QA

Quick Answer: How Far Away From Cabinets Should Recessed Lighting Be

How far should recessed lighting be from cabinets?

Place your recessed downlights 12″ apart from each other and 12″ to 18″ away from any cabinets to illuminate counter areas. Please note that these are basic kitchen lighting ideas; the exact placement of lights will depend on your unique room space.

How far from wall should recessed lighting be in kitchen?

Keep your fixtures between 1.5 and 3 feet away from the wall. Space fixtures equidistant from each other. Place adjustable trim away from the wall.

What is the rule of thumb for recessed lighting spacing?

A good general rule for placement is to divide the height of the ceiling by two. The result is the amount of space to leave between each light. For example, recessed lighting spacing for an 8-foot-high ceiling would be 4 feet between each light.

Can recessed lights be too close?

Avoid recessed lighting fixtures placed too close together or in rows down the center of the room. This type of installation can have the look of an airport runway. Match the size of your recessed lighting fixtures to how close together they can be installed.

Can you have too many recessed lights?

“It’s too bright in here.” The culprit: Too many recessed lights. Home builders, contractors—or hey, even you—can get a little overzealous when it come to how many recessed lights go into a space. And too many can leave a living room feeling like a lobby or a hallway feeling like a runway.

Can light placement in a kitchen?

The best recessed-light location is 24 inches from the wall, directly above the countertop edge. Light levels dropped dramatically when the cans were located farther away.

How many recessed lights can you put on one switch?

The main limitation on the number of recessed lights that a single switch can control is the rating of the circuit breaker controlling the circuit. Each incandescent or halogen 60-watt bulb draws around 1/2 amp, and therefore, standard lighting with a 15amp breaker can manage 30 lights.

How far apart should 6 inch LED recessed lights be?

Generally speaking, recessed lights that are four inches in size should be placed four feet apart. Six-inch lights should be placed six feet apart. In other words, the diameter of the lights equals the space between them.

Should you stagger recessed lights?

The typical rule is to place the lights the same number of feet apart as the bulb’s diameter in inches. So a bulb with a 4-inch diameter should be 4 feet away from the next light.

How many can lights in a 20×20 room?

If you have a center light fixture, you should be able to use 4 inch line voltage cans or low voltage for supplemental lighting. I would go with at least 8 three inch cans for a 20 foot room.

Where should recessed lights be placed in living room?

Living Room To achieve the best effect, place the lights two to three feet away from the walls. Cons: Spacing is important to make any room look its best with recessed lighting. If the ceiling in your room is too small to allow the correct spacing, consider using a chandelier or table and accent lamps instead.

How do you determine the number of recessed lights needed in a room?

Formula: total sq. footage x 1.5 = total wattage needed. Total wattage divided by 60 watts (or whichever wattage you select) = total amount of recessed can lights. Example: 240 square foot room x 1.5 = 360 divided by 60 (the bulb wattage I’d like to use) = 6 recessed lights needed.

What is the difference between can lights and recessed lights?

Recessed lights, also known as can lights, are described as metal light housings installed in the ceiling for a sleek look that gives you back your ceiling.

How many recessed lights do I need in my kitchen?

Have a larger kitchen? Install one recessed light for every four to six square feet of ceiling space. Though recessed lights may look small, together they provide strong, consistent light coverage across a whole room.

Does recessed lighting have to be symmetrical?

The General Lighting Layout The recessed lights should be aligned and equally spaced across the ceiling. Resist the temptation to place the lights according to objects in the room (such as furniture).

What kitchen layout is best?

Galley. This efficient, “lean” layout is ideal for smaller spaces and one-cook kitchens. The galley kitchen, also called a walk-through kitchen, is characterized by two walls opposite of each other—or two parallel countertops with a walkway in between them.

How do you design a lighting layout?

We will outline these helpful steps below: Step 1: Make a plan. Step 2: Outline what takes place in each part of the room. Step 3: Indicate where the light should come from. Step 4: Identify where sockets and switches are located in the chosen space. Step 5: Select specific light fixtures for each part of the room.

Can I daisy chain recessed lights?

Remember that you must run one ultra-thin extension cable (or run of low voltage wire) for each light. You can not daisy chain multiple lights together.

Should recessed lights be wired in series or parallel?

Your recessed lighting should not be wired this way, as it causes a drop in amperage to the light farthest from the circuit breaker in the series, and if one fixture fails, the others fail, similar to how when one light burns out in a strand of Christmas lights, they all fail.

How many LED lights can you put on one circuit?

Breaker Limitations Each CFL or LED bulb typically gives the same amount of light as a 60-watt incandescent bulb while drawing 10 watts or less, which is equivalent to a current draw of 1/12 amp. Thus a 15-amp circuit can safely control 180 or more fixtures that use CFL or LED bulbs.

How far should recessed lights be from a ceiling fan?

To determine how far apart to space your recessed lights, divide the height of the ceiling by two. If a room has an 8 foot ceiling, you should space your recessed lights approximately 4 feet apart. If the ceiling is 10 feet, you’ll want to put about 5 feet of space in between each fixture.

How close can recessed light be to joist?

That said, a fairly standard recessed light should not be fitted so that any part of its assembly is less than half an inch from anything flammable — such as a timber joist — at the sides. A two-inch clearance from anything above the lamp is a typical minimum.