Hanging a lamp yourself: what to look out for

Hanging a lamp is not a big job, but it is a job where you are working with electricity. Four things to arrange beforehand, and one moment when it is better to stop.

First switch off the circuit

Not the light switch, but the circuit breaker in the fuse box. A switch sometimes interrupts only the live wire and not the neutral, and then there is still voltage on the wires.

Then check with a voltage tester that there is really nothing left on them. It takes ten seconds.

See which wires you have

As standard you will find three wires: brown is live, blue is neutral, and green-yellow is earth. In older houses you may also come across black and red. Have that looked at by someone who knows what they are doing before you connect anything.

If your lamp has an earth connection and your ceiling has no earth wire, do not connect the lamp. That is the moment to call someone.

Mind the weight

A ceiling hook or a plasterboard ceiling will not carry everything. With a heavy lamp, and that starts at around five kilos, drill into the concrete or use a plug suitable for the construction. Check the specifications for what your lamp weighs.

Decide the height before fixing

With an adjustable pendant you usually shorten the cable. First measure where the lamp should hang, have someone hold the lamp, sit down at the table and check that it is right. Only then shorten it. See how high should a pendant lamp hang above the dining table.

When to outsource it

If in doubt about the wiring, with a lamp heavier than ten kilos, in a void where you have to work at height, or for a new connection that is not there yet.

For business projects we do the installation ourselves, throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. More on the business customers page.

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