Clark Vintage Lighting LLC

UL Listing and Testing

"UL listed" means that the product has been tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL) and certified to meet nationally recognized safety standards, ensuring it's safe for its intended use and free from electrical, fire, and mechanical hazards. This designation assures consumers, electricians, and contractors that the fixture has been built and constructed to rigorous quality and safety standards, making it a key factor in building codes and insurance requirements.

What UL Listing Signifies

Safety Standards:

The fixture has been evaluated by UL, an independent safety science company, to ensure it complies with strict electrical, mechanical, and durability standards.

Reduced Risk:

A UL-listed fixture reduces the risk of fire, electric shock, and other electrical hazards, as it has passed rigorous testing to prevent malfunctions.

Compliance:

It indicates that the product meets legal and regulatory requirements, which is often a mandatory standard in building codes and for obtaining homeowner's insurance.

Professional Assurance:

Electricians and contractors often prefer or require UL-listed fixtures because they are a guarantee of quality and safety, protecting them from liability.

Our Fee for UL listing is $60 per fixture:

If you choose to have your fixture rewired without a UL listing, Clark Vintage Lighting cannot be held responsible for any associated expenses or consequences.

Link to our UL listing

SOME NOTES ON OUR PATINAS

Patina is the finish that develops naturally over time on the surface of metal or can be applied using a chemical process to give the metal the appearance of age. The patinas we use all produce fine hand rubbed finishes. After the desired patina has been applied, the finish is waxed to provide protection from further aging. We are happy to leave a fixture unwaxed for clients who want the appearance created by further aging.

We offer our clients 8 distinctly different patinas to choose from.

1. Light Patina: lets the brass color show but has more of an aged look than polished brass

2. Medium Patina: is darker than the light patina but still lets some of the warmth of the brass show through

3. Dark Patina: is a very dark brown and hides most of the color of the metal beneath

4. Rubbed Bronze Oil: is a waxed dark patina that has highlights

5. Polished Brass: is polished and waxed. This finish will very slowly darken (if you would like your polished brass lacquered please talk to us about the options).

6. Polished Nickel: is a silvery-white metal with good resistance to corrosion. It is used as a coating for other metals based on its ability to take a bright mirror finish and its resistance to corrosion. We recommend nickel on lights that will be exposed to high humidity particularly those going into a full bath.

7. Brushed Nickel: offers the same resistance to corrosion as polished nickel but without the shine.

8. Antique Nickel: offers great resistance to corrosion but has had a patina applied to the metal to give it an aged look.

CHOOSING A DROP HEIGHT

The “drop height” of a light fixture is the measurement from the very bottom of the fixture to the ceiling.

You cannot determine the drop height of a fixture without knowing the ceiling height.

Our recommendations are these:

The lowest you can hang a fixture that people will walk under is 6 ½ feet or 78 inches off the floor. 7 feet is better.

Over a table or work surface we recommend brow height of a person standing at the table or counter, about 70” off the floor. This allows the light to be as low as possible while allowing people standing at the table or counter to see each other without the light in the way.

While following the above recommendations, we feel the best way to determine a drop height is for two people to work together. One person stands where the light will be going to hang with a tape measure and a magazine, cardboard box, or any other item that can represent the fixture. This person holds up the object while the other person walks around telling them to move it up and down until a height that looks good and works in the space is found. Then measure from the ceiling to the bottom of your simulated light, this will be your drop height.

A fixture that is hanging on a chain can be shortened on sight by your electrician. If you are ordering a fixture on chain you may want to order it a little too long and finalize the drop height on site.

We normally ship fixtures with extra wire. Don’t cut the extra wire off until you are sure that you have chosen the right drop height. If your light is too short we may be able to send you more chain or a longer pipe. If you have cut the extra wire off you may need to send the fixture back for rewiring.

While we can offer you advise on drop heights we cannot make the decision for you. If you choose the wrong drop height we cannot be held responsible for the expense of adjusting it.