Recessed Bathroom Lights in Lathe and Plaster Ceiling

[MTBHuw]

Planning a bathroom refit and looking at lighting options. The ceiling is lathe & plaster. What are our options (if any) to fit recessed lights? Bathroom is upstairs, L&P ceiling, insulation and loft boards in the attic. I can imagine it being a pig to drill the holes for them, but would we need fire rated lights, insulation caps etc?

Open to advice and suggestions! Thanks

 

[DaveHerns]

Is your ceiling in good enough condition to be drilled/cut? Sometimes you disturb it and the whole lot falls down

 

[MTBHuw]

Is your ceiling in good enough condition to be drilled/cut? Sometimes you disturb it and the whole lot falls down

I'd need to check. It looks like it has either been skimmed over or replaced at some point as it has a smooth surface compared to the rest of the ceilings upstairs, which look more "original" I don't know whether the original L&P remains though under the skim, or whether previous owners replaced the ceiling altogether.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

would we need fire rated lights, insulation caps etc?

Not the former, but you will need airtight enclosures over the lights, sealed to the top surface of the ceiling, in order to stop air from the bathroom getting into the loft. It might not be easy to seal them to L&P. They also need to be large enough to provide the required clearances around the lights and to be able to support the insulation over the top of them, but it sounds as if the boards might make that a problem.

Why do you want recessed lights?

 

[MTBHuw]

would we need fire rated lights, insulation caps etc?

Not the former, but you will need airtight enclosures over the lights, sealed to the top surface of the ceiling, in order to stop air from the bathroom getting into the loft. It might not be easy to seal them to L&P. They also need to be large enough to provide the required clearances around the lights and to be able to support the insulation over the top of them, but it sounds as if the boards might make that a problem.

Why do you want recessed lights?

Thanks, just looking at options at the moment, recessed being one of them. May be more hassle than they're worth though!

 

[ban-all-sheds]

They can be a right PITA to fit where thermal insulation and vapour seals are involved.

 

[Adam_151]

Fittings must be F marked as well.... The laths are combustible whereas plasterboard ins't

 

[Steve]

I fitted a false ceiling at 7ft 8in so i could fit downlights and so i could duct the extractor fan to the outside wall. Original ceiling was 9ft so i could afford to loose some height.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Dunno how long ago you did that, but have you looked above the false ceiling recently to see what's going on in that void?