RECESSED LIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS
You might have heard recessed lights referred to as pot lights or low profile can lights. They’re a popular solution for rooms with a low ceiling clearance, such as an older basement where you might risk hitting your head on any other type of fixture!
In the past, people worried about pot lights overheating, and yes, incandescent bulbs of the past could get pretty hot! But the times have changed and the industry standard is to install LED recessed ceiling lights. These bulbs generate virtually no heat, eliminating the risk of damage or fire hazard. Here are some other important variables to consider when picking out the perfect recessed lighting solution for you and your family:
PLACEMENT AND LOCATION:
In most cases, recessed lights have a small amount of trim that juts out ever so slightly from the ceiling, enabling them to be virtually level with the ceiling in question. And while this looks amazing, it also means that less light is being projected into the room in comparison to a more traditional fixture. That’s why multiple pot lights are often needed to sufficiently light up a room.
- Whole Room Lighting: Again, how many pot lights you require depends on the room. A living room doesn’t need as many lights as a kitchen. A standard rule the pros will go by is to take your ceiling height and divide it by two. This number is how far apart you should be placing your pot lights. For instance, if you have a 10-foot ceiling, your pot lights should be placed five feet apart.
- Whole Room Lighting: Again, how many pot lights you require depends on the room. A living room doesn’t need as many lights as a kitchen. A standard rule the pros will go by is to take your ceiling height and divide it by two. This number is how far apart you should be placing your pot lights. For instance, if you have a 10-foot ceiling, your pot lights should be placed five feet apart.
- Using Accent Lighting: If you are a collector of fine art or your room has a unique design feature that you’d like to highlight, you can install a specially-placed pot light that can shine directly on the object or feature in question.
- Lighting For Tasks: If you are lighting up a kitchen, you may need to install more recessed lights to help illuminate your prime work areas. For example, a kitchen island or countertop might need specially-placed pot lights directly overhead to ensure there are no shadows cast by the cabinetry. This used to be so difficult with older style `can lights” that needed to be fixed to a joist. But modern pot lights can be easily fitted into any piece of drywall.
TYPES OF TRIM
Once you have your desired pot light placement figured out, you can think about what kind of trim you want to include. This concerns the interior of the recessed light and the outer ring. Choosing a particular type of trim can help deliver different effects to enhance your space.
- Reflective: A mirrored surface on the inside of the fixture amplifies the illumination to give you the brightest light. This type of trim is preferred for “task lighting” situations, such as over a countertop or kitchen island.
- Open: For the cleanest look possible, you can opt for an “open” recessed light. These bulbs are designed to get wider at the bottom so they go right up to the edge of the can for a flush look with no extra trims or edges.
- Eyeball: This is ideal for people who want accent lighting. This type of pot light can be adjusted at any time to shine in a specific direction. So if you ever move a painting, or just want to change up the look of your room, it’s never been easier to adjust your lighting at the same time.
- Pinhole: This type of trim creates a spotlight effect for an even more dramatic accent lighting option.
- Baffle: This type of trim reduces glare with a special texture inside the fixture. It’s a pretty common thing to find on many pot lights.
- Shower Safe: These types of pot lights are specially designed to resist water and steam when you install them in a shower. Very necessary for bathroom lighting projects.
WATTAGE & BRIGHTNESS
LED bulbs are always increasing in popularity because they don’t get hot, they use less energy and they last for a very, very long time. However, many customers still think about brightness as it relates to the wattage on an incandescent bulb. That’s why many LED bulbs will still include a comparison chart on the packaging so there’s no confusion over what you’re buying. An LED bulb’s packaging may state that it only uses 12 watts of electricity, but it might still project the same brightness as an incandescent bulb which uses 75 watts of electricity.
COLOUR TEMPERATURE
Warm white and cool white are the most common types of recessed lights that can be used for every room in the typical home. Warm white is a nice calming colour that works well in living rooms, bathrooms and bedrooms. Meanwhile, cool white is a much brighter light that is meant for rooms where you do more activities or household chores such as utility rooms, laundry rooms and kitchens.
LED bulb colour temperatures are measured on something called the Kelvin light scale. It starts at 2000K and goes all the way up to 6500K. The higher the number, the cooler the colour. The lower numbers are your warmer, yellow tones. The higher numbers are white, almost blue-looking cool colours.
If you don’t want to commit to one colour temperature, you can always pay a bit more to get recessed lighting that allows you to change the colour at will. These colour-changing bulbs let you pick from across the Kelvin scale or even funky colours such as blue, purple and green.
BONUS FEATURES
You can set up your recessed lighting on a dimmer switch so you can save energy or alter the entire mood of a room with the turn of a dial or push of a fader.
Another option for the tech-savvy homeowner is smart recessed lighting. Use your tablet or phone to control when the lights come on, how bright they are and even what colour they change to. Use a WiFi network or Bluetooth to make this magic happen.
- Illume Essential 4-inch LED White Recessed Panel Light
- Easy installation
- Dimmable bulbs
- 30,000 hours of service life
- Globe Electric Wi-Fi Smart 4-inch 9W Ultra Slim
- Control with an app on any smartphone and no hub required
- Voice control available
- Millions of colours to choose from
- Commercial Electric 4-inch Round White Panel
- Choose between three colour temperatures with the flick of a switch
- Certified by Energy Star to save you money on utilities
- Safe for use in the shower or other wet locations
- Halo 4″ Round Gimbal
- Five colour temperature settings
- Easily adjustable for directional illumination for all of your accent lighting needs
- 50,000 hours of service life
- SPEX Lighting by Liteline
- Rated for indoor and outdoor use
- WiFi and Bluetooth enabled control is optional
- Philips WiZ
- Easy install in a recessed can light
- Control with a smartphone app or your voice
- Dimming capabilities along with millions of colour options
DOES AN ELECTRICIAN HAVE TO INSTALL RECESSED LIGHTING?
If you already have recessed lighting installed and you are just looking to replace an existing light, then it is very possible and safe to do this on your own. However, if you’ve never had recessed lights in your ceiling before or you’re installing a whole new ceiling, this is when you’d need to call in the experts at Mr. Potlight. This ensures you’re following all local building codes and safety regulations.
WILL RECESSED LIGHTING ADD VALUE TO YOUR HOME?
Yes. If your lighting is improved and shows off your home in a more attractive light to potential buyers, chances are that your home will sell faster and for more money than you hoped for.
READY TO CHOOSE?
Now that you’ve considered all of your options, the next step is to choose the contractor to install your recessed lighting. Mr. Pot Light is the GTA’s preferred installer of LED recessed lighting. Our experts will help you select the best type of lighting for any room in your home. We are fully licensed and insured to guarantee a safe and quick installation. Our crews can install your new pot lights in a matter of days and often with no additional renovations required. Call us today for a free consultation.