One of the easiest ways to update your home is to replace old, outdated light fittings. Original light fittings are often one of the best indicators of the age of the home!
There are two ways to renovate your house lighting, and in this article I’m going to stick with the cheap and cheerful version – replacement.
In fact, first I’m going to go back a step. Often, giving your lights a whole new lease of life can be achieved by cleaning them. Any type of pendant light will most likely have a very good layer of dust on its top surface, so a good clean can make a big difference both aesthetically and in the amount of light generated.
I admit that I have no idea why they’re roaming around the ceiling, but ceiling lights of the oyster shell variety collect a ridiculous number of dead bugs and dust. Again, a good clean can work wonders.
But if you just can’t stand that incredibly stylish 70s light fitting any longer, then it’s time to think about replacement. There are plenty of light fittings that can be replaced without the assistance of an electrician, so we’ll focus on those in this article. If your light bulb has its own housing attached to the roof and the light fitting just sits over it, then that’s the type of light I’m talking about.
First up, check out the width of the fitting’s base, and how far out the light bulb sits from the ceiling. This gives you an idea of what size fitting you need to buy for minimal fuss. Also check whether you can buy a different type of bulb that fits the housing. There are some clever solutions with angled or smaller bulbs which might give you further choices for fittings.
Next, go shopping! There are plenty of stores with quite standard fittings that are cheap and cheerful – IKEA, Bunnings and specialist lighting stores for instance.
Finally, if you’ve bought a fitting that is the right size for the existing housing, all you have to do is intall it. Done! A nice new light fitting with minimal effort. If only all renovating tasks were this simple.