Well, yes, if you cut the main trunk the suckers will soon take over without any problem. But I am confused by your description of what happened to the main trunk. I'm not sure what you mean by the trunk bent over. These tend to be very robust, sturdy, thick plants that would not bend over or snap from a windy day (unless it was maybe in a hurricane). Do you mean that the trunk itself bent or the the whole plant (root ball and all shifted over). If it's the whole plant then just straighten it out in the pot (you could still stake it if you like). But if you meant that the trunk itself bent, are you referring to possible rotting of trunk tissue? If this is the case, it was due to overwatering--not wind. I'm not sure why you would want to remove the main trunk unless it was rotted out.

I know this is an old thread, but in case the OP is still around the forum, I want to say THANK YOU! I am about to copy your example, and am a little chagrinned that I might not have hung our old fan if I hadn't read your post. Like many folks these days, we're on an austerity kick. Aside from groceries and gas, I don't buy anything without at least a 24 hr. cooling off period and some serious thought about whether it's a want or a need. We're finally getting around to decluttering and fixing up our basement garage. Last year, dh removed two ceiling fans that he replaced with light fixtures found at a closeout sale. One fan then replaced a single bulb ceiling fixture in the center of the master bathroom (there are plenty of other lights.) The other has been sitting in the basement unused and forgotten. I priced floor fans online earlier today, then happened to come here to look for garage organizing inspiration and ran across this thread. There's no need to buy a new fan after all - yay! We live in the deep south, so I felt that a fan was certainly a "need" if we expect to do any work down there this summer, but it's nice to now be able to reallocate those funds for some other necessity.

From someone who wanted something similar, i will give you a straightforward "no". One, you need tall ceilings, and two, I think it does not really belong in a bedroom unless it was part of a larger theme. Do you need to have a light? What is your budget? If you are not trying to obscure it, and you want vintage, get traditional Hunter or Casablanca, maybe with nickel housing? Either wood blades (vintage) or white ("disappearing"). Did you see the link to the post I had back in Nov.? People gave lots of good suggestions. It is in my post below.

I would not recommend fans with metal blades, they will rust and typically require ceilings over 10 feet because they are not considered safe in residential applications. You are best off with fans that have special UV protective ABS plastic blades or thicker solid wood blades that are rated for outdoor wet or damp locations. Wet rated fans have the highest tolerance for abuse from the elements and are the best choice, but a covered porch like yours can use a damp rated or wet rated fan. Also, in outdoor locations it is critical to consider the amount of airflow that the fan produces because open outdoor locations do not allow the air to escape on the sides and the breeze you feel from a fan is a lot less than what you feel in an enclosed area indoors. So you need more powerful fans than those listed above. The Donaire fan recommended below has a wind speed factor of about 3.8 MPH, which is over 50% more breeze than the Westinghouse fan above. The ultimate outdoor fan is made of marine grade 316 stainless steel and has ABS blades. It is the Donaire by Matthews Fan Company and is available in brushed nickel or bronze stainless steel. Here are some pictures of the fan taken from the product detail pages using the Room Settings Viewer at Hansen Wholesale. This feature allows you to add your own room setting so you can see how any fan on the website looks in your own setting, so you may want to give that a try. Donaire in Brushed Nickel Donaire in Bronze There are many other high quality outdoor ceiling fans available from Hansen Wholesale. To add your photo to use the room settings viewer email some pictures to: DesignService@hansenwholesale.com with the subject "Room Settings Viewer - Houzz" Response provided by: Hansen Wholesale https://www.hansenwholesale.com 1-800-201-1193