Kymi 220 Plaster Wall Light (Paintable) Ridged Semi-Cylindrical Fitting IP20 2 x GU10 lamps, Astro 1335001

Do you fancy a different color for your wall lights? We at Sparks offer quite a lot of plaster light fittings and ceramic lights which can be painted to complement the interior design of your room or space. They are called "paintable lights", and painting such fittings will not invalidate your warranty, provided that no technical parts have been tempered with. But when you intend to paint a certain plaster wall light or ceramic light fitting, you need to take care of a few matters; they are porous materials, so there are a few processes that are recommended in order to obtain a quality painted finish. The following guide is based on the Astro Lighting painting guide, which we find very helpful. Painting your Light Fittings - General Rules First: don't paint the plaster or ceramic fitting while it is fitted to the wall. This is not recommended, for it may leave unsightly cracks around the edge of the product, and this may result in unwanted light spill. Second: if there are some dark marks on the plaster or ceramic fitting, it is recommended that you remove them. You can do this by either using a clean white eraser or P600 grit sandpaper (if the marks are heavier). If you don't remove the dark spots or marks, they may show through the paint. Third: take care when handling the plaster light fitting or ceramic parts, since these materials are naturally brittle. Handle with care. Fifth: Please mark off any electrical components, such as lampholders, LED lamps, etc. Sixth: after painting, make sure you remove the masking tape with care, to make sure the edges are even and straight. These are some general rules which should be followed no matter what kind of fitting you wish to paint. Let us see some more specific rules when it comes to painting Plaster Lights or Ceramic Lights with either spray paint finish or emulsion finish. Best Practice for Spray Painting the Paintable Plaster Lights First of all, here are some of the best practices for a spray paint finish for plaster lights, that is, when you wish to spray-paint your plaster light fitting: Spray Primer: Use two wet coats of white high build spray primer to seal the plaster surface. Priming on the Inside: Apply primer to the inside of the plaster part – this will make masking easier when applying the colour paint on top. Wait to dry: Allow to dry before applying the next coat. Masking tape: Use masking tape to mask off all internal surfaces to preserve original light colour, brightness and pattern. Spray Color Paint: Use spray colour coat on top (must be compatible with primer). Multiple coats may be required to achieve desired finish. Best Practice for Emulsion Painting the Paintable Plaster Light Fittings Primer: Use a plaster sealer primer, brushed or rolled on. One coat should be enough. Wait to Dry: Allow to dry before applying top colour coat. Masking Tape: Use masking tape to mask off all internal surfaces to preserve original light colour, brightness and pattern. Paint the Fitting: Apply colour emulsion on top, this can be rolled or brushed on. Please note: if you're using a brush, it may create a different texture. Multiple coats may be required to achieve desired finish. Best Practice for a Spray Paint for Paintable Ceramic Light Fittings Remove Sanding Marks: Remember, some sanding marks in the ceramic surface may show through. Remove any deep sanding marks on the surface using P600 grit sandpaper. Apply the Primer: Apply one coat of high build spray primer to seal the ceramic surface. Ceramic is slightly less porous than plaster. Spray-Paint the Fitting: Apply a spray colour coat on top (this must be compatible with primer). Multiple coats may be required to achieve desired finish. Best Practice for a Emulsion Finish for Paintable Ceramic Light Fittings Remove Sanding Marks: Some sanding marks in the ceramic surface may show through. Remove any deep sanding marks on the surface using P600 grit sandpaper. Apply the Primer: Apply one coat of high build spray primer to seal the ceramic surface. Ceramic is slightly less porous than plaster. Paint the Fitting: Apply colour emulsion on top, this can be rolled or brushed on. Please note: if you're using a brush, it may create a different texture. Multiple coats may be required to achieve desired finish. Find the paintable ceramic lights here; as for the plaster light fittings, you can find them either via Wall Lights or Ceiling Lights on our website.

Why would people paint their light fittings?, one would ask, and the answer is quite simple, To match the colour of their wall or ceiling! Besides the standard wall lights, ceiling lights, and some LED lights - which come in a specific finish that cannot be changed or modified - there is such a range of light fittings called "paintable lights". Paintable lights are usually made of plaster or ceramic (in the case of the wall lights and some of the downlights) or in a primed white colour, allowing you to paint them in the desired colour to match the design of the room. The fitting itself is quite stylish, modern, and nice, but just in case you want to paint it, you can do that. It's the same with switches and sockets: both Heritage Brass and Forbes and Lomax provide a wide range of paintable switches and sockets, allowing you to match your sockets to the colour of your wall - total colour coordination! Let's see some of them in more detail. Paintable Wall Lights - Ceramic and Plaster Lights Astro Lighting has a wide range of plaster wall lights that are paintable; starting from the classy Amalfi stepped ceramic wall light to the more modern LED wall lights (see Bologna and Rio), these fittings give you the full control over their colour. Do you want a discreet up-and-down wall fitting that matches the exact colour of your wall? Try the Astro Rio Paintable Wall Lights. Do you prefer a discreet down-light with a brighter up-light? See the Ovaro 0554 ceramic paintable light, the lovely Parma 625 plaster wall light, or the Veneto range of plaster wall washers. Take a look at them by searching "paintable wall lights" on our website. Paintable Ceiling Lights - Surface or Recessed When it comes to the ceiling lights, there are all kinds of chandeliers, pendants, downlights, etc which are either flush, recessed, or surface mounted.  If you prefer the surface-mounted fittings and you don't mind their projection from the ceiling you have a great selection from Astro Lighting: see the Osca square or round plaster ceiling lights (coming in a fixed or adjustable version, as needed). Most of these allow you to use an energy-efficient GU10 LED light bulb. See them all online at paintable ceiling lights. Paintable Switches and Sockets Switches and sockets usually come in a polished chrome, brass, stainless steel, white plastic, or even glass finish, but sometimes you may want to paint the plate of your socket or dimmer to match the colour of the wall. Heritage Brass has a wide range of "Primed White" switches and sockets, a range of plates finished in a high-quality white primer designed to enable total colour coordination of decor schemes. Basically, the front of the plate is painted with a white primer, and it can be painted to meet the specific requirements of the user, the architect, or the interior designer. Furthermore, the primed white switches and sockets from Heritage Brass come in a screwless version and in the version with Allen screws (with an Allen key supplied). Forbes and Lomax also provide a range of "painted sockets", a range created to complement their Invisible Lightswitch. These plates are supplied with etch-primed face plate ready to be painted in the same colour as the wall so as to make them as unobtrusive as possible. So if you're looking for paintable switches, sockets, or light fittings, there's a wide range of such items at SparksDirect.co.uk. And if you need more help in choosing them, you can always email us or give us a call.

One of the common questions our customers ask us is related to bathroom lighting, and quite a few of them ask us about IP20-rated lights, and whether they are suitable for use in the bathroom. Are IP20 rated light fittings suitable for use in the bathroom? Can I install an such a light in the bathroom? Questions like these are posed every day, especially since there are some amazing such ceiling lights or wall lamps that the customers really love, and they would like to install them in the bathroom. Let's explore this question together and see what is the correct answer to, Are IP20-rated Lights Suitable for Bathroom Lighting?Note: at Sparks we sell a wide range of IP20 rated lights, IP44 rated light fittings, and IP65 rated lights.IP Rating and Bathroom Zones - Rules and RegulationsWhen installing anything in the bathroom in the UK we need to know the current regulations, which are contained in the 18th Edition Wiring Regs. You may not know them, but it is good to know what wiring regulations apply to installing lights and light fittings in the bathroom, otherwise we put ourselves in great danger, because water and electricity should never mix. Electrical hazards and electrical short circuits due to the mixing of water and electricity should be avoided at any cost since they pose great danger to human life. So what do the wiring regulations say about lighting in the bathroom? The 18th Edition Wiring Regulations define certain bathroom zones - see the image.Note: we have introduced the IP ratings, IP zoning, and Bathroom Zones - see the articles linked. The bathroom zones are three: Zone 0 is the area inside the bathtub or in the shower. There is a lot of splashing water and even more, it can be submerged in water, so special light fittings need to be installed here.Zone 1 is the area above and around the bathtub and the shower, up to 2.25m above the floor. This area is also under the reach of splashing water. Zone 2 is the area of up to 60cm beyond the bathtub edge, basically 60cm outside zone 1. There is some reach of water here, but not as much. The outside zone, the zone outside all these areas, where in general there is no splashing water - some call it "zone 3" while others just call it "the zone outside zones 1 and 2".The current wiring regulations state that specific IP-rated light fittings can be installed in the three zones for the protection of human life. The following IP ratings are recommended:In Zone 0 it is recommended to use IP67, total immersion-proof light fittings, and 12v (low voltage) light fittings are recommended. For our safety, it is not recommended to install any light fitting that is under IPx7 in zone 0.In zone 1 it is recommended to use light fittings having an IP rating of minimum IP45, and IP65 light fittings are warmly recommended in this zone, since water can still reach the light fittings. In zone 2, the area stretching 0.6m outside the perimeter of the bath and up to a height of 2.25 from the floor, it is recommended to use light fittings that have an IP rating of IP44, which are protected from water drops. In the zones outside these three, no IP rating is required, so an IP20-rated fitting can be safely installed. However, for safety reasons, it's best to have IP44-rated light fittings outside of the bathroom zones. IP20 Lights - are they good for the Bathroom?Coming back to our original question, are IP20 rated lights suitable for installation in the bathroom? See the picture above: can this Kymi 220 Plaster Wall Light (Paintable) Ridged Semi-Cylindrical Fitting be installed in the bathroom?Buy the Kymi 220 Plaster Wall Light We may like its finish and shape, but is it safe to be in the bathroom? Based on the current wiring regulations, IP20 rated lights can be installed outside the bathroom zones, that is, away from the reach of splashing or dripping water. Depending on the size of the bathroom, there are many spaces and areas where IP20-rated wall lights or ceiling lights can be installed. These areas are not reached by water jets nor are they at the risk of being splashed or sprinkled with water, so IP20 rated light fittings can safely be installed. However, for the sake of safety, it is best to use IP44-rated lights in the bathroom, even outside the bathroom zones. If you want to be on the safe side, we warmly recommend IP44-rated ceiling lights and wall lamps in the bathroom, outside the bathroom zones. Note: we at Sparks are not qualified to offer professional advice, but we can apply the current regulations and offer advice based on our experience. Before installing any light fitting in the bathroom, please consult with a registered electrician - send them the link to where the light fitting can be viewed, and they will advise. If you are planning to clean the bathroom light fitting with a spray of water or maybe wash it, it is best to have the light fittings rated to a minimum IP65. If there is no reach of splashing water where the light fitting is, and it is outside the bathroom zones defined in the wiring regulations, such lights are suitable. In Conclusion: Always Be Safe in the BathroomIn conclusion, it is entirely up to you when installing IP20 rated lights in the bathroom - outside the bathroom zones. For example, the Ortona Twin Matt Black Bathroom Wall Lamp with Opal-Glass Globe Shades IP44 can safely be used in the bathroom, since it is IP44-rated.Buy the Ortona Twin Matt Black Wall Lamp We would advise staying on the safe side, that is, using IP44-rated light fittings even outside the bathroom zones. You never know, with the steam rising from the bathtub, the vapours of air coming out of the shower, water can reach the light fittings located outside the bathroom zones, and electrical hazards can happen. And whatever you do in the bathroom, always consult a registered electrician to both install and advise on the light fittings you are allowed to install there.