DIYbanter - View Single Post

In article .com,
says...

"Sure! I can install a ceiling fixture for you, dear! The new baby
needs light!"
Seemed like a simple statement. So 4 hours later here's my predicament.

1) I opened a hole for a ceiling junction box intending to use a fan
brace. I have discovered that the joists in this particular building
are spaced very closely. About 12~13 inches. Therefore, all of the
ceiling fan braces I have been able to find for old work will not fit.
They seem to start at 16 inches. Am I going to have to open a big hole
to span the joists with a 2x4? Any other choices?

There are fan boxes that do not use a brace between joists, they just fasten
onto the side of a single joist. At first glance they look like standard deep
plastic junction boxes, but they are heavy fiberglass (not plastic), and have
metal brackets built in. Home Depot has them. Of course, you need to have a
hole right next to a joist to use one of them, and you need to be able to get
clearance to put in the screws in the top bracket, so it may not help that much
in a retrofit situation.

There are also shallow fan boxes that screw directly to the bottom of a single
joist, not the side.

Both of these boxes have lower weight limits then the brace type, I think, but
they handle typical fans OK and will be marked for their weight limit.

Dennis