How to Put a Chandelier on the Ceiling
By Metify Homes
A chandelier is the only light in the house that can hurt someone if it is installed badly. It is heavy, it hangs over people’s heads, and it is connected to mains power. So start with this: hanging one is a job for an electrician, and for a large piece, an electrician with a helper.
You should still understand how it is done. You are the one who will be standing under it, and knowing the steps lets you check the work before the ladder goes away.
Step one: know the weight
Everything depends on this number. Find it on the box or the product page, or weigh the carton on a bathroom scale.
Under 5 kg: a light fitting. Most small modern rings and shaded pieces.
5 to 15 kg: a medium chandelier. Needs a proper hook or bolts into the slab.
Over 15 kg: a heavy chandelier. Needs anchor bolts and a mounting plate, and two people to lift it.
Tell the electrician the weight before he arrives so he brings the right fixings.
Step two: know what your ceiling is
The fixing depends on what is above the paint.
Concrete slab. Most houses and flats built in the last few decades have a reinforced concrete roof slab. This is the best case. A chandelier can hang from a fan hook already cast into the slab, or from expansion anchor bolts drilled into the concrete.
False ceiling. Gypsum board or plaster of Paris panels hung below the slab. This is where accidents come from. The board holds its own weight and a few small spotlights, and nothing more. A chandelier must never hang from the false ceiling itself. The fixing has to pass through the board and into the concrete slab above, using a threaded rod or chain, with the board cut neatly around it.
Girder and T-iron roofs. Older houses have steel girders with tiles or bricks between them. The fixing goes on the girder with a clamp or a welded hook, never into the tiles between.
If you do not know which you have, knock on the ceiling. A dull, solid sound is slab. A hollow sound is a false ceiling.
Step three: the fixing
Using an existing fan hook. A fan hook set into the slab is made to carry a moving ceiling fan, so it will carry a light or medium chandelier. Check that it is the cast-in kind and not a small screw hook added later.
Anchor bolts. For heavier pieces, or where there is no hook, the electrician drills into the slab and fits expansion bolts, usually through a metal mounting plate with two to four bolts. Plastic rawl plugs and wood screws are for picture frames. They are not for anything hanging overhead.
Test it. Before the chandelier goes up, ask for the fixing to be load tested: hang something clearly heavier than the chandelier from it for a few minutes. A full water cooler bottle weighs about 19 kg and is easy to find. If the fixing holds that without movement, it will hold a 10 kg fanoos.
Step four: the electrical connection
This part is the electrician’s, but these are the points worth watching.
The breaker for that circuit is switched off at the distribution board. Switching off at the wall is not enough.
The chandelier’s weight hangs on the chain or rod. The cable carries no weight at all and should have a little slack.
Joints are made with proper connectors inside the ceiling cup, not twisted together and wrapped in tape.
If the fitting is metal and your house wiring has an earth wire, it is connected.
Step five: set the height before dressing it
The frame goes up bare. With it hanging, stand back and check the height. Anywhere people walk, the bottom should be at least 7 feet from the floor. Over a dining table, 30 to 36 inches above the tabletop. Chain links are removed or the rod is cut now, not after the crystals are on. Our chandelier size guide has the full set of measurements.
Step six: crystals and bulbs go on last
Crystal chandeliers arrive with the drops packed separately. Hang the frame, then add the crystals from the top tier down, following the diagram in the box. Wear cotton gloves so you do not leave fingerprints. Fit the bulbs last. Keep the leftover crystals and pins. One will go missing during cleaning one day.
Switches and dimmers
A chandelier with many bulbs is often too bright for everyday use. Two ways to deal with that.
Two switches. Ask for the bulbs to be wired in two groups, so one switch lights half and both switches light all. This needs an extra wire to the ceiling point, so it is easiest during construction.
A dimmer. Only if the bulbs or the built-in LED are marked dimmable. Ordinary LED bulbs on a dimmer flicker or hum.
What affects installation cost
Rates differ from city to city and electrician to electrician, so we will not quote a figure. These are the things that push it up, and they are worth mentioning when you ask for a quote.
Weight and size. A heavy piece needs anchor bolts, a helper and more time.
Ceiling height. Above about 12 feet, a household ladder is not enough. Scaffolding has to be hired, put up and taken down.
False ceiling work. Cutting the board, reaching the slab and finishing the opening adds labour.
Assembly. A chandelier with several hundred crystals can take longer to dress than to hang.
A new electrical point. If there is no wire where you want the light, running one is a separate job.
Get the quote before the work starts, and agree whether it includes the fixings.
After it is up
Switch it on and check every bulb. Look at the ceiling cup: it should sit flat against the ceiling with no gap. A week later, look again for any tilt or new crack around the fixing. Once a year, when it is being cleaned, have the fixing checked.
Double-height lobbies are their own case. The fitting is heavier, the height is greater, and it is worth asking about a winch so it can be lowered for cleaning. Decide that before you buy.
Browse the designs in our chandeliers collection, and note the weight and dimensions before you call the electrician.