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Lighting Design Dilemma

4" or 6" LED Recessed Lighting For Small Bathroom Remodel

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

I'm remodeling my small master bathroom. It is 5 ft x 11 ft. The electrician asked me which size I would like him to install; 6" or 4" LED lights. There will be 3 LED lights installed: one on the ceiling above the shower, and the two other ones equally spaced out on the ceiling outside the shower. The only other sources of light I will have are a 24" W x 36"H LED framed mirror above a corner makeup vanity, and a 30" W x 30" H medicine cabinet framed with LED lights above my floating sink vanity situated right outside the shower. I understand that 4" lights are more modern, and since my bathroom design is modern, it should be a no brainer. However, I do like a well-lit room. The electrician said that there probably wouldn't be a noticeable difference in the amount of light that either size emits. He will install a dimmer regardless of which size I choose. I'm still wary of making the wrong decision. I would like the 4" because they will be consistent with my bathroom design. Unfortunately, I will only know in hindsight if the 4" LED lights are sufficient. Does anyone have any insight as to whether the 4" lights will sufficiently light up my bathroom, or if I should just choose the 6" lights because they could potentially produce more light? Any advice would be greatly appreciated as I need to decide very soon:)

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Comments (5)

lucky998877
3 years ago
We did 4" cans in our recent renovation. I have them in a 10' ceiling and you could do surgery in my kitchen. Plenty of light! Some of the older 6" cans in other areas look so dated and huge now in comparison.
Terry thanked lucky998877
recordaras
3 years ago
The difference between 6” and 4” is roughly about 200 lumens - 6” are typically around 900 lumens and 4” around 700. So between the three cans it’s a 600 lumens difference which amounts to roughly one 50W light bulb. I don’t think that’s a huge difference personally. We have a windowless bathroom a touch bigger than yours (9x8) and we’re doing five 4” cans, two over the shower (it’s long and narrow - 70” long) and three in the room plus two LED sconces. Right now we have four 6” retrofits and it’s pretty bright.
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The problem with all of this lighting is that each one is more than likely different color rendering from each other. If you could post a photo of everything, that would really help. Well with 6 inch cans, you can dim them down, and keep them at a certain level. The 4 inch cans don't give out as good of a beam spread and there are not a lot of good choices for 4 inch LED cans other than the Cree lr-4 and a few other brands, but their pretty pricey. If you think 6 inch cans are too big and unattractive, you have ruled out the best lighting choice for your kitchen. Every client that has used these lights loved the looks and performance. http://www.halogenlighting.com/led-recessed.html Mike
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I always vote for plenty of light, so I'd go for the canned LED, especially if you want to read in the tub or do chores such as bathing the kids or the dog. You may not need a 6" though. We just had 4" put in our kitchen and master bath and they are plenty bright. Make sure to choose your LED color wisely - we preferred the ones in the 3500 range - more like natural light than the ones leaning toward yellow or blue. We also put ours on a dimmer (make sure to get a dimmer that works with LED). I'd also center the can - people naturally look for balance, and a light shifted to the right or left may "feel off" to you.
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Nine seems excessive for a 7X9 space. Yes, two 40 watt equivalent lights is a bit low for vanity lighting. If it was me, I would look at sconces that still sit relatively close to the wall but also take standard bulbs. This may limit choices though. I'd say 6 can style lights would be adequate for the space, but it really is impossible to say without actually seeing the layout of the space and knowing how open the shower is relative to the entire space. I am not a fan of integrated led, although I admit I do use the flat disks that simulate can lights in various places as they can be gotten relatively cheap and install easy on a standard shallow junction box. The shallow j-boxes tend to be quicker and easier to install than cans and are less trouble if its attic space overhead. Overall, I do find it better to get fixtures that you can change a bulb in. Premature LED death is common so when that occurs, its a lot easier to change the bulb than change a fixture. Further, you can work to ensure that you get the color you like for the bulbs. If you get something that is too blue, it's not a big deal to get a different color bulb and fix it. You can also buy a more powerful bulb to throw more light if you find you need it.
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Here are some pictures. Please note hubby is doing some wall repairs.
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M Riz
3 years ago
I think it might depend on your ceiling height.
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Terry thanked M Riz
Terry
Original Author
3 years ago
They're standard 8' ceilings. Thoughts?
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M Riz
3 years ago
I‘d go with the 4, my ceilings are 12‘ and we used the larger led lights. its a long way down. You can always ask your electrician, they really do know best .
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Terry thanked M Riz

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