RCL-07Fit the right fixing for your ceilingOn a timber joist ceiling, screw the new baseplate or pattress straight into the joist with wood screws — this is the strongest option and preferred for anything heavier than a bare bulb holder. On a metal furring channel or resilient bar ceiling (common in flats and refurbished rooms), use self-drilling metal fixings made for steel — never a plain wall plug or wood screw, they strip straight through. If the fixing point falls on bare plasterboard between joists, use a hollow-wall toggle fixing rated for the fitting's weight, though a joist fixing is always better for a pendant. On a solid brick or block ceiling (rare, but found in some basements and older flats), drill a 6mm hole, insert a wall plug, and use a screw long enough to seat fully in the masonry. If the ceiling is dot-and-dab plasterboard on a hidden frame, the screw must be long enough to pass through the board, clear the adhesive dabs, and bite into the joist or frame above — a short screw into the dab alone will fail. On lath and plaster ceilings, drill gently to avoid cracking the surrounding plaster, and find the joist behind the laths rather than fixing into the laths themselves, which will crumble under load.