Figured I would start my own thread on this

Been posting in the "Home Improvement" thread about this.

Figured i would start my own instead of hijacking that one over and over.

Here is where is starts. Last for about 10 posts.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/garage-workshop/12120-home-improvement-today-14.html#post4325359

Now, I went to put up the mirror and I have this....

The mirror my wife picked out was a hell of lot bigger than i had planned for. And it covered up my electrical box for my light.

Also, the mirror has a sort of crown molding on the top. And the light she wants hits the top of the mirror when its mounted flush to the wall.

So first, i have to move my box up about 9 inches. Then I have a problem. As you can see in the 3rd pic, the light overlaps the mirror trim by about 2 inches. I need to find some way to extend the box out about 2 inches and make it look good. Like in the 4th pic. In this pic, I'm holding the light about 2 or 3 inches away from the wall. And it sticks out over the mirror trim.

My only options i see are to (1.) get an different light that extends out farther from the base, or (2.) make a small bulkhead over the mirror and mount the box to that and use my existing light.


Any ideas?

 

Don't move the box itself out, that needs to be mounted securely to the stud and inside the wall. If I were you, I'd get either a wood or metal spacer to space the light out and some extended mounting screws for the light. A piece of wood either stained to match the light or painted black would work well.
Disclaimer: I'm not an electrician or carpenter, this is just how I would do it.

 

When I say move the box, I don't mean move it out. I am going to have to move it up the wall 8 or 9 inches. It will be secured to a stud and all that happy stuff. If I go that route.

I am going to have to move the box one way or another. Either move it up and get a different light, or move it into a bulkhead and use my existing light.


Here is a pic i found of a bulkhead. Kinda similar to what i would do.

 

Ummm a third option tell the wife to get a different mirror? Tell her it just wont work. Although that probably wont fly it may be worth a shot.

 

That would look neat but keep in mind that building out that little soffit takes a lot of work! You'll end up tearing up the wall and ceiling for the framing, then new sheetrock and lots of corners to tape and sand. I'd look for a new fixture before building a soffit.

 

this is an super easy fix.

1. relocate the fixture box.
2. install the light fixture "upside down", i.e. so the bulbs are pointed up at the ceiling instead of down.. it'll be better that way anyway. that's how my vanity light is in my remodel..


see - like this!

 

Depends on how your wire is pulled through the walls. If you wire comes up from the floor, you might not have enough slack. If your wire comes down from the ceiling, you should be fine.

If you have enough slack, just cut a hole further up where you want it and install a remodel (old work) electrical box. No need to worry about securing to the studs and frankly not really necessary since it's just a vanity light. The old work boxes have tabs that swing out and clamp the box to the drywall as you tighten it. Make sure you pull your wire through the box before you put it in the wall. Then just get a 6x6 drywall patch piece and patch the hole in the drywall (or move the mirror up about 3 inches and cover the hole haha)

 

I actually had to get another light, move the box up about 8 inches, and then i put everything back together.

It was still about 1/2" to narrow. I then had to move the mirror up about an inch.

Its not the best, but it will have to do.

I'll try and get some more pics tonight. I basically have the globes of the light overhanging the mirror by an inch or so.

 

Forgot the pictures the other night. Tonight off to lowes/home depot to get the materials needed to make a shower pan. Installing a Schluter Kerdi shower system. But my shower is off center pretty bad, so i couldn't use their preformed pan. I'll try to get some pics up of the progress.

 

Are you doing a mud pan?

You're going to have to replace the drain anyways with a kerdi drain anyways, you might as well move it where you need it. What type of drain piping do you have?

 

Yes, doing a mud pan.

I have a floor joist directly center of my shower stall. So I have to move it about 2 inches to the left. Drain is 1 1/2" PVC. Here is the before pic when i was tearing everything out. You see the floor joist.



Here is how it looks now.

 

DOH! That sucks. Oh well 2" off center isn't a big deal.

Have you done a pre-slope mud pan before? The johnbridge tile forum has a good writeup on doing a deck-mud pan. Also, if you haven't already bought it, shoot me PM about John Bridge's kerdi shower book (in PDF form).

 

Wish i would have posted this before...lol

Already spend the 10 bucks on the book.

This is my first mud pan. Hope it all goes ok. Kinda nervous. I'm a pretty handy guy, but for some reason this project kinda scares me. I'll have to set my kerdi drain first then try and tuck the mud underneath. Worried about getting a good solid base.


Also, I have never mixed mud or thinset before. I always buy the premixed stuff. Now reading over on JB forums i'm finding out that stuff is terrible.

 

It's not that hard, just takes a little finess, you'll get the hang of it. Basically just mark your level line around the outside wall after calculating the proper pitch. Then just pack your mud in sloping toward the drain. Since you're doing kerdi, you only have to do this once.

Mixing mud and thinset is cake. The key is just add little bits of water or powder at a time to get the proper consistancy. Don't do too much at once. You want thinset to be about the consistancy of peanut butter.

Your deck mud will be drier.

Yeah that premixed stuff is garbage for anything exposed to water. Otherwise mastic is perfectly ok for non wet areas such as backsplashes. Also thinset should be used on floors.

 

Some pics of the mud pan.

I think i got it a little low next to the kerdi drain. Hopefully i can fill that in with thinset before i put my kerdi on the pan.

 

Back to your light for a moment. You can purchase what is called a box extender to mount over the existing box and mount the light on it. They come in .75", 1" and 1.5" projections. You could paint it to match the wall or paint it to match the fixture and it would be barely noticeable. Look for the "Wiremold" product display in Lowes/HD.

Crusher 2

 

Wiremold? The white and cream stuff that has the double stick tape on it?

 

Looks good. Yeah you can use some thinset to fill the low spots as long as it's not deeper than 1/4"

 

Thanks. Hope it sets up. I think i mixed it too dry.

 

Yea, the Wiremold brand products... not neccesarily the stick on strips though. You would still move your original mounting box up. Just use this to "space" your fixture out from the wall a bit. They may call it a starter box.

Look here...
http://www.legrand.us/wiremold/race...rrated-raceway/2337a-round-box-extension.aspx

or here...
http://www.legrand.us/wiremold/race...300-powerrated-raceway/2338a-fixture-box.aspx

or they also make metal versions.