Fixing spotlight bar to ceiling General decorating topics, questions and answers. find help, tips and advice on completing your decorating projects

[madblade]

I bought a 4-bar spotlight from Argos that's a 'plug-in' one i.e. no wiring required. To fix the backplate to the ceiling, plasterboard screws are supplied (plastic version with metal screw and washer).
I've tried to screw the plasterboard screw in as directed in the instructions, but as the screw is going through the plaster it's not holding. It also stopped from going any further about halfway through. Should I have drilled a hole in the ceiling first? The instructions didn't mention this! Also, what should I use to fill in the now useless hole I've ended up with, so that I can still fix the spotlight to it later?

Thanks in advance for your help
:)

[Tallis]

Depends where you are fitting it. Ceiling light fitings should be screwed into a wood panel that is fixed between the ceiling joists ( the panel and joists form a U section). Poor workmanship often means that light fittings are just screwed into a joist with one or perhaps two screws - with a hole in the plaster at the side of the joist for the wiring. Any ideas waht is stopping the plaster screw..not pipework or wiring I hope !!!!... If it is a joist then I suggest you use a long woodscrew and predrill into the joist if you cannot get access to put a proper panel in. You can use some ..patching plaster to fill the hole or any of the the varieties of fillers that come in tubes. You may be able to use a toggled plaster screw/s instead with a washer on the fitment side of the ceiling..this might work if the light fitmnet then covers up the screw/washer.