50s lighting. the light on the ceiling died and i put another 4 ft fluorescent fixture up there next to the other one rather than removing it. the overall length of the 'box' is about 8 feet with the light being over the sink. i realllly dont wanna take down the box and have to fix up all the 'damage' that will be up there from removing everything. is there any way to make this look more modern?

plan for the rest of the bathroom probably is some kind of stick on wallboard or ship lap. i dont need the light extended above the toilet and i could even somehow put a bottom on the part if need be except as you can see i have a fan there i have to consider. it works and i dont want to mess with it. but it would look bad if i removed the box and you see that ancient fan.



<img src="https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/20200626_144626_a2efd8047ffa41649ecd7bb122090cbc264ba42c.jpg" width="1128" height="1504"/>
<img src="https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/2000x1504/20200626_144632_d7876f8aaedf4d472ac43c61252719543db7dbe8.jpg" width="1128" height="1504"/>

 

Just painting the bulkhead white the same as the ceiling would modernize it.
Or the color of the walls.

If you wanted to do more work you could replace the grating with something solid and then mount LED recessed ceiling lights. You would also have to come up with a vent at the one end so the fan still does it's job.

I would also get rid of the shutters and the old fashioned valence.

Not sure why you did not just replace the fluorescent tubes with LED's.
It is usually relatively easy to remove the ballast and rewire the fixture for them.

 

my guess is LEDs were expensive 10 years ago and i didnt consider them. since not exposed just wanted something cheap. i guess in the end if keeping the grid looked silly i could still do something with it later on but have to keep that end portion open for ventilation. i think would look silly to have 2 different types of grating though.

as much as i never liked the shutters, i did enjoy the full openness and light that the top half exposed gave me. just putting up mini blinds would significantly decrease the light

 

Basically what you have is a box built with suspended ceiling components. You could add a ceiling tee where the mirror ends, leave the egg crate above the toilet so the fan can move air, and replace the egg crate above the sink with smooth tile or painted drywall and install some wafer LEDs.

 

i didnt know what a tee was so i googled it. appears to be a strip where 2 things join. i dont understand the usage as described.

also when you say replace with tile. what tile do you mean. im picturing either tile hanging from wall or that generic 'office type' ceiling tiles but i'm sure you mean something else.


i dont do drywall but would be open to finishing the floor of the box with some kind of wood and painting or staining it to match whatever i do on the veritical of the box. or would it be better to make it just white for reflective purposes. i guess the wood would just sit on the track that i have now and wouldnt even have to be nailed in place. unsure how id do that anyway. ideas? you can see in the fan pic is about 1 inch of metal lip there.

but again then i get to the unknown as to whether if i 'fancy up' the box above the sink, would that old grid bring down the aesthetics of the room. im not a fashion kinda guy where everythign gotta be perfect though. and i also know that fan has to be covered by something that allows flow, so the existing grid probably wouldnt be too bad. but i worry if i spend the effort finishing over the sink that i will have made it look unevenly new so to speak.

 

A ceiling tee is used every 2' or 4' to build the grid. What you have is just a small section using wall angle around the perimeter. This is normal for such a small section of ceiling.

Ceiling "Tile" is just the general term for the 2x2 or 2x4 panels that go into the suspended ceiling. Since they mostly come in 2x2 or 2x4 sizes I was suggesting drywall to make a single piece panel. There would be no drywall finishing other than paint. You would just have to cut the drywall a little smaller than the opening (removing the tapered edge first) to be able to slip it in ceiling opening. You certainly could also use plywood or paneling as ling as it is stiff enough not to sag. You can also use additional tees and just use standard tiles that you like.