Replacing a ceiling light

netman

I've replaced the simple light bulb socket jobbie with a nice ceiling fixture, however I've noticed that it's started to droop. So today I unscrewed everything only to find to my horror that the anchors have almost completely fallen out, the fixture must have been close to falling down!

I must have used the wrong thing for fixing it. Basically it's held up with two screws, and the ceiling is gypsum board above which is wood. I drilled a hole and put an anchor the same way I'd do with walls, and screwed that in and it looked fine on the day. Unfortunately it doesn't look like that anymore.

The previous thing was just screwed into the gypsum, which really wouldn't hold anything heavier than the lightbulb. I thought anchors might fix it but they obviously didn't.

How are you supposed to fix the ceiling fixtures? I mean are there special anchors for this type of thing? Or should I use extra long wood screws that would go through the plasterboard into the wood above?

Prenderb

Hmm, maybe something like a toggle/butterfly fixing (is that the right word) is what you're looking for? That's one of those widgets that flattens out as you screw it in, which means that it spreads the weight of the new light fixture over a broader area.

I'm sure you don't still have any of the instructions that came with the new fixture?

Also, try reading here which probably has your answer

RKQ

If this light fitting is on the 1st floor ceiling, you could climb into the attic and fix a piece of timber over the light fitting, between the ceiling joists. Fix the ends of the timber to the ceiling joist. Securely fix the light fitting thru the plasterboard into the new piece of timber.

Otherwise you may need to move the lightfitting to line up with a timber ceiling joist.

Consider sawing a hole in ceiling, fit a piece of plywood between the ceiling joists, replace the neatly cut piece of plasterboards. Plasterboard can also be screwed to ply. Use filler to fill screw holes and saw marks in plasterboard. Fit light fitting thru plasterboard to ply.

masseyno9

I usually use plasplugs when fixing into plasterboard. http://images.google.ie/images?um=1&hl=en&rlz=1C1GGLS_enIE291&q=plasplug+plasterboard&btnG=Search+Images
The grey ones are grand, use the Blue ones if you're light fitting is particularly heavy. I have an electric guitar hanging on my wall with 4 of the grey ones and not a bother on it.

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Fixings/CavityFixings/d90/sd1930
Here are 3 other alternatives. The first have been recommended to me but I've never used them. They don't look like they would be suitable for hanging from a ceiling.
The second ones are a strong expending bolt type fixing. The aluminium around the bolt spreads as you tighten the screw, meaning the only way for it to come out is if the board fails.
The last one is the butterfly or toggle fixing mentioned above. A good strong fixing that won't fail.

Personally, unless its a very heavy light fixture, I'd use the plastic plasplugs.

PS: I have no knowledge of the website I linked to, they just had a convenient layout! all the anchors are available in any decent hardware store.

netman

Hi,

I think my problem is caused by the fact that there's timber directly behind the plasterboard, so when i put in the plugs they had nowhere to expand, if that makes sense. I used the heavy weight ones, like the one shown on the link (the metal hollow wall anchor here - http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Fixings/CavityFixings/d90/sd1930) even though the fixture isn't really that big or heavy, but as I put in the screws it looks like the plug expanded into the plasterboard and broke it.

I'm thinking of putting longer screws instead and screwing them through the plasterboard and straight into the timber above.

It is the 1st floor ceiling, so the attic's above me, it must be the joists that I'm seeing through the plasterboard. I'd guess if it was off by an inch I'd have no problem, but maybe putting screws into the timber would be an even better way of fixing it?

I'm kinda lost, I did pretty much the exact thing in the other bathroom 2 years ago and that light fixture is fine

Steve

netman wrote: »

How are you supposed to fix the ceiling fixtures? I mean are there special anchors for this type of thing? Or should I use extra long wood screws that would go through the plasterboard into the wood above?

Yep, simplest is most often the best. Screw through the plaster into the wood - provided it's in the right place.

Plaster should be about 10mm thick so use a screw about 25mm long (plus the thickness of the fitting). No need for a plug or fixing.

Edit: heh - you posted while I was typing this. If you can access the joist then use it it'll be the most secure way.

netman

That worked the charm

I used the biggest wood screws I had, since I've already drilled a hole for the plug I was using and it was quite deep too. These bad boys are holding it so tight that I could even hang myself off them :P

Well, it gave me a chance to repaint the ceiling while I was at it. All's well that ends well!