Tips on Chandelier Assembly

Can I assemble my own Chandelier?

When you first open the box of your newly purchased chandeliers it can be a bit daunting. At first you will probably think why did it not come assembled? However after inspection of the final article it is clear to see why. Certainly for a glass armed traditional chandelier then the arms are very delicate and the when the chandelier is assembled the only safe way to keep it is by hanging. What ever you do, don’t put the chandelier down on the floor once it has been assembled as the weight of the chandelier is likely to break the arm that it is resting on with quite catastrophic consequences. This is particularly true with a large chandelier. A chandelier of diameter 1meter would typically weight over 30kg and the only way to support it is by the chain. The design is very clever and transmits all the loaded from the crystal trimmings through the arms and to the central stem. The load is then safely transmitted up the chain to the ceiling hook which clearly needs to be securely attached to the ceiling. So to cut along story short the traditional chandelier has to be carefully wrapped an packaged to ensure that it does not break in transit and this has the secondary benefit of reducing transportation costs.

Once you have opened the box then for sure you can assemble the chandelier yourself you just need to adhere to some best practise guidelines to take you through the process.

What method do I use to assemble my Chandelier

I do not intend to cover all aspects of chandelier assembly here but will just provide some pointers and will focus on the traditional chandelier as opposed to the contemporary chandelier . Contemporary chandeliers are very varied and different on construction so the assembly of particular to the particular product, whereas with traditional chandeliers the approach is more standard.

If your chandelier is more than 15kg then you will need to assemble the chandelier at ceiling height unless of course you have a winch system to pull it into position. This is because it is unsafe  to climb a ladder or platform holding a heavy jet fragile crystal chandelier to hang it in position. The best approach here is to assemble the carcass at ground level  and then to lift this in position and hand on the crystals with the carcass in position. By assemble the carcass,  I mean connect the arms in to the central stem and connect the wiring for the arms to the central flex for all the tiers of the chandelier. Once in position the hanging of the crystals is then best done from a platform to avoid the necessity of walking up and down the  ladders many times for the multitude of crystal trimmings that will be on the chandelier.

For a small chandelier then the best strategy is to assemble at ground level. For this you need a suitable anchor point to suspend the chandelier from which can typically be from a line connected to the chandelier hook or using a structure like a coat rail for lighter chandeliers. Once the chandelier has been assembled at ground level it can simply be hung from the hook and the electrician can make the wiring connections.