The Art Of Exposed Ceilings Is All In The Planning
10 July 2020
Sure, they look incredible, but there’s a lot more that goes into exposed ceilings than what first meets the eye.
There are many things electricians need to consider that they normally wouldn’t have to with a closed ceiling.
Demolition:
During demolition, all wiring needs to be stripped out, all junction boxes, plug bases/quick connects, any redundant wiring like old speakers and tv cables, obsolete data and redundant catenery wiring. We need to make sure that there is a clean and tidy canvas to work with.
Planning:
Everything needs to be planned thoroughly before any installation can take place. For example;
- Which direction the lights will be going, and where the mounting will be installed.
- Planning out the catenary wiring to be run cleanly so that the aesthetic of the exposed ceilings is not compromised. Bunched up cables can ruin the look.
- Planning out where the lighting connections are going to be so that the cables can be run as close as possible to the plug so that the lead isn’t stretched and the driver isn’t exposed
- Emergency lighting and exit signs need to be considered, as they will need to be run on different circuits, so the placement of their wires on the ceiling also needs to be taken into account.
- If the walls are straight, great! If not, the placement of the lights will be much trickier, as the strips will run crooked to the walls, but this can be remedied by running the lights to meet in the middle of one another to create the illusion of being straight.
It definitely takes some skill to pull off this look, but the result is so worth it in the end. It can turn a plain, drab space into something really special; shabby, but chic.
