A Little Information about Chandeliers

Before hanging your chandelier, first ensure you have a secure fixing. Do not expect it to hang from the ceiling plaster! If the position for your chandelier is not directly beneath a floor or ceiling joist, then you must insert as a minimum either a piece of 3” x 2” timber as a noggin (if your chandelier is suspended on a chain from a hook), or a 1” thick plywood plate (if your chandelier is flush fitting) between at least two joists. You may need to lift some floor boards in the room above, or even cut into the plaster from below, to achieve this. For upper floors, or bungalows, you will need access to the attic. Please see diagram. If you choose not to do this, your chandelier will eventually fall. This will result in serious damage to the ceiling at best, or worse, severe injury to anybody standing beneath it.

1. Drill a hole through the noggin just large enough to allow the fitting of a hook bolt. The size of this bolt is dependent on the type of ceiling, the thickness of the ceiling plaster, and whether or not there is a ceiling rose. You may need to go to a good hardware shop or builders merchants to acquire the right length hook bolt, or make one yourself from a length of 6mm or 8mm threaded rod. DIY shops are generally useless for this sort of thing.

2. Drill a hole right through the joist or noggin with a suitable drill bit large enough to accommodate the hook bolt (– see diagram). Fit the bolt through the drilled hole with the hooked end hanging down into the room. Secure with a large washer; at least an inch in outer diameter with a small central hole to just accommodate the threaded end of the hooked bolt and 2 nuts. One of which acts as a locking nut to ensure that when cleaning and turning the chandelier, it will not unscrew and eventually fall from the ceiling.

3. For larger heavier chandeliers (weighing 50Kg or more), it may be necessary to notch a steel plate into the top of several joists, from which the chandelier is suspended. If this is the case with your chandelier, we would recommend you use professionals to fit it.