How to Decorate Ceilings With Lattice Work and Lights

Soft Glow

• 1

  Measure the perimeter of the ceiling with a tape measure. Use the measurements as a guide when purchasing lattice to go around the entire room.

• 2

  Cut each piece of lattice into 18-inch by 8-foot long strips with a skill saw. Sand the rough edges.

• 3

  Frame each piece of lattice with 2-inch wide wall molding. Nail the molding onto the front edges of the lattice with 1/2-inch long finish nails.

• 4

  Lay the lattice on a flat surface, front side down. Screw 2-inch by 2-inch thick wood blocks along the edges, every 24 inches, with a screw gun.

• 5

  Thread clear or colored string lights through the openings in the lattice.

• 6

  Screw 3-inch long screws into the lattice, running the screws through the 2-inch blocks, to affix the lattice to the ceiling along the edge of the walls.

• 7

  Plug the string lights into an extension cord. Hide the extension cords with adhesive wall cord covers. Paint the covers to match your walls if necessary.

Suspended Lighting

• 8

  Purchase five 8-feet by 2-foot pieces of lattice. Spray paint the lattice in a single color that complements your decor, or use a different color for each piece.

• 9

  Screw eye hooks into the corners of all the pieces by hand. Set the lattice aside.

• 10

  Affix five self-adhesive outlet strips to the ceiling. Stagger the strips to create a zigzag pattern across the ceiling. Center them where you plan to place each piece of lattice.

• 11

  Connect each outlet strip into thin extension cords run from the ceiling into plug outlets on the walls below. Shoot industrial staples over the cords with a staple gun to hold them in place. Cover the cords with adhesive wall-cord covers, or camouflage them with plants or hide them behind the draperies.

• 12

  Plug two to three single-bulb vertical lamps with cords, varying in length from 8 to 12-inches, into the outlets.

• 13

  Screw eye hooks, four for each section of lattice, into the ceiling by applying firm pressure to the hook and twisting it by hand. Hang 6-inch small-link chains from the hooks.

• 14

  Hang the lattice from the ceiling by threading the bottom links of the chains into the hooks attached to the corners of the lattice pieces.

• 15

  Pull the lamp cords through random openings in the lattice. Screw in 13-watt bulbs to complete your lighted ceiling decor.