If you have access to an attic above the fan you can mount this support from the attic to avoid having to repair the ceiling 1b if your fan is directly below a joist notch out enough but no more of the joist than required for the junction box to sit flush or just behind the finished surface of your ceiling when screwed to the joist.
Can you mount a ceiling fan directly to a joist.
Or as the engineers would say.
Light fixture with a ceiling fan how to install or hang a ceiling fan installing a ceiling fan extreme how to installing a ceiling fan extreme how to.
Rather than moving it to the side 6 inches and making it asymmetrical is there a way to attach the fans directly to the joist.
The edges and corners can have nice details cut into them so that once painted the piece becomes a halfway decent decorative element.
How to replace a light fixture with ceiling fan tos diy.
Compromise the integrity of the joist.
Installed can lights and when i went to cut the hole for the ceiling fan i was lined up right on a joist.
Presuming you don t have access to the ceiling fan from above you must either use a specially rated hanger and box to mount the fan between joists or better yet screw a fan rated pancake box so called because it s very thin directly to a ceiling joist.
A ceiling fan should be mounted to a solid area so yes you can but don t cut on the joist much or you will cause it to loose strength.
Finally you could apply a pancake box directly centered under a joist but then you have to patch the old hole.