What to Know Before You Buy Recessed Lights

Before you decide to add a built-in light, also known as a tin light, or decide which built-in or tin light to install, there are a few things to consider: What do you want to illuminate?Β  Do you want a pool of light or a narrow place? What size accessory do you want? What kind of lamp do you want to use? Do you need to use a renovated luminaire or can you install a new construction? How about getting the necessary wiring for your new light? Will you need an IC (insulation compliant) or AT (watertight) device or both?

Parts of a built-in light

Box: Some built-in accessories are all in one piece, but most are made in two pieces. In a two-piece fixture, the box is the piece that mounts to the ceiling. The trim is inserted into the box. Depending on the type of housing and finish chosen, it may be necessary to remove the trim to install the lamp.

Wattage: Each electric lamp is rated for the maximum wattage of the incandescent lamp or lamps that you can safely use. Most recessed fixtures are rated for 75 or 100 watt bulbs, but some are rated for bulbs up to 150 watts.

Frame - Recessed fixtures made for installation in open frames have a mounting frame that attaches to the frame members in your ceiling, the rafters, to secure them in place.

What do you want to illuminate?

Integrated luminaires are very versatile. They can be used to provide general lighting, task lighting, or accent lighting.

If you want more light for reading or on the kitchen counter, you will probably want a downlight. The same applies to lighting in a hallway or hallway, or general lighting in a large room like the family room.

To light up that sculpture on your fireplace, you'll probably want an eyeball point. On the other hand, to highlight a large painting or poster, or to subtly illuminate its stereo components, a wall washer finish may be just what you need.

What size accessory do you want?

Common sizes for residential recessed fixtures are 4 "to 7" in diameter. One way to answer this question is to consider the distance between the ceiling and where you want the light and the size of the area you want to illuminate.

In an 8 'ceiling, a 4 "lamp can work well to illuminate the kitchen counter. A 6" downlight at this height will illuminate the breakfast table well. In a 10 'ceiling, you may want 4 "fixtures for area lighting as the light will spread further.

A 7" fixture is a good wall washer on an 8' ceiling.

The most popular size is a 6 "fixture. For this reason, there are more trim styles available for 6" fixtures than other sizes, giving you more flexibility in choosing the finish you want.

What kind of lamp do you want to use?

A built-in fixture with a medium screw base lamp holder can accommodate an incandescent, fluorescent, halogen, or LED lamp. Luminaires with special lamp holders, or sockets, are also available that only accept certain lamps, usually fluorescent or halogen.

If you like the economy, long life and low temperature of fluorescent lamps, but you also like the warmth of the color of incandescent light, you can buy fluorescent lamps with a low Kelvin value.

For high intensity light, especially in a small area, halogen usually works best. For warm general lighting, most people prefer incandescent bulbs. LED lamps can combine many of these characteristics.

If you want to dim recessed lights or control them with a remote or automated system, choose luminaires in which you can use incandescent, halogen or LED lamps. Fluorescent lamps cannot be dimmed unless they have a dimmable ballast.

A recent addition to the downlighting market is the new Wafer LED recessed light. It is boxless and therefore extremely slim. It can be used in new works or renovations.

We hope you enjoy watching this video about Recessed Lights

Source: The Honest Carpenter

Did you find this post useful or inspiring? Save THIS PIN to your HOME Board on Pinterest! 😊

Once again, thank you for visiting our website!

We hope you've enjoyed exploring the content we've created for you.

Give yourself the chance to learn, get inspired, and have even more fun, keep browsing...

You may also like πŸ‘‡πŸΌπŸ‘‡πŸΌ

Go up

This site uses cookies: Read More!