anonymous person who wants to make me feel bad but have failed, you may be the most ignorant person to ever visit my blog. You have absolutely no "sense," so your "2 sense" LOL LOL LOL it's two cents, just to show how ignorant you are! My friends agree with me that you are a D rated person for trolling my blog and making nonsense comments. Please leave me a link to show me all of the creative and charming things you did with your cabin as I would love to see them!
Thanks so much Jessica!
Well then we did a good job LOL! But really, there is a junction box on top of the wood beam near where the chain is, that fed the original light fixture. We wired to that and ran the wires down the chain to keep them hidden. Hope that helps to explain!
Thank you very much, Page!
Thank you Shelly, there is a junction box on top of the wood beam near where the chain is, that fed the original light fixture. We wired to that and ran the wires down the chain to keep them hidden. Hope that helps to explain!
There is a junction box on top of the wood beam near where the chain is, that fed the original light fixture. We wired to that and ran the wires down the chain to keep them hidden. Hope that helps to explain!
Love your comment to anonymous people are miserable in life with nothing better to do than push nice people down. I love your project.
I love your reply to anonymous. Some people are so miserable they have nothing better to do than push nice people down. I just love this idea. My daughter and her husband have built so money things in there home with repurposed materials. It makes it so unique and there is a story to tell with so many things in there home as is yours im sure. Thank you for taking the time to post. Its gorgeous and rustic. Perfect for a cabin.
Thank you for taking the time to write a kind comment, Daisy. I truly appreciate it.
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