Anyone interested in carpenting?

[May Black]

I'll be moving to a new place in few weeks and I have this idea for what I want to do with my curtains once there.

Basically I want something like this, but preferably lit up.

I have found the construction you see on the picture bellow, and I think I have quite clear idea of what I need for it. I've done simple lamp wiring before, and it doesn't look too complicated. I want three spot lights, one at each side and one between the windows to shine on the curtains. I should be able to connect all three to one switch, right? I should have no problem to get the wood in the length I need, and I think I know what I need to fasten on my drill to fix the holes for the spots as well. Now, the way it looks here, the pelmet doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. I'm wondering however if I need such a complicated construction in the first place? Maybe I should just attach the curtain holders directly to the ceiling and fix the spot lights in a different way and just attach a board to the ceiling in front of the whole construction?

I am quite handy and I love furnishing projects. Any ideas are greatly appreciated.

 

[May Black]

Maybe I could hide something like this behind the board. It would probably be easier to attach it to the ceiling than to build a whole construction. I don't know.

 

[AsheSkyler]

My dad is the carpenter and electrician of the family but I like to watch the home improvement shows with him.

It seems sound to me. Since all the lights you show are recessed lights, I suppose as long as you pair the bulbs with their correct canisters you won't have to deal with heat issues. I don't know the specifics, but you should be able to link all those lights together to one switch. I'd recommend some heavy studying on wiring standards if you plan to do it yourself (er, if you're not versed in it already).

The tracks for the curtains should simply have screw holes for you to attach it to whatever. If you have a board directly behind the ceiling where you intend it go, great! If not, might want to install a board for it to attach to so it doesn't bring down that part of the ceiling. (Might want a stud finder if you're not one of those people who intuitively know where they are in a house.) That's the only potential issue I can think of attaching it straight to the ceiling. I think the whole thing would look great both free floating or attached straight to the ceiling.

If it was my project, my big dilemma would be if I wanted to leave the board plain, or go with some pretty moulding.

 

[May Black]

Thanks!

I buy a lot of used furniture that I remake, and generally changing the wiring will be one of the things I have to do. I was terrified the first times, but it's actually really easy if you pay attention. I'm quite confident I can do with without a problem.

If it was my project, my big dilemma would be if I wanted to leave the board plain, or go with some pretty moulding.

Already been there

Finally I decided to make it plain and as invisible as possible. I'm moving to a very small place, and both the bedroom and the living room parts open into the same window area, so it's a way for me to unify that by using differently colored curtains and mix them to get some sort of cohesive feeling. Another reason is, I'm renting the place, and I'm looking for something bigger. I took the first apartment in a good area in the city that I was offered, because I'm really done with this place, but I will miss my three rooms with a sea view greatly. I'm thinking if I make something plain, the next tenant might like it and it would save me trouble of tearing the whole thing down and repairing the holes.

 

[Randomperson]

Filling the old holes is the easy part, just inject some good old tooth paste and let it dry, then touch it up with paint. Why tooth paste? Because it will harden quickly, will never grow mold or mildew and is generally anti bacterial too. And once it dries a bit the paint will soak into it and it looks just like normal wall plaster.