[qwho]

My townhouse is only about 4 years old. I recently purchased it and I have been doing some various updates to lighting fixtures lately.

I want to install a pendant light above the sink in the kitchen, but the old fixture is in my way. There are no visible screws or anything to remove that would be keeping it on the ceiling. I even tried smacking it with a hammer on the back in case the ceiling plaster was what was keeping it in place. It is so solid, it feels like it is somehow bolted in place.

Here are some pictures:

Does anyone know how to get one of these down?

Thanks

 

[BowDown]

Is that silicone around the base of it? It might just be siliconed in place. Take a utility knife and cut away the silicone.

Also have you tried turning the fixture? Sometimes they twist/lock into place.

 

[qwho]

I'll give that a try when I get home, thanks.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

Could be just years of paint
Usually just the middle screw holds it in place

 

[jimmy21]

Does look like silicone from the pic. If you felt around and there are no screws then it just needs to be cut free

 

[Yoyizit]

A 1/16" thk 3" abrasive cutting wheel sometimes comes in handy. It goes in the chuck on your elec. drill. with the-adaptor-which-name-I-cannot-remember.
JC Whitney has these.

 

[BowDown]

A 1/16" thk 3" abrasive cutting wheel with arbor sometimes comes in handy. You mount it on your elec. drill. JC Whitney has these.

:laughing:

 

[Thurman]

Do look like silly-cone to me also. Cut that silly-cone with a razor knife, do a little, careful twisting so as not to damage the ceiling and see if it will start to come down. Be careful and Good Luck, David

 

[PaliBob]

Do look like silly-cone to me also.....

Dave's got it pegged.
.

 

[Scuba_Dave]

I even tried smacking it with a hammer on the back in case the ceiling plaster was what was keeping it in place.

Ya just need a bigger hammer :laughing:

 

[220/221]

That textured ceiling is FOUR YEARS OLD?

The bracket that should be holding it in place is missing (center) so it must be the paint, caulk or the 1/4" of texture.

 

[Yoyizit]

If you twist it you might minimize the damage to the ceiling finish and still break the caulking loose.

 

[qwho]

it was caulk guys. The center screw was missing because I took it out. I did exactly what someone suggested and ran a razor all around the edge, and it separated right away. It's amazing how solid it was, even with just caulking.

Thanks everyone. The pendant light didn't look so great, I think I am going to end up getting a replacement glass bulb for it, as the glass piece it came with makes it look like it would look better in a grandmother's house.

Also, the guy who asked "that textured ceiling is four years old?" what do you mean by that? Just curious.

 

[Atroxx]

I think he was saying that if the light was installed improperly, that would be pretty surprising since the house is so new. Kind of odd that they would caulk it up though, wonder what the reasoning for that was.

 

[theatretch85]

I think he was saying that if the light was installed improperly, that would be pretty surprising since the house is so new. Kind of odd that they would caulk it up though, wonder what the reasoning for that was.

Maybe because this is the light above the kitchen sink, the installer figured with water nearby it might be a good idea to caulk it, or it may not have been flat with the ceiling because of the texture and they just used caulk to visually fill in the gap... who knows. I'd maybe be a little concerned if all the fixtures were caulked in place (like in the bedrooms, etc).

 

[220/221]

Also, the guy who asked "that textured ceiling is four years old?" what do you mean by that? Just curious.

I haven't seen heavy patterned texture like that since the early 50's.

Everything since the 80's has been spray knockdown, smooth or skip troweled.

 

[Thurman]

Thanks for sharing with us that it was indeed some type of caulking, or silly-cone. Along those lines, I actually had a customer who called me to caulk along the top of three (3) ceiling fans in his home so that "bugs" could not get through that tiny opening between the fan housing and the ceiling. The fans had been there for years but for some reason he had become paranoid about bugs. Life goes on, , , David

 

[qwho]

Along those lines, I actually had a customer who called me to caulk along the top of three (3) ceiling fans in his home so that "bugs" could not get through that tiny opening between the fan housing and the ceiling. The fans had been there for years but for some reason he had become paranoid about bugs. Life goes on, , , David

What's funny is, that the light globe was full of bugs.

To clarify, the fixture was not installed wrong, it was anchored with a central hollow screw. I just didn't understand why it wouldn't come off the ceiling after that was removed. The caulk is why.