The Box for the ceiling fan mount is not flush with the ceiling, and now there's a hole in the ceiling. Help?

Question

I was installing a ceiling fan. The box is not flush with the ceiling. It digs into the ceiling a bit. After trying to attach the ceiling fan mount to this uneven box, a part of the mount dug into the ceiling and left a hole. Pieces of my ceiling are on the floor as I type this.

Anyway, I am trying to think of ways to deal with this. I wanted the ceiling fan to be nice and secure to that box, but it is dug into the ceiling. I could loosen the s***w a bit, so that the mount is not so tight against the box, but wouldn't that make the fan shake and unstable? Perhaps I should use a bolt nut, or a piece of wood, or something to make the s***w stiffly attached to the box.

I cannot simply attach the canopy to a ceiling mount that is attached to the box--a box that is inside the ceiling by about a half inch!

As far as my new hole in the ceiling...I'm guessing caulk. What do you think?

I'm almost out of ideas folks. I've never installed a fan before. But, by God, I'm gonna accomplish this one way or another!

Some help would be nice though!

Answer 1

The first question I have is are you using a fan rated box?  If not, you take the risk of the box pulling out of the ceiling when you run the fan.  If the box is OK, you want the bracket to sit flush to the ceiling, or as close as possible.  Snug the screws up, and continue the installation.  

If the box is recessed that far, you can buy an extension ring from Home Depot or Lowe's.  This will lower the mount to flush.  Then continue the installation according to the instructions.  Hopefully the canopy will cover the hole.  If not, a little mesh tape and joint compound will fix it.  Good luck.

Answer 2

This happens by many people.

Take a look here:

http://www.ceiling-fan-wizard.com

They provide you good information on how to install your ceiling fan