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We just installed cans in our kichen @ 3′-8″ apart on a 9′ ceiling. We use 75W Par 30 (halogen floods) on a dimmer. The light spread is very even and these bulbs give good color rendition. A Par 30 has a 48″ spread at 8′-0″, so this is the spacing you should consider. It may seem bright at first, but for task lighting it is perfect. A dimmer is a must to lower for general lighting.
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Can I enter the conversation a little late? Would like advice on spacing can lights in a cathredral ceiling. Room is 16x24, pitch is 14.4/12 (approx. 20 feet to ridge). Varnished pine t&g paneling. Rule of thumb or ref to literature appreciated.
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are there any rules of thumb for how far apart the cans should be?
assume: 8 ft ceilings; full sized halogen wide flood lamps (45 or 65 watt; 90 seems too much?); overall bright for easy reading & detail tasks; will be on a dimmer.
The intended use of the rooms doesn't easily lend itself to the typical advice of separate task lighting & general lighting
since I want to insert cans beween joists, my likely choice of spacings is 48" or 64".
*Hmm, I went through the same puzzle. As i type, I sit under the basement cans I installed with 120 watt floods on a heavy-duty Leviton dimmer -- the industrial ones don't buzz. The cans are 4-5 feet apart at about 7'6", I basically just experimented to find what I wanted. The lighting is fine, but I would like to add some general indirect lighting as well. When I get around to ripping out this dark brown paneling...
*How dark is the room decorated (do the surfaces bounce back any light)? What's the beam of the proposed flood? Between the choices offered, I'd recommend 48", and if you get too much light you can go to a spot over a flood, a flood with a smaller beam, or lesser wattage. Some cans and bulbs don't "do" dimmers. Check before you buy.
*TomAccording to this Halo brochure,the reccommended spacing for a cans with an open trim baffle and a 75W R30 lamp in an 8' ceiling is: 5' for counter tops8' for general lightingPersonally, i prefer more light, especially in basements. I've just installed cans in the remodel i'm working on, and because of pipes and ducts and such, i found my biggest challenge was trying to keep the spacing even. I drew the footprint of the room on graph paper, marked the ideal spacing and then adjusted as needed. In the room the client is calling his "project" room (13'x11'), I ended up with lights 3' off the walls at approx. 3'6"o.c. -- plenty o' light.
*Glad to hear I empirically stumbled on about the right numbers.Incidentally, when the 120W bulbs are running full blast -- 4 in this room, 6 in the next -- they put out considerable heat (and remove significant money, here 1.2kW or ~7¢ an hour -- costly if, say, your 3 y.o. leaves them on overnight). Kind of like those warming trays in restaurants. It's nice in the winter, but for summer I'm going to want some quality fluorescent indirect lighting. You can get CFL cans, too, and the quality of fluorescent has improved dramatically from the sickening color, buzz and flutter of a few years ago.The dimmer provides insurance and flexibility -- if the spacing or power isn't exactly right, the user can adjust it on the fly. Spots didn't work well in such a low ceiling.If this happens to be a basement or limited-natural light room, remember, remember, remember, you can't have too much light. If it's not bright and inviting, no one will want to go down there.
*We just installed cans in our kichen @ 3'-8" apart on a 9' ceiling. We use 75W Par 30 (halogen floods) on a dimmer. The light spread is very even and these bulbs give good color rendition. A Par 30 has a 48" spread at 8'-0", so this is the spacing you should consider. It may seem bright at first, but for task lighting it is perfect. A dimmer is a must to lower for general lighting.