Is there a rule of thumb for distributing recessed cans in a room? Distance from walls, total watts/cans per square foot etc. Ceilings are 8′, lights will be for general lighting, not task lighting.
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There are different sizes, so that and the room design, etc will determine the layout. I live outside Boston and most of the good supply houses here will help you out with the layout and go through all the options with you. Do not get them from Home Depot or Lowes, they sell Halo's and those stink. The best are lightolier and they are about $25 to $30 if I remember but it depends on size, etc. If you are putting them in a ceiling that is exposed to outside air (a second floor ceiling or first floor in a ranch) then use the air seal recessed that lightolier sells. The are a few dollars more but are sealed so you don't lose heat from the house, the regular recessed that everyone including lightlolier makes are not sealed. You can get the free catalog from lightolier from their website, it is about 100 pages and has every recessed light possible and shows they benefits, options, etc of each.
http://www.lightolier.com/
Also, the breaktime forum is the builders forum, those guys all know a lot. Click on the breaktime, center of the screen near the top. Knots is the woodworking forum and don't know about the others.
Oh yeah, welcome aboard.
Thanks,
I had my lowes list all made out, but I'll check out the local supply houses. My problem with the supply house showroom is that I'll go in with my wife to buy recessed cans and end up walking out with a new fixture for every room.......
All recessed cans come in sealed (call air-tight) or not sealed. Nothing wrong with Halo. The trim is what makes it look good. Around here Juno is the Cadillac. I have real good luck at Pegasus lighting.com. The price is comparable to the big boxes and the service is super! (no they do not sell Juno). If I'm doing a small remodel I order my own cans and tell the sparky that the owner is providing fixtures. I can't get by with that all the time but my sparky price is double what I can get them for. Now I don't want to get in a discussion here about supporting my electrician, but when I get quotes from them and they go to their supplier and two or three days later get back to me, (can't even look it up in a catalog), and the price is double or more and that is without labor something is wrong. I will let him supply them once in a while but more and more I am showing pictures to my customer and supplying them with the job.
think i saw somewhere that the cans should be placed half the height of the ceiling, so in your case 4' on center
4 feet oc? That is absolutely too close, the room will be as bright as the surface of the sun. My friend apartment is about 4' oc and to even stand being in that room, you need to unscrew half the bulbs. With all the bulbs screwed in, I think you would get skin cancer it is so bright and hot from all the bulbs throwing off heat. The spacing depends on the room and what size and type of can you use. There is no set spacing.
well thats what i read somewhere and is what i used in my basement, course the room will be a tv roompoker room and the lights wont be on much.... and yes the lights are bright and it does get hot when they are on, but you can always go to a lower wattage. i will try and find the link that i read it on
Dan
Hi Buck, I recently completed a basement reno and the customer supplied 5" cans. I had the same lay-out question as you and ran it by a friend of mine in the lighting biz and based on lighting software he recommended:
- min. 2' from walls and 4' o.c.
It looked great by the time I was done and all bulbs were 50w R20 and on dimmers.
One of my pet peeves is poor lighting and the dimmers make it possible to tone things down if needed. Infact, in the laundry room where more task lighting was desired, the customer supplied 75w bulbs. Keep in mind if you 'underlight' it's not as easy to fix it later on.
Hope this helps but I don't think 4' o.c. is overkill at all. One other suggestion is to put the lights on 3 or 4 different switches so you can turn on all...a few...or just some of the lights.
Mike
if this is a reno, then the distance will be determined by where they can go because of rafters/floor joists and the rooms dimensions. also room shape, features (like centering on a fire place or windows) alignment with other areas (halls and entries). the norm is to try and put the lights 3-4' from the walls. closer than 3' will put alot of light onto the wall and that can show every defect in the finish. most recessed lights cast about an 8-10 ft circle at 8' height. which would mean putting them about 8' apart. if you want a bright room, then you can put them closer together and add more or increase the bulb size. keep in mind its better to dim bright bulbs than not have enough light. if there too far apart, it creates dark patchy areas.
http://www.urbanworkshop.ca/page_2147484141.html
you can find a few examples here.
i do all my layout on the floor so there dead straight rows, lazer or plumb them to the ceiling. if they are going into an attic you can cut a coathanger, put a piece of tape on the end like a flag and poke it through the ceiling then go find it. see how close it is to obsticles and make any fudging then, keeping your rows straight. people wont notice if some are closer together than others but they will notice if there out of alignment.
hope that helps.
Tmaxxx
Urban Workshop Ltd
Vancouver B.C.
Now when i nod my head, you hit it.
It depends on a lot of variables, but as a rule can lights cast their light down at about a 45 degree angle. At a spacing of 4' to 6' you get overlapping light at the floor, which is good. Space them farther than that and you'll have dark spots. Can lights just aren't that great at ambient lighting, but that's what everyone uses them for. Use a dimmer or lower-watt bulbs and the closer spacing and I'll bet you'll be happy.
Mike