Recessed lighting in kitchen on cathedral ceiling - Gimbals vs.regular
I did some research on recessed cans as I thought I didn't want the regular flush can. I found something called a gimbal and my designer agreed to that with a 4" can. It's a long story, but the contractors just bought regular 6" cans and installed. I can't figure out if I'm going to like the light in my peripheral vision. Have owners liked the regular cans in cathedrals or am I going to be unhappy? To change isn't on my dime as it was their mistake, although I don't think they will change the layout, just use the holes that are there now. My designer is coming Wed to look but when she came a few days ago with not all of them in, she thought it was fine as she likes a cleaner look and the gimbals will stick out a little, but I go back and forth. I just want to know, not taking into account who has to pay for the change, what do home owners like in the end? Thanks so much.
Comments (13)
PROPatricia Colwell Consulting
4 years agojudmen
4 years agoRelated Discussions
Best recessed kitchen lighting - suggestions please.
Comments (17)Hi Fletcher, I obviously don't know the layout of the room, but I like what your architect is suggesting. 16' is high. So also keep in mind the hassle of changing the bulbs. Halogen Par bulbs last about 2500 hours. I have an MR16 for low voltage cans which lasts 20,000 hours. And if you dim it, you'll extend its life. Now, as to the actual layout, that's a different story. I tend to use recessed along the perimeter of the room and then do something decorative- hanging light, ceiling fan, monorail lighting, etc, in the center on a different switch. I just don't like a bunch of holes in a ceiling throughout a room. The Crees don't gimbal yet. Although we have used them successfully on a sloped ceiling. I had a customer claim he tested one at 15' and was thrilled with it. But I didn't see it. I do have LED Par bulbs which can fit in a line voltage can and can be gimbaled. But I think we're about 80% there. So I wouldn't count on it as the major source of light. Finally, you already are able to use MR16 LED bulbs in a low voltage can in the future. I have bulbs now which are as bright as a 20 watt halogen. So they're not bright enough yet for overall use. I'm working with a company which claims they have a low voltage LED retrofit bulb which is as bright as a 50 watt MR 16. I should have that in my hands soon. So actually, that's one of my selling points. If someone wants the small 3.5" or 4" opening, I suggest they get the low voltage halogen can now. By the time they need to change the bulb, there will be an LED available for that can. Hope this helps....See MoreNo housing recessed LED gimbal for shallow ceilings/remodel?
Comments (0)I’m planning on putting in Lotus 4” recessed gimbals throughout my living/kitchen area. These lights are really impressive as they only require 2.5” of ceiling clearance and this is key because I have shallow rafters. They are secured with spring clips to the ceiling. They are very bright at 1000 lumens and have a nice medium-wide beam angle. There’s a small transformer box sits on the drywall. These are insulated rated, and most importantly, even in proximity to foam insulation, unlike ICAT housings. There are a number of brands producing these lights in gimbals (lotus, elite, gm, aspectled), but most are 3”/600 lumen. I see this style of light getting more and more popular, especially for remodel. I looked at the slimmest new construction housings and the WAC housing (3.5”) is over $200 per box. Nora has a 4” box but in testing the light I found it did not have a good beam angle (despite their claim of 60 degrees). And it got hot to the touch. These lights have better placement options than a new construction box. We are building boxes (8x8x2.5”) to create a void for the lights around the foam insulation. This has been signed off by the GC and master electrician. They will be installed in the rafter bays and then hole saw the cutouts and stuff everything inside. This allows 4.5” on insulation between the box and roof deck. The plan is to install these in just a few days but tell me where I”m going wrong. The major downside I see is the cutout is not standard. These cutouts are 4 1/8”, but many others are in the 3-“ range, so worst case scenario is I’m in for some drywall work. If they fail down the road in 5, 10 years, you may have to replace them all. But I’m confident the options then are going to accommodate the are just going to get better and more compact....See MoreFloor plan advice... Kitchen layout. Cathedral ceiling advice.
Comments (55)I think the back of the house could use a little dimension...it all seems a little flat right now and not sure how that will look from the exterior? I don’t know if there’s any specific nice view out the back that you want to preserve/enhance, but having 1-2 bump outs might be nice. They could also get you some new windows in different directions, bringing in some different light. For example, you could bump out your living room so it’s not in a flat plane with the rest of the house. If your living room currently has a western exposure (I forget what the orientation is), you could then get north and south exposure by adding windows along the sides of the bump out. You could maybe even add some doors to the outside on the side of the bump out so you don’t have to squeeze by the dining table to access the sliding door - that’s how my house is currently and it is sort of annoying sometimes. I’m not an architect, so I don’t know the term for it, but adding a little dimension along the back might be good, unless you’re going for a super formal symmetrical aesthetic, which I don’t think you are....See MoreCanned/recessed ceiling LED lights for 20-ft ceiling
Comments (29)I ended up putting in Nicor DRD 2" LED lights. Nicor does free assessments that I found very helpful. I've been very happy with the lights. I put in a 5x4 grid, so 20 lights. The symmetric alternate was 3x4 = 12. Knowing what I know now, I'd probably have gone with 12 instead of 20, I like having really low lighting in the evening, and never turn it all the way up. But I'm quite happy with what I did, too, and at the lowest setting, it's nice evening light. Although the LED lights don't draw a lot of electricity, because I have 20, they flickered with a standard Lutron dimmer, so I had to get the Pro model, and now it works fine...See Morejudmen
4 years ago
PRORL Relocation LLC
4 years agoIm not even sure those are cans or flush mount "look a like" here is what slopped can look like.
judmen thanked RL Relocation LLCjudmen
4 years agojudmen
4 years agomissenigma
4 years agoJudmen - Recessed on sloped ceilings requires a bit more work to select the correct recessed light (ceiling pitch, lumens and beam spread are some factors). Based on the hanging fixture in your picture it looks like something like this was purchased and installed from Home Depot:
As wdccruise pointed out, these are designed for flat ceilings. When installed on a sloped ceiling you run into problems because the light doesn't shine down. A gimbal would allow you to do that, but there are better options. Here's a link where you can learn a bit more about recessed lighting for sloped ceilings. This is for info only, I don't think this company's solution will work for you, BUT there are LED can and canless solutions that would.
Aside from gimbal trims, better designed solutions are probably not stocked in your local Home Center. They can also get pricey.wdccruise
4 years ago- PRO
RL Relocation LLC
4 years ago
Sammy