Downlights and decorator’s caulk

I was asked to replace the lamps (lightbulbs) to several downlights that had failed in a home in Surrey.  The room had been decorated a couple of years previously and the contractor decided to seal the edges of the bezels (white surround in the above photo) to the ceiling. This can provide a good finish around the edges but what happens when the light fitting or lamp fails? The caulk needs to be removed.

In this instance, a sharp blade was used to carefully cut the material away from the bezel edge.  The rest of the caulk needed to be cut away but this caused small areas of damage when pulling it away.

The damage was filled and sanded; a small amount of white matt paint was applied; the lamps replaced and fittings were re-instated and tested.  New caulk was also applied at the request of the customer.  The earth cable (in the green and yellow sleeve) was also terminated correctly.

So, when you have downlights and your decorator asks if you want the bezels caulked, consider the above!