house ceiling recessed LED lights
Need your pro advice and help with the ceiling recessed lights throughout our house.
We are getting LED lights redone. We have can lights where bulbs can be replaced (first two pictures with light off and one with light off), but our contractor is now recommending these LED units that you can change the color (picture with attached lighting preferences and controls). Has anyone gotten and used these LED unit lights? Do they last long? Would you recommend?
Comments (12)
wdccruise
2 years ago
3onthetree
2 years agoA more appropriate lumenaire would be a retrofit conversion, so you don't have to remove the existing housing and mess with your textured ceiling. You simply remove the trim/baffle and 'bulb,' and screw and snap in the retrofit. Example:
However, another option is just to buy LED 'bulbs' and replace the incandescent 'bulbs' you have, and you can experiment with color temperature or anything else you'd like. You can also paint the trim/baffle.As far as longevity, there are many factors, mostly having to do with heat the LED driver is exposed to. There are better/worse for retrofits, full remodel lumenaires, and 'bulbs,' which is harder to quantify and compare in a type or brand.
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Whole house LED recessed lighting
Comments (24)This is a 6-year old thread! But for any readers in the present with a similar concern, the OP really raised two separate questions (perhaps without realizing it): 1) Using recessing lighting fixtures throughout the entire house (regardless of type of lamp used); 2) The type of lamp to be used throughout the house (regardless of the fixture in which it's used). First, recessed "downlights", even with flood lamps rather than spot lamps, is primarily intended for task lighting, not overall ambient lighting, and certainly not for "feature" lighting where the fixture and the glow of the lamp are the "feature" to attract the eye and create a pleasant emotion. Task lighting means lighting placed for a certain task: illuminating a counter top or island; illuminating the area adjacent to a door; illuminating art and wall hung/mounted objects (when the recessed lamp can be rotated and adjusted within certain angles). The only overall ambient lighting possible with a recessed fixture is indirect or "bounce" light, which is greatly reduced in usable lumens. In other words, recessed light fixtures are ideal when you want the light source to not be visible, but you want "something" specific to be illuminated. The best results for overall ambient and special feature lighting are from other types of fixtures--not recessed "task lighting" fixtures. In most situations, strong lighting design is a combination of the three types of fixtures: task lighting fixtures, ambient lighting fixtures and a very few, carefully chosen feature lighting fixtures. There are very few situations in a residence (or any other building) where only a single type of lighting fixture will be satisfactory for every type of lighting need. Second, as to the type of lamp, there are many line and low-voltage lamps (and associated lighting fixtures) to chose from. Each has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Like fixtures, there is no single lamp which is universally "best" for every lighting need. What all of this means is that for best lighting, one needs to study, become informed and choose wisely to get fixtures and lamps which best fit the various lighting needs throughout a house....See MoreCheaper alternatives for recessed LED lights on a vaulted ceiling
Comments (2)I was stuck on trying to use the CR6 lamps with integrated trim. But since the trim is integrated the only way to use the would be to have the light 105/75 degrees (rather than 90) to the floor. I found an example where something similar was done https://www.houzz.com/discussions/are-you-using-recessed-lights-specified-dsvw-vd~58981-you-using-recessed-lights-specified-for--- but they had two matching side plus the large hanging light in the middle to balance it out. I'm not sure if my room will look right with only the one vaulted side. But the slant of the ceiling is not strong, so maybe I am over thinking this. I just found these regressed eyeball trims http://www.amazon.com/Cooper-Lighting-420W-Regressed-Eyeball/dp/B000JFKUQ0 they look cleaner that the old style that sticks out which I did want to avoid. The LED BR30 lamp is not as efficient or long lasting as the CR6....See MoreHelp - Sloped Ceiling Recessed Lighting Retrofit with LED
Comments (13)Can you post a photo of the trim? Some trims are really standard- they can be replaced for $10-$18 at home depot plus $5-8 for a good bulb. Sometimes they are not standard but can be fixed with a can of white spray paint. Then other cans have trims that are integrated and can't be removed at all... Generally working with what you have will be cheapest as it doesn't require an electrician to replace the housing in the ceiling. To me LED bulbs have a better light output than the LED retrofit kits, others will disagree. Make sure to watch the color temperature (I like 2700K) and you will need to replace the dimmers as well....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 MoreHU-131230266
2 years agoHere is the brand of the recessed LED light. Also, don’t worry about construction or having to do “more work” - we already hired a contractor who is doing all of the labor like demo, electric, paint, etc. We are basically building from scratch.
I am simply asking if you had the choice to have “can” lights or completely recessed/flat LED lights that don’t require a “can,” then which would you choose and why?
PRORL Relocation LLC
2 years agoHU-131230266
2 years agoIt was recommended by the contractor. We dont want to change colors, we just want to choose the same bright 4k lights as our cabinet lights all throughout the living room (open layout plan).
HU-131230266
2 years agowdccruise
2 years agolast modified: 2 years agoHU-131230266
2 years agoHU-131230266
2 years agowdccruise
2 years ago- PRO
RL Relocation LLC
2 years ago
3onthetree