Today I will tell you the basics of recessed lighting whether you're
constructing a new home or remodeling an existing structure recessed lights are
an excellent way to add value and beauty to your home.
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| Recessed Lights |
Recessed lights are versatile and present light in either a general
purpose setting or as I way to highlight specific areas of your home. Because
of their recessed nature you get all the illumination with none of the visual
clutter.
Recessed lights are comprised of three sections the first section is
the housing the second section is the illumination and the third section are
the trims
Here you have an example of IC-rated new construction housing
It is new construction because it goes attached to the joist by
these arms on the sides it is IC-rated because you can have the installation go
right up to the box without any risk of hazard of heat
The second is also new construction, as you can see, with the arms
Whether you're constructing a new home but you cannot have the
installation coming up to the fixture and then the third type is a remodel
housing
This one is very simply inserted by making a hole in the ceiling and
attaching the arm through and then being held in place by brackets and by a
trim that pops in at the very end.
The second part to recessed lights is the illumination
Typically they were used with medium based bulbs that look like this
or with a PAR20 or PAR30, that look like this Later on, lighting advanced and
low-voltage fixtures were made which, typically look like this, an MR16 Now the
latest technology which is the LED
The LEDs mimic the shapes of the traditional ones but it has other
advantages like a longer life, reduced heat and less electric consumption
They can also still be used with these fixtures but you need a special
dimmer in order for it to work
The third part to the recessed lights is the trim this is just the
aesthetic part
It comes in square, circle or a mixture of both
You may have a square on the outside and a circle on the inside
My one recommendation is to always use something with a gimbal
The gimbal is the section in the middle that will move around this
will give you flexibility in case you want to light an artwork, or a niche or
some kind of statue.
there are a few examples of recessed lights being installed in a new
construction application are attached to studs. Once attached and the
electrical work is run the ceiling is applied. In remodel applications the
ceiling is existent and holes are made to accommodate the fixtures.
These can be tricky because the placement of the lights is based not
only on their functional value but too on existing studs and other factors in
your ceiling.
Once the holes and electrical work have been run the installer
pushes the remodel housing through the open hole and attaches using brackets in
the housing.
As always remember these installations should be complete by a
licensed contractor or electrician.