Wall Lamps

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.

In this economy, setting up a home bar might sound like an impossible extravagance, but if you're the entertaining type, it might just be worth the investment. It's more comfortable at home, for a start, and on a Friday night, it would be like having a night out only with your friends in a cosy setting. Decoist has a wonderful (as usual) post for inspiration, so take a look over there and if it's something you think you might want, come back here for tips on how to recreate that cosy bar atmosphere - and maybe even improve on it. The Basic Principles  We've covered the basics of lighting a bar for commercial purposes before and the same basic principles apply to the home version. Let's talk about them briefly. Pendants and chandeliers will provide just enough ambient lighting to see by, but little enough for that all-important atmosphere. As to the question of how low (or high) to hang those lights: aim for eye level to reduce glare. Unlike a commercial bar, you have the research opportunity: measure your tallest and shortest friends and hang the pendant so the light sits in the midpoint. And if you'll be displaying your selection behind the bar, accent lighting can illuminate the bottles to make them look more attractive. Strips of warm white LED lights hanging underneath the shelves are basically invisible and more importantly: very lovely. The Personal Details Now you've got a handle on the basic principles of lighting a bar to make it look great, but you have a little more freedom in your own home, so we can go a little bit wild. If you're playing some games like poker or blackjack or Snakes and Ladders, spotlights mounted on the walls around the space will provide the illumination needed to properly and fairly compete. In fact, wall lights in general offer something different from commercial pubs in terms of general lighting. The principle behind their mounting height is the opposite of the ceiling lamps: mount a wall lamp above eye level to cut down on uncomfortable glare. Plinth lighting set within the bar is always a nice touch, and we especially condone the use of coloured lights to make your home bar a little bit different from most. There are many other innovative ways to light a bar, and these are just a few of them. If you have ideas, sound off in the comments! But the two most important questions to ask yourself before starting this new project are: "What style am I going for?" and "With what shall I stock it?"