please learn me about lighting
It’s time for me to select lighting fixtures for our house, and I don’t know much about cans. What is the diff between a 4″ and a 6″? Any advantages or disadvantages? What’s more common, or easier to source?
I am planning on using alot of pinhole trims because I want to keep the source of light low profile. How does 4″ or 6″ affect this plan?
I also plan on using alot of halogen bulbs. Any ideas?
Edited 5/28/2005 7:50 pm ET by TUFENHUNDEL
Replies
Juno Lighting has a great website, and they have all the cans you need.
The least expensive are the 6-inch size, and the 4-inchers are the most. And we are still talking about line voltage here. Low voltage runs even more.
One good way of hiding the light source is to use Alzak cones, with the lamps up high in the cans. That finish makes the light source almost invisible, unless of course you are right under the lamp.
Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
Wannabe:Are Alzak cones used in place of the pinhole trims? And are the cones integral with the box, or can they be installed as an option like trims?I did a quick search and this wasn't clear. Thanks.
Alzak cones are integral with the trim ring, and are a trim option just like a pinhole.
Google for "Juno Lighting" and go to their website, then go to "residential" lighting, and you can see all the trims available for each can type and size, plus lamping for each.
In line voltage, you'll want 50W PAR20 halogen lamps, which will work either with the cones or pinholes. I recommend black Alzak, to make the lighting source disappear.
You need to get to a good lighting showroom, to see the effect of each. While you are there, pick up a Juno catalog, which has a great design section, with photometric data for lamps. Gene Davis, Davis Housewrights, Inc., Lake Placid, NY
take a look at lightolier's site:
http://www.lightolier.com/index.jsp?A=254
you can get a good bit of info there. it will be your electrician's responsibility to determine which frame kit ( the guts of the fixture which is hidden in the ceiling ) is needed for the trim you pick. i agree that the deep alzak trim is a great way of hiding the lamp. you will find they are a little pricey.
personally, i think 6" trims are too big for most residences. they lend themselves to large spaces with high ceilings found in commercial buildings.
carpenter in transition
Do you mean the 6" fixtures themselves are too large? Or the light pattern? Are the patterns different between the two?
my opinion is the 6" hole is too big for the average home ( a matter of personal taste )
yes the patterns are different. you would need more 4" fixtures to match the spread of the 6" fixturescarpenter in transition
We have 4" trac lights with line voltage (i.e. not 12 V). While the trac can accept 4" and 6" fixtures, we bought both and experimented with about 4-5 different patterns in both from Home Depot. We then selected a narrow beam halogen house-wide and returned the tested bulbs.
Our house is an open concept timbe-frame and flourescent bulbs would have req'd a big fixture. From an energy efficiency review, I think they provide much more light / $$. Also, the new bulbs don't have that odd green glow.
Some larger show-rooms have various bulbs on display for comparison purposes.