How do I install a ceiling fan on a cathedral ceiling that has no wiring and electrical box? I don’t really want to cut into ceiling drywall. I’m worried about support for the fan.
Without cutting drywall, you’re going to need to buy a surface mount conduit. This is a rectangular metal tube through which you can run wires.
- Find an outlet into which you can tap the feed.
- Remove the outlet (power off! Wires Marked!) and mount a surface box extender.
- Re-mount the outlet on the extender, and tap your new wire into the feed in the box.
- Run a vertical run of conduit and wire to where you want the switch.
- Mount the switch in a surface mount box and connect.
- Run conduit and wire from the switch to the fan location.
- Securely mount the fan to a ceiling joist through the drywall.
- Connect the wires to the fan.
Here’s a picture of some conduit and surface mount boxes. The materials in the picture are fairly old, and show some wear and tear, but it looks better when new.
Also, cost out the job. It may be cheaper to hire someone to patch the drywall.
