Back in February 2024, I was on a rolling ladder in the lobby of our 185,000-square-foot performing arts center, staring up at a chandelier that had been dark for almost two weeks. One fixture out of four wouldn't light. The building was built in 1998, and those chandeliers were original. Our executive director's first reaction was "let's just replace all four." My first reaction was "let's find out why one stopped working."
I'm the procurement manager here. I've managed our facilities budget—$180,000 a year across lighting, HVAC, and everything in between—since 2018. I've negotiated with 40+ vendors, tracked every invoice in our cost system, and made peace with the fact that I'm the person who says no to nice things. But I'm also the person who has to explain why the cheap option cost us $1,200 in rework in 2023.
Replacement vs. Refurbishment
The executive director wanted a modern lobby. The design committee wanted a modern lobby. Honestly, I wanted a lobby where the chandeliers all turned on at the same time. So I got three quotes for replacement and three quotes for refurbishment.
When I put the quotes side by side in my spreadsheet, I finally understood why I'd been uneasy about jumping to replacement. Replacing all four fixtures: $38,000 for fixtures, $6,500 for installation and demo. Refurbishing the existing fixtures, including rewiring, cleaning, lamping, and painting: $14,700. Same lobby, but one quote ended with the old fixtures in a dumpster. The contrast was the kind of clarity that only happens when you compare numbers on the same tab.
One refurbishment bid came from a shop that listed "chandelier painting" on the estimate. I almost laughed, but their process was serious: strip the old lacquer, polish the brass, apply a tinted enamel, then a clear protective coat. They could match the original bronze or give us a brushed nickel finish for $900 more. We stuck with bronze.
The upside of replacing was a dramatic before-and-after photo. The risk was a $44,000 hit to a budget that also had to cover a roof repair. I kept asking myself if $44,000 was worth a lobby makeover. After three months of quotes, the answer was no.
The Electrical Reality Check
Once we chose refurbishment, the project shifted from "what do we want" to "what do we need." That's where Eaton entered the story.
Those chandeliers were originally wired for 120V halogen candelabra bulbs. We wanted LED to cut energy and heat. You can't just screw an LED into an old fixture and call it done—especially when the wall dimmers are 25 years old. Our electrical contractor recommended an Eaton power supply for the LED modules. His reasoning: the Eaton unit had a 5-year warranty, and the generic equivalent had a 1-year warranty. For fixtures hanging 16 feet above the floor, warranty length says a lot. We also added an Eaton whole-house surge protector to the lighting panel after a grid hiccup took out the sound board driver the previous summer.
The power supply wasn't the glamorous part of the budget. But it was the part that makes the chandeliers more than decoration. If the driver dies in a cheap unit, you're renting a lift and paying an electrician to swap a 4-inch box. That's the hidden cost nobody puts in the first quote.
The Wiring Diagram That Changed the Schedule
Halfway through the install, the electrician called me over. The three-way switch for the lobby lights wasn't behaving. The left switch turned the chandeliers on, but the right switch only worked if the left switch was in a certain position. Classic traveler wiring problem.
He asked me to pull up an Eaton light switch wiring diagram. The switches we'd ordered were Eaton's commercial-grade 20A three-ways, and the old junction box didn't match the standard schematic. The first PDF I found on Eaton's site was for a single-pole switch. Wrong. Then I found the three-way diagram, printed it, and he spent 20 minutes tracing wires with a multimeter.
Turned out the original installer had used the white wire as a traveler and didn't mark it. The diagram didn't fix that by itself—but it showed us which terminal should be the common, and that's what broke the loop. If we'd ignored the diagram and trusted the wire colors, we'd have replaced a perfectly good switch and still had a mystery.
Honestly, after I approved the order for the Eaton switches and drivers, I kept second-guessing. What if the seller shipped the wrong version? What if the drivers didn't play well with the existing dimmers? The three days between ordering and delivery were stressful. I didn't relax until the electrician sent me a photo of the switch working with both chandeliers on.
The Kinetic Chandelier Side Quest
While the lobby work was underway, the east gallery was preparing an exhibit that included a kinetic chandelier—a motorized sculpture with 40 aluminum leaves and integrated LEDs. It was a loan from an artist, not our purchase, but I was responsible for the electrical hookup. The controller required a 24V DC power supply, and the Eaton unit we'd chosen for the lobby had the same pinout. We kept a spare driver in the maintenance closet. That felt like overkill until the first one failed during rehearsal and we swapped it in before opening night.
Grow Lights and Bright, Indirect Light
One unexpected part of this project was plants. The atrium has a collection of fig trees and philodendrons, and the office manager wanted to know if the new LED ambient lighting would be enough for them. It wasn't. So I asked a horticulturist how to create bright indirect light with grow lights. Her answer: bounce the light off a white wall or ceiling before it hits the leaves. Direct grow light can scorch houseplants. Bright indirect light—around 1,000 to 2,000 lux—is usually enough.
We added two 30-watt LED grow lights on a timer connected to an Eaton in-wall switch. Within a month, the plants stopped dropping leaves. That was the best $180 I spent in this whole process (finally, a price that made sense).
What I'd Do Differently
This project taught me that my real job isn't to spend the least money on the purchase order. It's to keep the total cost of ownership low without turning a fixable problem into a capital project.
If your chandeliers are truly beyond repair—cracked castings, missing sockets, severe corrosion—painting the frame won't save them. But if the bodies are solid and the electrical parts can be replaced, refurbishment is a legitimate option. And if you're changing lamp types or switch controls, find the installation sheet before you order. The Eaton light switch wiring diagram saved us about $500 in labor that would have gone into troubleshooting a mystery circuit.
According to Eaton's installation documentation, the power supply needs to be sized for the connected load. And under the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70), the installation has to follow the manufacturer's instructions. I didn't know any of that before this project. Now I keep a folder of wiring diagrams and spec sheets for every fixture we own.
The chandeliers still look like 1998. That's okay. They all turn on now, they cost $30,000 less than replacement, and the next time a fixture goes dark, I'll pull up the wiring diagram before I call a salesperson.
Prices are based on bids we received in early 2024; verify current rates before making your own decision.