Skylight interior panel

Our house was built in the 1970's and has two sky lights, one in each bathroom. The interior translucent glass panel, which sits in a a frame in the ceiling, is about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick.

Over time, debris, dead bugs, etc., fall on the glass and is visible as a shadow to anyone in the bathroom. It is nearly impossible to clean the panel because 1) the glass panel is heavy and 2) the framing makes it nearly impossible to move the glass panel up to clean the attic side of the glass.

After having attempted to clean one of the panels and succeeding in getting the glass panel wedged in the wood framing and having to shave the wood and also splintering the edges of the glass, I would like to know if there is an easier way to deal with the cleaning. Or maybe replace the glass panels with something else.

Is there another material that can be used for the interior ceiling-to-attic panel instead of glass? Something that has some flexibility, but also not so flimsy that bugs or other larger critters that might end up in the attic would be able fall/crawl through.

Is there a name for what I am looking for, because I cannot find this item when searching sites like Home Depot or Lowe's?

Or is this something that would need to be custom cut?

Thanks,
Donna in Florida

With considerable design effort and woodworking skill you could make a frame for the translucent glass that swivels for cleaning. The weight of the glass would be carried by the swivels, possibly 1/4" dia. metal rods.

The tricky part is making this moveable piece and its mating frame to look halfway decent when a person looks up at it.

Unfortunately - I'm not that skilled and neither is my husband.

DonnaFL said:

Unfortunately - I'm not that skilled and neither is my husband.

Click to expand...

Maybe someone makes such a device but coming up with relevant search terms may be difficult.
It would take me a few hours to make this thing so it would cost a few hundred.

Most times walls between the ceiling and the roof are built as walls that can be insulated and there is no glass at the ceiling.