New kitchen fitted now wants down lights

[Lighting]

Hi went to a customer house and the have just had a new kitchen fitted new floor and some coving done now they want me to put six down lights in
They don't want the floors upstairs taken up and don't want loads of holes in the ceiling
Can you give me some tips of the following

best down lights to use and two way dimmer
best way of passing cable threw joints with minimal damage to ceiling
and any other tips you guys might have on putting in down lights

Thanks

Paul

 

[sythai]

They don't want the floors upstairs taken up and don't want loads of holes in the ceiling

May be a tricky then...

I always use a 4" holesaw and cut either side of the joist then bit of batton and fix the biscuit back ready for a re-skim (thats if floor cant come up above)

You might be lucky and have the joists going in your favor... then u may get away with only a couple of holes.

Aurora / click / Robus all decent makes of downlight

Sy


(I've heard of other 'sparks' just notching a piece of plaster out below each joist and doing that way, post on here the other day. and as long as you've got your RCD protection it would be covered, but ruff as!)

 

[Lighting]

The joist are not in my favor
with the 4" hole both side how did you get the cable threw the joist?
as the drill will not fit?

 

[sythai]

how did you get the cable threw the joist? as the drill will not fit?

Nice long reach 25mm spade bit (absolute minimum of 50mm up from bottom of joist)

Find out centre of joist(s) with small screwdriver or similar then measure 100mm back from here and this is where you need to put your pilot bit in... keeps you about 25mm clear of the joist then.

 

[telectrix]

if RCD protected you can clip under the joist. just a small hole each side to fish cable. however, it does sound like you,ve got the customer from hell, doesn't want floor up, why didn't he have the lights done before the new kitchen was fitted? is he one of those that will nit pick and be a bad payer? i'd be wary.

 

[ian]

I generally cut a holes as described by sythai above , then put the cut out back in and easyfill around the cut out, I generally have to fill the cut out twice, then sand with fine paper. It then becomes invisible once painted.

ian

 

[saveloy]

They don't want the floors upstairs taken up and don't want loads of holes in the ceiling

Cut the holes in the upstairs floor without removing the carpet. Then, when finished, paint the cutouts in various bright colours and replace. They get their downlights and and a new "polka dot" style carpet.

 

[bugsy]

Cut the holes in the upstairs floor without removing the carpet. Then, when finished, paint the cutouts in various bright colours and replace. They get their downlights and and a new "polka dot" style carpet.

Your raving!!!! My misses wants to know what im killing mysel laughing at

 

[telectrix]

PMSL. one way i suppose. until some manufacturer invents wi-fi downlights. think the average customer thinks we have them already.

 

[saveloy]

Your raving!!!! My misses wants to know what im killing mysel laughing at

Needs must when the devil drives . I try to return a customer's stupidity with a greater degree of stupidity, they normally get the picture in the end!

 

[Dave_]

They don't want the floors upstairs taken up and don't want loads of holes in the ceiling

Surface mount 6 400w low-bay metal halide fittings and just say its the only option if they dont want a mess.

 

[millwall ken]

Surface mount 6 400w low-bay metal halide fittings and just say its the only option if they dont want a mess.

And tell 'em that the sun glasses that you give 'em are free of charge.

 

[i=p/u]

yes find the joist and notch 1 inch either side and repeat untill you have them all in you can tidy up with polyfiller, rcd protected, just tell him no hanging anything on ceiling without you

 

[WDMDL]

Surface mount 6 400w low-bay metal halide fittings and just say its the only option if they dont want a mess.

I can see their front door being busted down, as it might appear to be the wrong sort of pot in the kitchen with an install like that

Oh, and the regs for walls and ceilings are different:
522.6.5 Floors and ceilings
522.6.6 Walls
522.6.7 RCD protection of cables in walls There's no RCD option for floors and ceilings. The 50mm is a SHALL. unless...

Now how are your Pyro skills?

Simon

 

[Giovanni]

I like this approach, very avant garde......Also another easier method that saves all the filling etc would be to cut one very large hole say....3' across upstairs and also through the kitchen ceiling, crawl in...wire up the lights.....and when complete they can use the hole as a laundry shute...Magic!