Mantle Plant Light Fixture

The previous owners of the house we live in now had the idea of creating an indoor planting area in a section of the foyer next to the front door and against the wall. It had to have cost extra to have that space through the foundation because the soil in it is all the way through the ground underneath.  Well, the garden did not work because of one little detail they didn't consider - light. Or, the idea perhaps was that there was going to be enough filtered light to come through the glass next to the door.  Anyhow, when we got the house a few plants that were in the soil were barely alive.

I decided to provide artificial lighting to the area by building a mantle up against the wall and install the light underneath it.  This was the least disruptive to the wall area.  There is a fireplace mantle in another area of the house that I wanted to copy, partly because from a certain viewing angle both mantles can be seen simultaneously. 

This is the model of the mantle design I made for the wall by the foyer.

The design called for a 1-1/2 inch half round for the edge as shown in the fireplace mantle. I purchased closet rods and split them lengthwise in half for the half round.

The challenge, of course, was how to split it at the table saw safely and accurately. I sandwiched the rod between two 2 X 4 lumber and drove a couple of screws to stabilize the rod during the ripping operation. It worked perfectly.

The next challenge was how to cut the miters on the half round.  This and the next photo shows how.

The finished mantle before painting.

I don't know how the fireplace mantle was attached to the bricks but I knew how this one was going to be secured against the wall.  The French cleat method is, in my opinion, the most ideal because this is a heavy structure for one person to install accurately and safely.

The French cleat allows for the easiest method of accurately placing and leveling a straight lighter rail against the wall.

I ran the necessary wiring for power from the other side of the wall where there was an outlet in the next room. As you can see there is no visible wire because the small hole was right behind the junction box. The junction box is where the timer will be plugged in.

I actually did this project a while back but since I was going to change the ballast for the florescent lamp when I decide to take the photos.

The unpainted portion shown in the foreground is the mating cleat to the one already attached to the wall.

For plants to grow the fixture needs a plant and aquarium light bulb.

Timer

This is quite heavy but the French cleat method makes it easy because the mantle will just slide into place from slightly up against the wall into the wall cleat like a wedge.