Spot lights for plasterboard ceilings

Drywall is a unique building material, it is available in stores and has a reasonable price. If you come to the store and ask if there is drywall, the seller will surely clarify: “Ceiling or wall”? It is safe to say that the use of this material influenced the approach to the search for sources of lighting and now you can see a variety of spotlights for gypsum ceilings on sale. How to choose a suitable light source and what needs to be taken into account will be discussed in this article.

Types of lighting fixtures for plasterboard ceilings

Since plasterboard ceilings are very popular, the variety of lamps increases every year, and not only their design, but also the source of light changes. Initially, only incandescent lamps were installed in luminaires, then fluorescent lamps were used, and now LEDs have appeared.

The changes affected the form and appearance, but the diversity is so great that it makes no sense to describe all the lamps. And if we consider that designers constantly offer something new, then it becomes obvious that such an idea is meaningless. In order to get acquainted with the catalog, just go to the selling site or visit a specialized store and look at the shop window.

As for the method of installation, the spotlights are divided into:

• mortise;
• invoices;
• suspended.

As you can see, there is something to choose from. Now we will consider how installation of this or that type of lamps is carried out.

What to consider when installing

When choosing spotlights, it is important to tune in to a specific order of installation.

1. The first step is going to frame from the profile.
2. Now you need to plan the number of lamps and their location on the ceiling so that the mortise lamp was not located in the same place where the profile is located. For overhead and pendant lamps such accuracy is not needed.
3. It is necessary to lead the wiring to the places of installation of luminaires so that later the wire can be pulled out of the hole so that it is convenient to connect the luminaires.
4. So that you don’t have to guess in which place you need to install the luminaire, it is recommended to make a map on which the location of the luminaires will be displayed, indicating the distances from the walls.
5. After mounting the drywall in it, it is necessary to make holes for the wire (if the lamp is suspended or laid on) or a mortise luminaire.
6. Performing finishing the ceiling.

Only after the completion of the entire list of works the lamps are installed.

Mortise lights

Recessed spotlights are the most common, and many people think that they are the only ones, but they are not.

Since the mortise fixtures come in different sizes, in each case a crown is selected for a tree of the appropriate diameter. Further, the procedure is as follows:

• The power cable is connected to the lighting device.
• Spring clips are raised to a vertical position, and the lamp is installed in its place.
• The cartridge is connected to the light bulb.
• The halogen lamp is installed in the cartridge and fixed with a retaining ring.

Depending on the type of luminaire, the method of connecting the cartridge and the installation of the lamp may be different.

Video: installation and connection of the spot mortise lamp

Before purchasing a mortise fixture, it is necessary to measure the shortest distance between the suspended ceiling and the main ceiling. If this is not done, the height of the fixture can be a significant obstacle to its installation in such a place.

Overhead lights

For the installation of an overhead spotlight, it is not necessary to make a large hole in the ceiling - it is enough that it is possible to pull out the wire through it.

• After the wire is pulled out, you need to attach a fixing platform to the ceiling and mark the attachment points.
• Then the platform is retracted, and plastic anchors are screwed into the marked points (or a dowel-butterfly is installed).
• The fixing platform is fixed on the ceiling with self-tapping screws, and the lamp is fixed to it with screws.

Video: ceiling lights

There are overhead spotlights, made in the form of a chandelier. The mounting method is identical to that described above.

Difference and device of suspended lamps

Suspended spotlights are made in the form of a chandelier and are used in rooms with high ceilings. They are fastened in the same way as the overhead ones, with the only difference that the fixture itself is not fixed to the gypsum board ceiling, but the base.

Sources of light

Let's start in order.

Reflecting incandescent lamp

At one time, lamps under incandescent reflector lamps with an E27 or E14 base, whose dimensions were significantly different from each other, were popular. Subsequently, many manufacturers began to produce under these lamps, first fluorescent, and then LED lamps. A significant disadvantage of these lighting devices is their great height and the inability to regulate the direction of the luminous flux.

Choosing such a lighting device, you need to decide on the type of lamps that will be screwed into it. Incandescent bulbs with E14 base - 40 W, E27 - 60 W. There are exceptions, but it’s not easy to find a light bulb with other parameters, so there’s no hope that it will be very light. The original housekeepers also have a small capacity.

Such lamps are still used in offices, but they do not serve as decoration because of the use of cheaper U-shaped lamps in them.

Halogen lamp

The use of halogen lamps has significantly reduced the dimensions of the lamps.

Appeared in the sale of lamps with adjustable light direction. Light bulbs are very sensitive to voltage surges in the 220 V network, so they often burn out. More durable turned 12 volt light bulbs that are connected through a stabilizer. Nevertheless, the lighting turned out to be uneconomical, and the lamps were heated decently, because of which there were some restrictions when choosing the place for their installation.

Choosing a lamp with halogen lamps, it is better to give preference to a 12 volt, since they will last longer. For a short period of time, the cost of the transformer will pay off.

The use of housekeepers contributed to the fact that the lamps were no longer so hot, and when using high-power LEDs, not only the power consumption was significantly reduced, but the height of the lamp also decreased. Using LED lights, the ceiling can be lowered quite a bit.

Video: LED LED downlight device

Diode lamps are more economical and durable, but they have one feature - the circuit is assembled sequentially (according to the principle of Christmas garlands), and if one lighting element burns out, the whole lamp stops shining at once. However, this happens infrequently, so this type of lighting is more economical in all respects, and for apartment owners with low ceilings, it is like a godsend.

What to choose so that the room is bright and cozy?

So, we came close to choosing the type and form of lighting.

No single spotlight is designed to illuminate the entire room, as it emits a narrow beam of light.

Since even a large number of spotlights are not able to fully illuminate the room, you need to take care of the installation of chandeliers, etc.

It is better to use spotlights to illuminate some part of the room or furniture, and as a main source of lighting it is preferable to install a chandelier (or something else of your choice). Someone prefers that everything in the room is in harmony with each other, another prefers bright contrasts - this is a matter of taste and is determined by the chosen style of the room. The same principle applies to lighting fixtures, but square fixtures combined with a round chandelier can create visual discomfort. We are not trying to impose any rules, claiming that it is so right, but we want to draw your attention to this feature of the design of the room.

Since we are talking about a chandelier, we note that if it is heavy, during the installation of the frame for drywall you need to take care of the method of its fastening. Light chandelier can be mounted on drywall in the same way as overhead lights.

How does moisture protection work?

In rooms with high levels of humidity you need to install waterproof lamps. The degree of protection varies and is usually indicated on the product by special marking. For example, for a luminaire with an IP 44 indicator, only accidental ingress of water is permissible. The IP 55 indicator indicates that even a directed jet of water will not cause any harm to the product, and it will not penetrate into it.

We hope that you have received comprehensive information, and now you can easily select and install a lamp.