Ceiling Light Upgrade

After realizing that the white interior was reflecting the glare from the exposed lenses of the lights in the ceiling, we needed a solution to eliminate the glare at the source. So along with changing the walls, we made lamp shades for all the ceiling lights. This was done by taking 4" white drainage pipe caps and holesawing a hole for the light to shine through. Then the outside of the caps were painted to match the colour of the new wall covering, and flat black was sprayed on the inside.

After the paint had cured, we made a jig to position the light lens so we could permanently attach the shade. This was done by first using hot glue to hold the shade to the lens. Then the assembly was rotated on a kitchen cupboard turntable while we applied a bead of clear silicone. The silicone is what really holds the shade to the glass lens.

Once the assembly is installed back on the light fixture, and the light turned on, the glare was eliminated. There was also an added bonus. Because of the way we assembled the lens and shade, a halo of light is emitted above the shade and onto the ceiling. This nicely matches the perimeter LED lighting that we also installed around the top of all the cabinets. When everything is turned on, we have a bright and comfortable area to live in.