Black Wall Light for Staircase, Motion Sensor, 8.6 cm

That one step you take on faith in the dark, feeling for the edge before your foot finds it — this fixes that. A slim acrylic face sits flush in the wall beside the stairs, and a built-in motion sensor switches it on as you approach, then fades back out once you're past. It's a black and gold wall light built to work quietly, night after night, without a switch to hunt for.

Light washes sideways across each tread instead of glaring back up at eye level, and the compact 8.6 cm (3.4″) face recesses into a shallow wall cutout in black, gold, white, or silver — whichever your stair rail already wears.

A step light sets into the wall rather than onto it, so the only part you see is the lit face. That makes it the quietest way to light a staircase, a corridor or a threshold - and it means the wall has to be prepared before the fitting goes anywhere near it. Read this through before you cut.

Before you start

• Mounting: this fitting is recessed into the wall. A back box or a cut cavity of the right size is required; the fitting is not designed to sit on the surface.
• Height: step lights are normally set between 20 and 30 cm above the tread or floor. Fixed at that height they light the step without shining into anyone's eyes on the way up.
• Spacing: on a staircase, one fitting every three to four steps gives an even wash. On a corridor, two to three metres apart is a good starting point.
• Wall type: plasterboard takes a standard back box between the studs. Brick, block and concrete need a chased recess and a masonry back box, which is a different job and worth planning first.
• Power: these fittings are hardwired. Cable has to reach the recess before the wall is closed up.
• Sensor models: a fitting with a PIR sensor needs a clear line of sight to the approach. Furniture, a handrail or a return in the wall will shorten its range.
• IP rating: the rating is listed in the Product Specifications above. An IP20 fitting is for dry indoor use only and must not be used outside or in a bathroom zone.

Tools you may need

• Voltage tester
• Screwdriver
• Drill with a hole cutter for plasterboard, or a masonry bit and chisel for brick and block
• Cable detector, to check the wall before cutting
• Tape measure, pencil and spirit level
• Wire strippers
• Wire nuts or terminal connectors
• Back box suited to your wall

Installation

1. Switch off the power

Turn the circuit off at the consumer unit or breaker panel and test with a voltage tester. Do not rely on the wall switch.

2. Mark the positions

Mark every fitting before cutting any of them. Measure from the tread or floor rather than from the ceiling, so the run follows the stair and not the building. Check each mark with a level against its neighbours - on a stair, a fitting set even slightly high or low is obvious from the bottom.

3. Check the wall and cut the recess

Run a cable detector over each mark before cutting. In plasterboard, cut with a hole cutter or a sharp knife to the size of the back box and check the stud positions first. In brick or block, chase the recess and bed a masonry back box in place. Cut to the fitting's own dimensions, listed above - a recess that is too generous leaves a shadow gap you cannot close.

4. Run the cable

Feed the supply cable into each recess, leaving enough tail to make the connection comfortably outside the box and still tuck back in. Where several fittings share a circuit, loop the cable from box to box rather than running each one back to the switch.

5. Connect the wiring

• Live to live: black, brown, or the terminal marked L
• Neutral to neutral: white, blue, or the terminal marked N
• Earth to earth: green, green-and-yellow, or bare, to the earth terminal or screw

Secure each connection and fold the wiring back into the box so nothing is pinched as the fitting goes home.

6. Seat the fitting

Push the fitting into the recess and secure it with the spring clips or screws supplied. It should finish flush with the wall face with no rocking. If it stands proud, the recess is not deep enough - take more out rather than forcing it, which cracks the plaster around the edge.

7. Restore power and test

Switch the circuit back on and test each fitting. On a sensor model, walk the approach at normal speed to check the trigger point and the hold time, and do it once in daylight and once after dark if the sensor also reads ambient light.

Important tips

• Cut one recess, fit one light and look at it before cutting the rest. The height that reads well on a drawing is not always the one that reads well on the stair.
• Follow the wiring rules that apply where you live, and use a qualified electrician for anything chased into masonry or run through a stairwell.
• Keep the fitting's face clean with a dry cloth - a step light sits at the height that collects dust and scuff marks.
• Do not fit an indoor-rated step light in a porch, a bathroom or an outdoor stair, whatever the shelter.
• Where a sensor model shares a stair with a switched circuit, test both together; a sensor that is fighting a wall switch is the usual reason a stair light seems to have a mind of its own.

If anything about the recess, the height or the sensor is unclear, email info@clerachic.com and a person will answer you.