Hanging Chandeliers

[NWL]

I am considering hanging up a chandelier on the ceiling before getting an electrician to wire it up. I reckon that the chandelier weights about 6-7kg. The ceiling is the standard Gyprock board used in most houses.

Can anyone advice how could I hang the chandelier up given that the board is probably only 10mm thick? Also would the board be able to hold the weight of the chandelier?

[Honorary Bloke]

I am considering hanging up a chandelier on the ceiling before getting an electrician to wire it up. I reckon that the chandelier weights about 6-7kg. The ceiling is the standard Gyprock board used in most houses.

Can anyone advice how could I hang the chandelier up given that the board is probably only 10mm thick? Also would the board be able to hold the weight of the chandelier?

Unless the laws of physics work differently down under, you cannot hang a chandelier from gyprock alone. You will need to locate a ceiling joist for support of the weight. Then to that support you will need to add a metal junction box for the wiring (over here, the chandelier would then hang from the junction box, which is secured to the joist support). Depending on the weight, you will sometimes need to run a cross bar to the next joist to keep it all secure. It is by no means beyond DIY capability, but it must be done right or the sparky will not wire it up and even if he did you might find a chandelier in your soup one evening at dinner. :D

[johnc]

For this you should get an electrician who will know how to put it up and wire it in. The plaster is not able to support much weight at all and certainly not 6-7kg, and I am a little uncertain what the 10mm of wood is. Basically the light fitting will be suspended from wire attached to something solid in the roof, usually a length of timber strung between the roof members.

[Skew ChiDAMN!!]

This is one of the situations where, IMHO, overkill is worth it.

If it's position will be between two joists, I'd nail two noggins together, side by side, and fasten between joists using four brackets. This isn't only for strength, but to give you a wider "area of choice" to fasten the chandelier to. If you know where the wiring will be running through, it's a simple matter to cut a rebate in one piece before laminating, to save yourself some drilling. :wink:

If, by pure serendipity, it happens to aligned with a joist, I'd still fix a shortish length to each side of the joist simply to gain the same larger fixing area. If possible, do not drill the joist for your wiring, cut the plaster so the wiring will rout around it and through one of the added pieces instead. At 7kg I'd also be looking at mounting a hanging beam across the top of the joists for more even weight distribution. That's a lot of weight in the middle of one joist...

[thatirwinfella]

a secondary restraint would go astray either, if the chandelier can accomodate it.

in it's most basic form, it only has to be a loop of jack chain or steel rope secured to the chandelier and looped over a roof batten.

whee I work, almost all lights need to have secondary restraints, as we have had cases of them vibrating loose from the surrounding machinery

[billbeee]

I'd go along with all the previous posters.
Usually anything like this (ceiling fans) have noggins put in before gyprock.
Don't just fix the fitting to a ceiling batten, may feel solid enough but could pull away after time.

Skew is right about overkill. Too much costs not much more than too little.

Of course we are all assuming you can get into your roofspace. Get up there, measure what you need, make it up down below, then back up there and fix it.

I've just had a new lights and fans fitted in my place, cost me $80 per hour for the electrician. So I'd say that you could save a few dollars getting ready for the sparkie and probably do a better job too.

Regards
Bill