How to Make Faux Windows That Provide Real Light

Introduction

Want to bring daylight into a finished basement without the labor and cost of adding an egress window? Here’s a quick, effective way to gain the light along with the illusion of a beautiful new window. You won’t get any views of the outdoors, but there’s often not much to see out of a below-grade basement window anyway. We used super-thin LED light panels with adjustable color temperature, set in easy-to-build window frames. There's a little electrical work required to bring power to the panels, but the lights are remote controlled so you don’t have to add a switch.

Tools Required

Materials Required

• 1/4" x 3/4" Screen molding
• 14-2 NM-B cable
• 2'x4' Tunable White LED Panel Light from superbrightleds.com
• 3/4" x 48" x 96" MDF
• Paint
• Primer
• Remote control for LED panel
• Sandpaper
• Wood glue

Family Handyman

Family Handyman

Cutting List

Overall dimensions: 55-in. H x 31-in. W x 1-3/4-in. D

KEY	QTY.	PART	DIMENSION
A	2	Front frame top and bottom	3/4″ x 4″ x 31″
B	2	Front frame sides	3/4″ x 4″ x 47″
C	2	Back frame top and bottom	3/4″ x 4″ x 23″
D	2	Back frame sides	3/4″ x 4″ x 55″
E	2	Top and bottom trim	Cut to fit
F	1	Side trim	Cut to fit

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