Home DIY

Surely warm amber is more seductive than clear cool light?

Unless you have a dentist fetish.

Haha.. going from 1800K to 2700K isn’t too significant a switch, the amber coating on the bulbs is washing the room with sepia tones. So my plan is to go from 5.5w globe to 2w clear golf ball or radio valve type lamps, with glow of the led filament for decorative use. Making the fitting dimmerable means that I can adjust chandelier level down and offset with localised pools of light or use the fireplace

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Any recommendations for floor paint - actually it's basically a staircase and a couple of small landings.

Just seen V33 which has good reviews but the colours are really limited.

You've probably already considered and dismissed this, but if you want dimmable bulbs and split switches is it worth looking at Hue? They do filament-style bulbs now.

That's what we did when we wanted separate controls for lights that were on the same switch.

thanks @brokenbetty I will look into Hue, I’m assuming that control is via phone app.

The current lighting is good to work on the parquet flooring, shame it’s not improving my joinery skillz nor my dodgy eyesight, nor spelling/grammar.

Door threshold, meh

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I’m assuming that control is via phone app.

Yes, but you can get physical switches as well which is what we mainly use. I'm too old to unlearn reaching for a light switch. (Actually I want voice control but my husband won't have such things in the house). Use the app for initial setup, set colours etc and then the switches for day to day stuff.

We use these:

You've got on, off, dim and brighten, and pressing the on button multiple times gives you up to 6 (I think) presets that you set up from the app. In our living/dining room we have the two main lights and all the side lighting on Hue, and the switch is set up for all on with a warm light, sidelights only on with a warm light, living area light only, dining area light only, and all lights super bright blue daylight for when I drop a needle or something.

Looks like you're doing great man! Seems like that would be a complete ballache to me.

@brokenbetty Well that looks interesting. In my mind had planned to split the 4 gang light switch cable and install a brass potentiometer dial in the front room, the chase is minimal hole through the wall, single gang back plate. Front plate akin to the knobs you find on an electric guitar. Push on/off with dimmer control 0-11. I like the old skool method. When I’ve find the dimmer switch I want, my homage to the past will be done. I blame Peeky Blinders for the inspiration of retro styling.

Wireless switches are surely gonna take off in the next few years. So much more convenient to install.

This is true, the Hue lamps are not cheap though with built in programming, I had one in the front room, it was flashing and wouldn’t settle down even with the Philips app on my phone.. probably my lack of tech understanding.

Also the domestic market is flooded with E27 led filament lamps, prices have fallen significantly I think.

not as seductive as I hoped

As if you need seductive lighting. :)

If the difference is between chasing a new switch cable in, or going wireless - I reckon a lot of people will opt for wireless. But as you say, there's going to be a whole load of new problems to go with the new tech.

I can't imagine I'd last long trying to troubleshoot a lightbulb with an app either.

I have a lot of surface fixed electrics (lighting and comms), also water pipes (heating) in the house, and redundant stuff too. chasing will solve this before i redecorate the other spaces. Also I like making small batches of thistle bond plaster. Weird I know.

I can't imagine I'd last long trying to troubleshoot a lightbulb with an app either.

Think I've told it before but I went to view a nearby flat that was for sale (similar size to ours but with an extra bathroom and direct access to a shared garden).

Upon entry the agent had a torch with her, she used it to view the instructions that were written on a piece of paper on the wall that included the wifi details, how to download the appropriate app and then pair with the lights in order to turn them on. Unsurprisingly she preferred daytime viewings.

(It would have been the first thing I'd have ripped out had we decided to move there.)

I’m going to find the person who ‘installed’ the spot lights in our bathrooms and then I’m going to carve their heart out with a spoon.

Our flat is almost entirely surface mounted conduit. It makes me weep. fucking square trunking across the ceiling to the rose. For shame! We don't plan on living here for long enough to bother doing a rewire, but god it's ugly.

As for mixing up plaster and filling holes, I'm making no judgements there! Wish I had more excuses to get the hawk and float out.

My house has been a rental for so long, it’s a total bodge. Mini trunking cut into fibrous plaster cornice in the hallway a total crime. I feel your pain. I want to right all the wrongs this house has endured. Artex plaster walls to stair and hallway I need to check for asbestos before I strip off. That’s next years project.

I think having wireless switches would fix that - they're battery operated (which is an obvious shortfall, but they last fucking ages apparently) and you just need to stick them to a wall, or you can have TV remote style ones. Completely bonkers if the lights are reliant on wifi though.

Smart home stuff is the last thing I'd be arsed about. I'd much rather spend my time getting the more physical stuff right, floors, doors, windows etc compared to having lightbulbs I can fuck around with on my phone.

Mini trunking >>>>>>>>>>>

All the way into the fucking sea.

You've probably already considered and dismissed this, but if you want dimmable bulbs and split switches is it worth looking at Hue? They do filament-style bulbs now.

That's what we did when we wanted separate controls for lights that were on the same switch.

Or TCP Smart bulbs. Filament LED options available. I've got them in the external front and rear lights. Quite handy, as both mechanical switches are obscured by bookcases. I turn them on and off with Alexa, who is now the entity I speak with most often.

I wasn't arsed, but got a smart bulb in an offer and its in the hall light on a weekly timetable which had been excellent. Brighter and whiter in the morning, on in the afternoon then dimmed by bedtime. Never have to turn it on/off.
Wouldn't work in more irregular settings in the same way, but really good for this.

Colour changing bulbs are good at Halloween

I have one bulb that, regardless of what I do, turns on at midday. I eventually gave up troubleshooting and just set up a routine that turned it off again 30 seconds later.

Motion sensors to turn on my hall lights (with different brightness depending on the time) was great in my old place.

Have you a link for that? That could work handy for us in the bathroom with the kids

It's using Hue with their motion sensor

https://www.philips-hue.com/en-gb/p/hue-motion-sensor/8718696743171