RGB Sunburst Ceiling Light

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Finding my room's ceiling looking a little boring, I decided to create an impressive light for it, as I had the power wired in my ceiling, but not used. Using 30M of light strips, 6 1*6*10 tongue and groove wood planks and some paint I created the RGB Sunburst Ceiling Light. Each "burst" is 5 feet long and contain 3 waves. There are 12 bursts in the sunbursts like a clock. For around $100, this project is a hands-on project, with some mains voltage wiring. I would say this project takes about 3-4 days to complete. The lights are controlled by a IR remote. The sunburst is very customizable and you can make it whatever you desire. Have Fun!

Lights - $45

Wood - $55

Paint- I used my wall paint, you can get a paint can at any hardware store. I painted the project with less then half a gallon.

Primer - Spray on, or just use a cheap craft paint so the wood can absorb something. The more primer you put on, the less final paint you will have to apply.

For the cover, you can either use a thin sheet of wood or 3D print it. If you printer is too small and you have no wood, you can order online a 9"*1/4" circle.

Outlet - $1

---Basic Tools---

Screws or Nail Gun

Jigsaw

Sandpaper

Newspaper / Dropcloth

Drill

Anchors

Solder

Soldering Iron

Wires

Glue Gun

Glue Sticks

In order to cut the bursts you need to plan the template. Take a 10ft plank and measure it halfway. You now have 60in of space to work with. I split the 60 inch space into thirds into thirds, giving each burst 3 waves. Each wave is 20in long. The first wave goes up 5 inches, the second 4 inches, and the last 3 inches. After creating each point, connect the dots by hand in a wave formation. In order to get the thickness, draw 2 lines around it at about 1/2 apart. It doesn't have to be perfect, as we will cut the template out in the next step and you can smoothen out bumpy lines.

Use your jigsaw to cut the 10ft plank into 2 5ft planks. Take the plank with the template on it and begin cutting. Take your time and slowly cut out each curve until you have your template fully cut out. Make sure that you are happy with how it looks, as this is the basis for all the other 11 sunbursts.

Start listening to your favorite music or podcasts because this is a very time-consuming step! Take the 5 10ft planks and cut them in half with your jigsaw. Take one plank and outline the template onto the plank, making sure your pencil is straight so the lines are accurate. Cut the plank like the template, slow and steady. Repeat this until you have 12 sunbursts.

With your sander / sandpaper, begin sanding each sunburst. You should sand EVERY face and the edges should be rounded when you finish. This might take longer than the cutting step, but it is necessary to have an amazing result. I also taped each burst on the ground to get an idea of what it would look like.

Take newspapers or a plastic drop cloth and weigh it down with scraps of wood from the sunbursts. Layout the bursts so that there is enough space to get the sides when priming. Coat each burst with primer or craft paint. Let that dry for 1-2 hours. Take your final paint and begin coating each burst. Take it one side at a time, so each side gets a full coat of paint. After waiting another 1-2 hours, re-visit each of the 12 for another coat on the side facing up. Leave that over night propped up on scrap wood as shown the the photos. In the morning, flip the bursts over and coat that side. That should result in each burst being fully coated. If not, keep painting until each burst is fully coated. Leave it to dry for another 1-2 hours and then you can begin hanging.

If you have beams in the ceiling that line up with the bursts, follow 1. If you don't, follow 2.

1. Use your nail gun/nails to nail the flat parts into the ceiling beams. Use someone else to help you. Start with the 4 that make up the cross. In order to correctly space the next 8, I used the formula πd/12 to correctly space each one. In my case, it was 31.4 inches apart. Attach the next ones 2 at a time, in each partition. If one burst doesn't hit a beam, move to the beginning of 2.

2.drill 2 holes in the ceiling where the middle 2 flat parts are. Drill corresponding holes in the sunburst. Hammer anchors into the ceiling and use 1 5/8" screws to screw it into the anchor. If it doesn't sit flush, use a longer screw. Start with the 4 that make up the cross. In order to correctly space the next 8, I used the formula πd/12 to correctly space each one. In my case, it was 31.4 inches apart. Attach the next ones 2 at a time, in each partition. If one burst hits a beam, move to the beginning of 1.

Take one light roll and measure out how much is needed to cover the burst. With one roll, cut 2 of that length, including one with a connector on the end. With the strand with the connector, find the first set of copper pads. Solder 4 wires at about 1 1/2" length to the pads. Then solder the other ends of the wires to the first pair of pads on the other strand. 12V goes to 12V, R goes to R, B goes to B, and G goes to G. Do this for the remaining 5 rolls.

Cut, 3D Print, or order a 9"*1/4" circle and paint it the same color as the bursts. Paint the sides and one face until the color is full. I propped the circle up on 2 party cups.

Unscrew the cover for the electrical box. THE WIRES ARE LIVE AND COULD KILL YOU. BE CAREFUL AND MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF. Take your outlet and wire the terminal according to how your box shows. Ground to ground, power to power. Screw the outlet onto the box. Take the electronics and arrange it as in the picture, cables neatly tied beside the bricks and the 2 white splitters on either side. Screw the cover onto the sunburst with about 4 screws. You should have 3 ports sticking out on either side.

Take the strips one pair at a time. Use a ladder to access the bursts. Be careful with not only the glue gun but with the ladder. I started with the strip that directly connected into the port. I started from the outside, then worked my way inside. When it came to the 4 black wires, I gave them some slack and started the other strip from the inside and went out. Do this for the remaining 5 pairs.

Enjoy your lights! Experiment with different colors and settings. I will be making a device that can control the lights with Alexa in the next few months. In the meantime, sit back and enjoy the RGB Sunburst Ceiling Light!