Cree LR6 in a 7' kitchen ceiling - anyone with experience?

13 years ago

I posted this as a followup question in the lighting forum but have not gotten any responses. I thought that I was set on using the Cree LR6 recessed lights in our kitchen (10' by 12' with a 7' ceiling). However, we visited a local lighting store (that consistently wins 'Best of Boston') and the lighting designer there strongly discouraged 6" cans given the height of our ceilings. She said the cans would look like 'big holes in the ceiling' and draw too much attention.

The cost difference between the Cree LR6 and their 4" and 5" versions is prohibitively large. If 6" is too large an opening, will likely have to change the plan to 5" halogen cans with the hope of replacing them in a few years time. Hoping someone out there with 7' ceilings can comment on having used these lights in that environment.

Thanks!

E

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Comments (5)

lucypwd
13 years ago
4" cree lights take a larger box than regular 4" cans - check the specs, unless this has changed in the past year. I know this because we put 6" CREEs in throughout the house with a plan for the 4" CREE cans in the entry and as an accent light in the family room. The 4" CREEs didn't fit as the contractor hadn't actually checked the specs for the box. Ultimately we had to use standard 4" cans in place of the CREES in those two applications. We have 8' ceilings in the kitchen/family room and used the 6" CREEs as our main ceiling light.. I love them and really like the light. They are very bright. I can't see how one foot of ceiling height would make that much difference. I do wish that I had added an extra zone of control, ( we have three), as they are very bright and do not dim that well. They do dim, but the light is just kind of weird when dimmed. Sorry, can't give a better explanation than that. I wouldn't let the dimming issue stop you from using them. Have you tried doing a search, both on this forum and lighting?
palimpsest
13 years ago
I don't know about these fixtures, but you might be surprised what a difference 12" makes in perception.

The overall height is 12.5% lower but if you are 6 feet tall, the ceiling is 1 foot above your head, not 2 feet. So from where you are "experiencing" the ceiling...above eye-level ---it feels much closer.
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We put 6 "CREE LED cans throughout the house. I absolutely love them. They are really very bright. Make sure you get the color spectrum that you prefer as there are, I believe, two different spectrums. As far as dimming them goes, unless the technology is much enhanced in the past two years, I wouldn't count on using the dimmer much - the light is just odd when they are dimmed. Instead, I would recommend breaking them up to different switches so you can "dim" the light by switching someoff if the dimmer function isn't quite what you want. In our 12ish by 14ish kitchen I have: 2 over the sink - rarely ever used, 7 in the kitchen, 4 between the kitchen and great room and another 8 in the family room/great room (may be about 24 x14ish). With all the lights on you could land a jet. Seriously, it is a lot of light, but it is easy to adjust since I have 4 zones. I could have done without the light over the sink, but I was tired of a dark kitchen, (had fluorescent tubes before with one incandescent over the sink - DARK). In the kid's rooms we have 4 CreeLEDs- very bright - I wish I had them on two different switches so you could turn on only two at a time. The dimmer function bothers both kids. There can be a slight flickering if the light switch is not set exactly. Love our Crees - expensive, but in two years haven't changed a bulb and have good energy savings. Also, try posting on the lighting forum as they have a ton of good information to share. Also, think carefully where you want your switches. I think I would use the over sink Crees if the switch were handy.
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lucypwd
13 years ago
palimpsest - that is a good point. I'm quite short, so perhaps I don't perceive the ceiling in quite the same way.. I hope that someone with 7' ceiliings will weigh in on the topic.

To the original poster, what did you have for light in the ceiling before?
eoren1
Original Author
13 years ago
Thank you both for posting.
We just closed on this house and are gutting the kitchen. They have a single flush light in place now. I was excited about the Cree LR6 until the kitchen designer became so adamant about not putting 6" holes in a 7' ceiling. Looking forward to hearing from others. I may crosspost in the basement forum as most basements should run about 7'.
E
inthehollow
13 years ago
We have 7' and a couple inches ceiling, plus beams that run through the room that make
those spaces just under 7'. Our kitchen is not finished yet- but we did install 6" can lights.
I am 5'9" and my husband is 6' 2" - I don't think it looks a bit odd. We also installed
beadboard to counteract the unbalancing that the beams caused + semiflushmounts above
the island - so there is a fair amount happening on our ceiling.

I'm no designer, but it never occured to me that it wouldn't look okay. I am thrilled to
have decent lighting in my kitchen!

Cree LR6 in a 7' kitchen ceiling - anyone with experience?

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lucypwd

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Cree LR6 in a 7' kitchen ceiling - anyone with experience?

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lucypwd

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inthehollow

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