Recessed can lights are a great way to illuminate a room without installing clunky light fixtures. They are sleek, modern, and very low maintenance. One of the biggest benefits of this style of lighting is that they are usually designed to reflect more light back downwards. Chrome finishes inside the can will work to provide more light than a standard fixture would. In this post I want to share some of the things that you have to consider when shopping for recessed can lighting before you start shopping for them.
Making Space For Recessed Can Lights
The biggest problem that people run into when installing recessed can lighting is that there isn’t enough space between the ceiling and the roof. Flat roofs usually have less than a foot of clearance between the ceiling and the roof, so a shallower light fixture may be necessary. Slanted roofs don’t have much space at all at the lower ends of the slant.
Before making any decisions, make sure that you have enough space to work with. Get up into the attic or crawl space with a flashlight to check what the amount of clearance you have is.
Installing Recessed Can Lights
If you are building a new home, have the lights installed and wired when they are building the ceilings.
If you are retrofitting these lights into an older home, it will take some extra work. Holes will have to be cut into the ceiling to install the lights, and they will have to be wired to a switch. If you aren’t comfortable doing this work yourself, a professional handyman should be able to do this type of work without charging you too much. It’s not a difficult job, but many people can’t handle the stress of cutting into their own ceilings!
Before Going Shopping
Once you know how much space you have to work with and have a plan for installation, it’s time for research. There are a lot of different styles of recessed can lights so it’s important to spend time researching beforehand.
The amount of light that you need should be the biggest determinant in what you buy, not the styling. Lights that look great, but don’t work well in your home aren’t going to last long. Figure out how much lighting you need by looking at what’s already there. If the lights that you have now are lacking in some way, the new ones need to compensate for that. Can lights tend to only shine light down, rather than project it across the room, so any spots that are currently dark are probably going to need a can light of their own.
Obviously, you want whatever you buy to look good on its own as well, so figure out what style you’re going for before shopping. Recessed can light choices are becoming more creative, so there is bound to be something that jives with your style.
The plan beforehand is the most important part of buying recessed can lights. If you don’t have a clear vision of how this project is going to end up it will be much harder to get to the finish line. Spend plenty of time researching to make sure that you get exactly what is best for your home!
