DETAILED GUIDE TO
BATHROOM MIRROR LIGHTING

WHY IS BATHROOM LIGHTING IMPORTANT?

Good quality mirror lighting is essential in the bathroom to ensure you have enough ambient light for dressing, shaving, washing and grooming at different times of the day when the amount of available natural light varies dramatically.

In the morning there is generally more natural light so you may not need all your bathroom lights switched on. Perhaps you need one or two mirror lights to make sure your face is illuminated evenly.

At night, its vital you have sufficiently bright, all round ambient light to make sure there is an even spread across your face.

WHAT ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TO CONSIDER?

For best light quality make sure your bulbs have a CRI (Colour Rendering index) of at least 80.

Fit bathroom mirror lights above or on both sides of the mirror to avoid shadows.

Choose a bulb that produces a cool white colour for the most natural light, ideally 3,300 - 5,300 K.

Make sure your bathroom mirror lights are IP rated 44 (splash proof).

WHAT IS AN IP RATING?

IP stands for Ingress Protection and is a 2 digit rating given to a light during testing to determine the level of protection its electrical parts have against dirt, dust and water.

The digits range from 0 for no protection, to 9 for total protection. The higher the digits, the better the level of protection.

The first digit deals with intrusion from dirt and dust particles, while the second relates to protection against water.

Generally, bathroom lights need to have an IP rating of 44 and above to account for the level of water vapour and condensation in these rooms.

WHERE DO I FIT BATHROOM MIRROR LIGHTS?

ABOVE THE MIRROR

It depends on the size of your mirror and how much room there is above it.

Generally speaking we say that you need your bathroom mirror light to be placed centrally at least 5cm above the top of the mirror frame and around 15-20 cm above the hairline of the tallest person in your family for good, soft light.

Avoid placing lights directly over the mirror at a very low height, as this can cast unflattering shadows on your face.

Dorset Wall Light above a bathroom mirror

BESIDE A MIRROR

Fitting a wall sconce on either side of your bathroom mirror is an ideal way to make sure you have good ambient light.

Wall lights should be placed at eye level or a little above, that is generally around 155 - 165cm (5.5 to 6ft) from floor level and around 20-30cm away from the mirror's edge to ensure shadow-free illumination.

If your bathroom has a high ceiling, or you have a vertically hung mirror, you may need to adjust these heights upwards accordingly.

Dorset Wall Light beside a bathroom mirror

WHAT ARE BATHROOM ZONES?

These are areas of the bathroom that dictate the level of safety required for electrical fixtures to be fitted depending on how close they are to water. There are 4 main zones defined by their distance from a water source, such as a bath, shower or wash basin and each zone requires a specific IP rating.

Zone 0 - Area inside the bath or shower basin. Electrical fittings must have a low voltage (12V max) and have an IP rating of 67, meaning they are protected against total immersion.Zone 1 - The area directly above the bath or shower to a height of 2.25 meters. Fittings must have a minimum IP44 rating, and any circuits must be protected by a 30mA RCD.

Zone 2 - The area extending 0.6 meters from the perimeter of the bath and up to a height of 2.25 meters. A minimum IP44 rating is required. It is also good practice to consider the area around a washbasin within a 60cm radius of the tap as Zone 2.

Zones 3/4 or Outside zones - Any area outside of Zones 0, 1, and 2 up to 2.25 meters high. While no specific IP rating is required, it is recommended to use fittings with some level of moisture protection.

WHAT LIGHT COLOUR IS BEST FOR MY BATHROOM?

For the best match to natural sunlight, choose bulbs with a CRI of at least 80.

The CRI (Colour Rendering Index) is the measurement of how colours looks to the human eye in artificial light when compared with sunlight that has a CRI of 100. The higher the CRI, the more 'true' colours look.

A light scoring 80-100 means the colours illuminated by it appear the same, or nearly the same as they would under natural sunlight.

HOW BRIGHT SHOULD MY BATHROOM MIRROR LIGHTS BE?

Bathroom lighting often needs to be a little brighter than most other rooms in your home so that you can see well for tasks like washing, applying make up and shaving.

Just how bright that is depends on how much natural light your bathroom receives.

We suggest using bulbs with a lumens of at least 500 - 1,200 (similar to a 40-100W incandescent bulb)