Question for handyman-skilled people -- hanging ceiling lamp

[Reverend Conehead]

Do you guys know if a swag hook is sufficient for holding up a hanging ceiling lamp? I'm thinking of getting rid of my floor lamp. A swag hook has worked great for my hanging plants. You don't have to find a joist (a ceiling stud) to support it. A swag hook is more like a drywall anchor for the ceiling. You drill a hole to put it through, and it has these wings that then pop out to support it. They've held up my hanging plants just fine, but I don't think I would trust something super heavy with one. Replacing my floor lamp with a hanging one would free up some room in here, but I wonder if I need to find a joist in the ceiling or if I'll be okay just putting it wherever I want with a swag hook.

 

[Vtwin]

Do you guys know if a swag hook is sufficient for holding up a hanging ceiling lamp? I'm thinking of getting rid of my floor lamp. A swag hook has worked great for my hanging plants. You don't have to find a joist (a ceiling stud) to support it. A swag hook is more like a drywall anchor for the ceiling. You drill a hole to put it through, and it has these wings that then pop out to support it. They've held up my hanging plants just fine, but I don't think I would trust something super heavy with one. Replacing my floor lamp with a hanging one would free up some room in here, but I wonder if I need to find a joist in the ceiling or if I'll be okay just putting it wherever I want with a swag hook.

Usually they have a weight rating.

How are you getting power to the light?

 

[Runwildboys]

As long as it's not a ceiling fan or a crystal chandelier, you should be fine...but I'd still rather secure it to a ceiling joist. I'm assuming it has a long wall plug cord, and there won't be a junction box in the ceiling...which would be required to be attached to a joist or span 2 joists.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Usually they have a weight rating.

How are you getting power to the light?

Just a plain old electric outlet. I would go for just a basic hanging cord, maybe with a chain. I wouldn't attempt any electrical wiring myself. If it came to that, I would job it out to an electrician.

 

[Creeper]

Usually they have a weight rating.

How are you getting power to the light?

I don't trust the weight ratings, especially for a ceiling mount, but I am sure a 40lb rated hook can handle a small 3 lb ceiling light fpr example. As long as the hook is tight and does not move around, there are no vibrations from household appliances and no one tries to hang from it. I think the point is, it doesn't matter what you hang, just the weight. As long as the object is static and not designed to move or rotate like a ceiling fan.

I guess the other question is, can you find a joist to screw it into? The joists are 16 inches apart so at most you would be looking at moving the lamp 8 inches to one side or the other. Hitting a joist makes the question moot. If not then a swag hook should work for a light lamp.

 

[Vtwin]

I don't trust the weight ratings, especially for a ceiling mount, but I am sure a 40lb rated hook can handle a small 3 lb ceiling light fpr example. As long as the hook is tight and does not move around, there are no vibrations from household appliances and no one tries to hang from it. I think the point is, it doesn't matter what you hang, just the weight. As long as the object is static and not designed to move or rotate like a ceiling fan.

I guess the other question is, can you find a joist to screw it into? The joists are 16 inches apart so at most you would be looking at moving the lamp 8 inches to one side or the other. Hitting a joist makes the question moot. If not then a swag hook should work for a light lamp.

For sure. I'd probably keep it at 50% of max for hanging something just to be safe.

I did see a Youtuber test the various wall anchors, once. Every one of them held much more than their rated capacity. He did everything on a vertical surface though.

 

[nightrain]

Find the joist and never worry about it.
https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSD0DXA9oON8oZ0KjoNGwbZSH6-DXAFl478Vg&usqp=CAU

 

[Runwildboys]

Find the joist and never worry about it.
https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSD0DXA9oON8oZ0KjoNGwbZSH6-DXAFl478Vg&usqp=CAU

Problem is, if you're trying to center the light over a table or something.

 

[Tabascocat]

A simple light cant be that heavy. Use a drywall anchor and call it a day.

 

[nightrain]

Problem is, if you're trying to center the light over a table or something.

That's the rub. If the joist is not running center to your desired drop spot, best go with those toggle hooks.

 

[Runwildboys]

A simple light cant be that heavy. Use a drywall anchor and call it a day.

I was gonna say something similar, but have you read some of Rev's threads? This light fixture could be made out of a tractor wheel!

 

[Tabascocat]

I was gonna say something similar, but have you read some of Rev's threads? This light fixture could be made out of a tractor wheel!

I was pict an egg basket with a 40 watt wired in it

 

[Reverend Conehead]

I don't trust the weight ratings, especially for a ceiling mount, but I am sure a 40lb rated hook can handle a small 3 lb ceiling light fpr example. As long as the hook is tight and does not move around, there are no vibrations from household appliances and no one tries to hang from it. I think the point is, it doesn't matter what you hang, just the weight. As long as the object is static and not designed to move or rotate like a ceiling fan.

I guess the other question is, can you find a joist to screw it into? The joists are 16 inches apart so at most you would be looking at moving the lamp 8 inches to one side or the other. Hitting a joist makes the question moot. If not then a swag hook should work for a light lamp.

I have a stud finder, which I think can work on the ceiling. One of my hanging plants is supported by a hook into a joist. The joist just happened to be right where I wanted it. My other plants are supported by swag hooks because the place where I wanted to put them did not have a joist. On the other hand, I made sure to install my medicine cabinet in my bathroom by screws into studs. It may not be insanely heavy, but a bathroom is a place that gets a lot of moisture. So the medicine cabinet is close to where I wanted to put it, and is insanely well supported.

 

[Runwildboys]

I have a stud finder, which I think can work on the ceiling. One of my hanging plants is supported by a hook into a joist. The joist just happened to be right where I wanted it. My other plants are supported by swag hooks because the place where I wanted to put them did not have a joist. On the other hand, I made sure to install my medicine cabinet in my bathroom by screws into studs. It may not be insanely heavy, but a bathroom is a place that gets a lot of moisture. So the medicine cabinet is close to where I wanted to put it, and is insanely well supported.

Yes, the stud finder will work through the ceiling, assuming it's a drywall ceiling.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

Yes, the stud finder will work through the ceiling, assuming it's a drywall ceiling.

Yup, it's drywall. I could find all the joists and then use one if it happens to be where I want this, or at least close. Otherwise, there's always that swag hook as a plan B.

 

[Creeper]

I have a stud finder, which I think can work on the ceiling. One of my hanging plants is supported by a hook into a joist. The joist just happened to be right where I wanted it. My other plants are supported by swag hooks because the place where I wanted to put them did not have a joist. On the other hand, I made sure to install my medicine cabinet in my bathroom by screws into studs. It may not be insanely heavy, but a bathroom is a place that gets a lot of moisture. So the medicine cabinet is close to where I wanted to put it, and is insanely well supported.

A medicine cabinet has to be screwed into the studs because if you used anchors to secure it to the drywall, the drywall around the anchors will eventually weaken from opening and closing the cabinet door. But the wing type anchors you were referring to I think are better than the kind that screw into the drywall or the kind that spread or collapse on the inside of the wall as you tighten the screw. The problem with anchors is if the drywall around them fails it is a pain the the butt to fix properly, assuming you want to remount whatever the anchor was holding up.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

A medicine cabinet has to be screwed into the studs because if you used anchors to secure it to the drywall, the drywall around the anchors will eventually weaken from opening and closing the cabinet door. But the wing type anchors you were referring to I think are better than the kind that screw into the drywall or the kind that spread or collapse on the inside of the wall as you tighten the screw. The problem with anchors is if the drywall around them fails it is a pain the the butt to fix properly, assuming you want to remount whatever the anchor was holding up.

Yeah, I figured opening that cabinet all the time, plus the inherent level of moisture in the air of a bathroom, made the use of drywall anchors a bad idea. It worked out great installing it into the studs. It was scooted over to the right away from the sink farther than I preferred, creating kind of an ugly blank space between the sink and the cabinet. However, I found a solution. In that empty space between the two I installed a paper towel holder vertically. It looks better, and now I have quick and easy access to paper towels when I want to clean the bathroom.

 

[Denim Chicken]

Find the joist and never worry about it.
https://encrypted-tbn0.***NOT-ALLOWED***/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSD0DXA9oON8oZ0KjoNGwbZSH6-DXAFl478Vg&usqp=CAU

That would look terrible in a living room or something, though.

 

[Runwildboys]

Yeah, I figured opening that cabinet all the time, plus the inherent level of moisture in the air of a bathroom, made the use of drywall anchors a bad idea. It worked out great installing it into the studs. It was scooted over to the right away from the sink farther than I preferred, creating kind of an ugly blank space between the sink and the cabinet. However, I found a solution. In that empty space between the two I installed a paper towel holder vertically. It looks better, and now I have quick and easy access to paper towels when I want to clean the bathroom.

The paint or wallpaper should keep the moisture out of your drywall, but still better to screw into studs, for the aforementioned reason.

 

[Reverend Conehead]

That would look terrible in a living room or something, though.

Most nice-looking swag hooks also come with a plain old screw to hook it into a joist if you want to. For one of my hanging plants I used that, and just didn't use the expanding wings thing.