A few years ago I needed to increase the light in a kitchen lit by an overhead fluorescent fixture. As I found it, it had two 4-foot T8 735 tubes and an "energy-saving" (read: light-reducing) instant-start ballast. To make it brighter without the hassle and expense of replacing the lamp fixture, I replaced the ballast with the highest-overdriving ballast I could find that could drive a pair of F32 T8's. After some online research, I wound up buying a Philips Advance IOP3P32HL90CSC (a.k.a. IOP3P32HL90CSC3SI , sometimes with several hyphens inserted for readability). It can drive either 2 or 3 bulbs, but overdrives more when used with 2 bulbs. This was a few years ago, there might be something better now, but 1.37 ballast factor replacing a 0.87 or something makes a substantial improvement in brightness. I also upped the brightness slightly by replacing the TL735 bulbs with TL830 or TL835's which are slightly brighter and have better color rendering, which the eye perceives as adding brightness. Re: Philips TL930/TL950 :I've used both the Philips TL930 (95CRI) and TL950 (98CRI) 4-foot tubes., which fortunately I was able to buy two at a time from the local retailer. The TL950s illuminated my kitchen; the 930s went into a basement rec room where they match the color temperature of halogen downlights. The TL950s won't blow you away upon first turning them on - they look like typical cool/sunlight fluorescents at first. Its just that the different colors really pop out well and cleanly and the colors jump out at you rather than being dulled. The kitchen there has no windows, and in the morning sunlight, I noticed the ambient light from the windows across the apartment matched the TL950 light in the kitchen perfectly. If I take pictures with a film camera loaded with standard color film (daylight-balanced), pictures taken with available light indoors under typical "cool white" fluorescents lend an awful greenish cast to everything, but those shot under TL950s had perfect color. That says boatloads about the TL950's color accuracy. As for the lower lumen output, I again compensated by overdriving them by about 25%. I needed a rapid-start ballast for these fixtures, and went with a GE/Motorola ballast that overdrives a pair of F32 T8's with a ballast factor of about 1.20 IIRC, not as bright as the Philips I mentioned above but adequate for my needs here, plus I needed rapid-start rather than instant-start for this application. There are (were?) 2700K, 3500K, 4100K, and 6500K versions of these bulbs sold in Europe. Too bad they aren't sold in North America.

Dawn it could be one of the possibilities. Ballasts do fail. You could usually tell on the old ones as the black insulation poured around them would get hot and run out. That is the black tar looking substance you would see when one failed. Another sad thing is the sales people where you buy replacements, ect many times don't know anymore than the consumer. That is why it is best to take the number off the bulb and if replacing the ballast the old ballast with you and make sure you get the exact or an equal replacement. Then again if it is a replacement you have to trust they know. I buy most everything from an wholesale electrical distribution company with trained staff. But the average consumer doesn't have that option. Right now with all of the changes being made it is hard to keep up. Even the electrician I work with and wired the church with had to study some before we wired up the first electronic ballast on the old fixture. The easiest and sometimes as cheap is just replacing the whole fixture with a new one. The reason I bought my fixtures and bulbs from Home Depot is because they were cheaper than buying from the wholesale company. The 4 ft fixtures I bought have 4 2ft T8 bulbs in them. All of the fixtures on my growing shelves are T12 4 footers. I will use them till they fail and then upgrade. If the lumen rating is the same the brightness is the same or real close regarless of size of bulb.

Laurie, This MAY seem like it doesn't apply because it is about kitchens, but it can be translated to any room we are having difficulty with. This was over in the kitchens forum, by another GWer, Sweeby. Read the article and then imagine what you want the room to "feel" like. I understand the frustration. I had post's all over the place on this site about my DS bedroom and what color to paint the walls. I agonized about this since July! I finally painted last week and went with his original thought and painted it RL Hunting Coat Red. Some may say he was telling me this all along, but I know what a PITA painting with red can be and that is why I shyed away from it. Anyway, it is done and it looks perfect and he is happy...and so am I! In other words, I did what I knew I should have done in the first place, but didn't because I thought it would be a PITA. I wasted time and he lived with an assortment of paint blotches all over the walls. Is there a way you can try and use another glaze over what is there, maybe a thin glaze that might help add to it and distract from the color already there? Does thst make any sense? I would try to adjust the glaze you have somehow if I could. I really feel your pain also. I wish I could come and help somehow, but know that many of us ARE holding your hand! Here is a link that might be useful: The Sweeby Test

Thank you all; you said: “remove the mantle” (HIwEase); “take the surround and end it from wall to wall run it up to the ceiling with different tiling” (Claire Larece); “painted the same as the wall color(…) 3 inch or so wide black metal frame around the firebox” (lefty47); “something that goes wall corner to corner” (beesneeds); “Remove the current fireplace surround, fur out the wall, and tile with large format tiles” (groveraxle). We did it, TY !! ... Now will you please help me out switching art between living room and family room? <new thread? this one is 100+ long>