Installing spotlights into a concrete ceiling

[jagdeepp]

As per title, i'm currently working on a project at home in my office at home. I'm looking to install spotlights and have been into the loft to look at the joists. I've noted that its a concrete ceiling and there are a few hairline cracks. THe question is how i'd go about drilling holes into the ceiling. Is it wise or should i make a suspended ceiling with a new frame so as to avoid contact with the current ceiling?

THe other option i was thinking was to screw battens through the ceiling into the joists in the loft and then screw plasterboards into the ceiling.

I'm sure some of you may have dealt with a similar issue. Can someone please advise as to my options or perhaps the 'bits' i need to put holes in the ceiling.

Any and all advice appreciated.

Regards.

Jagster

[Jon Boy]

Hi Jag, i'm having a little trouble understanding and picturing your ceiling??

You say its a "concrete ceiling" so narurally i'm picturing a solid slab of concrete in your office but then you go onto mention "joists"

A few pictures here would be great, i am confident i can solve your problem for you

jon

[jagdeepp]

hello mate, yeah sorry. probably not that easy to understand. I went into the loft and i have joists. The ceiling in the office doesnt appear to be plasterboard. I think its the older type ceilings which were made up of sand cement? definitely doesnt look like plasterboard. I tried drilling into it earlier though, after opening this thread and a normal drill bit does seem to go through.

I'm currently renovating the office which is a small boxroom equivalent. Not massive. Building a frame on the wall in which i'll have led lights and some funky recessed units. I'll put some pics up soon. May be easier to add it to my main diy thread which is in my signature.

My only concern re ceiling is that it may crack and cause a larger chunk to fall out. I'm going to experiment a bit more tmrw me thinks.

Jag

[Jon Boy]

I'm going to hazard a guess that it's an old house you live in and the ceiling is a larthen plaster ceiling which means it'll be lots of small slats of wood fixed to the joists then a plaster put over the top however i may be wrong.
Where you have drilled you may be hitting a joist, try moving the drill bit left or right or up and down say 50mm apart and see if it goes through.

If it is larthen plaster then they are usually a pain to do anything with as they're so brittle as soon as you start cutting into them.

In my opinion the best way (height and budget providing) would indeed be to put in a false ceiling. If it's an office and you want a suspended ceiling with a grid then great, easy to do if you know what you're doing and shouldn't be too costly if you have to call a tradesman in. Otherwise all you need to do is loctate the joists (usually set out at either 400mm, 450mm or 600mm centres) fix your new timber to those (remembering to run them in the oppiste directions to the joists at 400mm or 450mm centres for strength and then plasterboard it up.
You can use a metal framework with 'top hat' or MF5's but i'm not sure if this will create enough depth for your downlighters..

If it isn't larthen plaster then it could be anything and i'd have to see a few pics to give a more accurate reply!

Hope that helps for now

Jon

[Techno]

You could try these. I have no experience of them but look like an easy fit solution.

http://www.landinglightco.com/

[dbs2]

Hi Jag...... Good to see you starting another room ...... An Office , not quite the same but...... If you do have Lathe and Plaster (It can be tough old stuff) you could try what i have done Here

It was pretty simple...... Get us some pics up and we can check.......

Deano

[gazzerdaman]

Is the ceiling mades out of sheets of this concrete?

[jagdeepp]

Hello guys. Couldnt get to the pc yesterday i was working in the room all day. Well, i finally cracked it... errm not the ceiling. It certainly is those bloody lathes. Difficult. Bought a new hole cutter from TLC. Went into the loft and marked all out having lifted off the insulation. Returned back downstairs and worked away with the hole cutter which went through the plaster fine but REALLY struggled once it reached the lathes since it couldnt properly cut through them easily. Anyway, after quite some time and haviing burnt out the hole cutter i managed it I cant find the charger to my cam so i've been taking pics with the old moby. Will post some on here later.
Alot of work still to do. I've given myself a day off today as i was out on call in the early hours and up again for work a few hours later. Will continue tomorrow.

Having picked up the trade on these forums my hands have been itching to ostart a new project. The office is a small decent sized box room. I've built a nice frame in which i'll be housing my pc monitor (or 2) and a couple of of led display units. I'm going to have a go at skimming too.

Pics to follow, perhaps on my main thread. In any event i'll post a link here in due course. Till then Happy DIY'ing to you all