Bathroom light fittings: which areas need which protection rating

Why no single fitting suits every spot in a bathroom

A bathroom has zones of risk rather than one uniform level of dampness. Directly above a shower or bath, a fitting faces water spray and steam condensing on a cold lens. A metre or two away, near a mirror or over a vanity unit, the air is humid but water rarely lands directly on the fixture. Near the door, conditions are close to any other room in the flat.

Fittings built for dry rooms have seals and materials that are not designed to cope with condensation cycling inside the housing day after day. Over time this shows as a fogged lens, corroded contacts, or a fitting that simply stops working months after installation, well before any wear you would call reasonable.

This is why a bathroom renovation is usually planned zone by zone rather than fitting by fitting. If you are already replacing tiles and fixtures, deciding lighting positions and protection levels at that stage costs far less than retrofitting later, and it is one of the things covered when a bathroom renovation is quoted as a whole, from 3500 € for the full job.

How to read moisture protection on the box without memorising a rating number

Every light fitting sold for wet areas carries a code on the packaging and often stamped on the fitting itself, two letters followed by two digits. You do not need to memorise what each digit means. What matters practically is the logic behind it: the first digit describes protection against solid objects and dust, the second against water, and the second number is what you should compare between fittings when choosing for a bathroom.

A higher second digit means the fitting tolerates more direct water contact: splashes, jets, or in some cases brief submersion. A fitting meant for a dry hallway will have a low or absent water figure. A fitting meant for direct spray inside a shower enclosure will have a distinctly higher one, and this is usually printed clearly on the shelf label or the product page, not hidden in small print.

Rather than trying to recall numbers, take the box or the product listing and compare the water figure between two options side by side. The one with the higher second digit is the one built for wetter conditions. If a shop assistant or listing cannot tell you this figure at all, treat that as a sign the fitting is not intended for bathroom use.

Which fitting suits which part of the bathroom

Inside or directly above a shower enclosure or over a bath where water can fall on the fitting, choose one with the highest water protection figure you can find, sold specifically as a shower light. These are usually recessed, glass-fronted, and rated for the enclosed damp air as well as direct spray.

Within roughly a metre of the shower or bath but outside the direct spray path, a mid-range wet-area fitting is normally enough. This covers most bathroom ceilings and wall lights near, but not inside, the wet zone. Over a vanity or mirror, look for a fitting with reasonable moisture protection even if it will not get splashed, because steam still reaches it.

Near the door, in a separate WC, or anywhere clearly outside the humid part of the room, an ordinary damp-rated fitting is sufficient and there is little reason to pay for shower-grade protection there.

• Inside the shower or directly over the bath: highest water protection figure, sold as a shower light
• Ceiling or wall within about a metre of the wet zone: mid-range wet-area fitting
• Over a mirror or vanity, away from splashing but in steam: moderate protection, not the bare minimum
• Near the door or in a separate WC: standard damp-rated fitting is enough

What on a light fitting is marketing rather than protection

Terms like «bathroom safe», «humidity resistant», or a picture of a water droplet on the box are marketing language, not a substitute for the actual protection figure. They are not false, but they tell you nothing about where in the bathroom the fitting can go. Always check the printed code rather than the slogan.

Brand name and price are not reliable guides either. A well-known brand's dry-room fitting has no more business in a shower ceiling than a budget one does. Decorative extras such as smart dimming, colour-changing bulbs, or a designer finish add nothing to moisture protection and should be judged separately from it.

IP68 or similarly high-sounding codes on a fitting sold for general use sometimes describe the bulb or driver component rather than the whole assembly once installed. When in doubt, ask the seller directly which zone of a bathroom the fitting is intended for, rather than relying on the packaging's tone.

What you can do yourself and when to call an electrician

Choosing the fitting, deciding where each light goes, and fitting a lampshade or bulb into an existing dry-room point are reasonable to do yourself. Reading the protection figures and comparing products before buying is entirely something a homeowner can manage without any trade knowledge.

Running new wiring, adding a ceiling point inside a shower zone, or connecting a fitting to the circuit is work for a qualified electrician, particularly in a bathroom where water and electricity share the same small space. This is not a corner worth cutting even for someone otherwise handy.

If the wiring is already in place and you only need a new fitting hung and connected, light fitting installation is available from 40 € per job. Where rewiring or a new point is needed, electrical work is charged from 49 € per hour, with a fixed quote given once the scope is clear.

When the whole bathroom is being renovated

A full renovation is the easiest point to get lighting right, because zones can be planned before tiling starts rather than worked around afterwards. Deciding then which points need shower-grade fittings and which need only standard damp protection avoids paying for the highest rating everywhere out of caution, or under-specifying near the shower to save on the fitting.

It also means the electrician doing the wiring and the person choosing the fittings are working from the same plan, so points end up in positions that suit both the light fixture and how the room will actually be used.

For a bathroom renovation planned as one job, from 3500 €, lighting is one of several decisions made alongside tiling, waterproofing, and fixtures, rather than a separate purchase made after the fact.