Idea is to mount a flat panel light upside down (pointing up) suspended below a plastered ceiling. It's not challenging to mount it, what I've not figured out is how to make the underside look decent. It has assorted fixing holes, slots & a couple of protruding bits that prevent attaching a flat sheet of ali. It wants airflow so I can't add flat ali spaced an inch off. Any ideas?
Cut an interesting shape of MDF sheet, paint it (to match the ceiling?) and attach it to the underside of the panel with spacers
Having put up several flat panels in recent times I have not found any with fixing holes, slots or other fixing points as most of these are designed to be dropped into suspended ceilings and held by their edges on the framework. Even when surface mounting aluminium extrusions are used that just grip the edges.
If all you are trying to do is create a panel like uplighter, I think I would use LED tape stuck to MDF suspended from the ceiling rather than trying to conceal the backside of a panel
Perforated aluminium? eg...
+1 I made some concealed lighting with led strip and a suitable electronic supply/driver stuck to some thin L section metal which in turn was stuck to a thin sheet of mdf. This was wall mounted so I used a french cleat for fixing.
The L section metal was for a heatsink and to point the LEDs out to the sides rather than being pointed at the wall. Having had some previous experience with the double sided glue tape on the back of LED strips I reinforced the strip fixing with some hot melt glue blobs.
I have a thin LED panel type fitted in my bathroom where the fixing on the panel are keyhole type slots so the fixing in the ceiling are just 4 screws with an appropriate size head*. Fixing plates of this type are readily available Random example
I thought you could get those sort of defuse uplighters ready made, but it would be hard to advise you to do what you want as surely, the cable feeding it would block light as it went around it anyway. You almost need a box for the bottom and sides, with some mounting brackets one of which could hide the cable. Brian
The few I've fitted did not need ventilation. You could fit them in an enclosed surface mounting frame with the driver (ie not putting that above the ceiling). None such that meets your needs?
snipped-for-privacy@aolbin.com
the panel requires rear ventilation, otherwise this is what I'd do, probably with plastic.
Tricky Dicky
framework. Even when surface mounting aluminium extrusions are used that
I got what I got
trying to conceal the backside of a panel
I can see upsides to that, and downsides. I've already got the kit though
can't see it but I'm sure I get the idea
Clive Arthur
I think that's the only option that would actually do the job. But £48 + post for something too small.
Brian Gaff
?
would be hard to advise you to do what you want as surely, the cable feeding it would block light as it went around it anyway.
huh?
??
Robin
Yabbut it insists on having ventilation. This is using an extra well specced office panel to create something nice in a house.
From all the comments I'm beginning to think I'm out of luck. Unless I replace the ugly backing panel with unholy sheet ali. No clue how these things come apart. But at least I'm a step clearer on what to do, cheers.
What's wrong with cutting a piece of thin MDF into an attractive shape, painting it to match the ceiling and attaching it via stand-offs to allow air to circulate? You could even put some holes in it (star-shaped or circular ones in a pattern, if that took your fancy) to provide light spots and improve air flow if you felt that was needed.
I supppose it'd work if the gap is enough. Not sure how it'd look.
I had another idea. Got another panel with a flat back, but otherwise unsuitable. I might see if the backs are swappable. No clue yet how they're built.
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