Full Answer
How many can lights do I need per square foot?
Measure your room to see how many fixtures you will need. A common rule of thumb is that you use one recessed light for every 4 to 6 square feet of ceiling space. Click to see full answer. Also question is, how many can lights for a 12x12 room? The typical rule-of-thumb is 24" from each wall, and then 3-5 feet between cans.
How many lumens do I need per square foot?
To determine how many lumens you need, you will need to identify the type of lighting you need and its application. Rooms where you have a more relaxed atmosphere may require 20-40 lumens per square foot while well lit areas such as kitchens, baths and garages may require 60-80 lumens per square foot. What Are Lumens?
What is the minimum distance apart for recessed lights?
To calculate how far apart to install recessed lights, measure the height of your ceiling. Divide that number by 2 to determine spacing. If, for example, your ceiling is 8 feet high, place your lights 4 feet apart.
How many lumens are needed for outdoor lighting?
Lumens are a unit of light measurement that can help you judge how powerful your lighting needs to be. For outdoor lighting, you’ll need at least 50 lumens for low background lighting, all the way up to 2400 lumens for driveway and security lights – plus many options in-between.
How do you calculate how many recessed lights are needed?
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.
How many square feet does a can light cover?
A common rule of thumb is that you use one recessed light for every 4 to 6 square feet of ceiling space. Doing so provides even, overall illumination. This is an important rule to keep in mind when you are going to rely exclusively on recessed ceiling lights to illuminate your kitchen.
How many can lights for a 12x12 kitchen?
How Many Recessed Lights? In general, a 12x12 kitchen will use a minimum of three to a maximum of nine recessed lights to illuminate the needed area. Exact lighting needs will vary, so keep your kitchen's layout in mind when deciding the number of lights you need for your unique space.
How far apart should canned lights be?
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 a room with an 8-foot-high ceiling would be 4 feet between each light. This will provide good spacing for general room lighting.
How many can lights for a 12x12 room?
You will need 5 to 9 can lights to light up your 12 x 12 room for ambient lighting. Considering the fixtures and overhangs, you can determine the spacing to avoid cast shadows.
Can you have too many can lights?
It often seems that installing recessed lights is a cure all, but they cannot properly wash light upon walls and all dark corners, which would bounce reflective light into the room. In fact, using too many recessed light may leave areas of your room dark and may even cost you more on your electric bill.
How many can lights for a 10x10 room?
To properly light the task areas of a 10 ×10 kitchen with an average height ceiling, 8 (4 inches – 8 watt) can lights or 4 (6 inches 12 watt) can lights are required whereas for general illumination, 8 ( 4 inches 10 watt ) or 4 (12 watt 6 inches) can lights are required.
How much area does 6 recessed lights cover?
For example, for a 6-inch light, typically, the number is 1.5, which should be multiplied by the ceiling height. So, if your ceiling is 8 feet tall, multiplied by 1.5, the maximum space between each light should be 12 feet.
How much to install 12 can lights?
Labor. The cost for an electrician to install recessed can or can less LED lights will generally be between $200 and $250 per fixture. Professionals charge at a rate of $85 to $105 per hour and each installation takes approximately two to three hours.
What size recessed light for 8ft ceiling?
4-inchIn an 8-foot ceiling, a 4-inch fixture can work well to provide kitchen countertop lighting. A 6-inch downlight at that height will illuminate your breakfast table nicely. In a 10-foot ceiling, you might want 4-inch fixtures for area lighting, since the light will spread out more.
Is canned lighting outdated?
Recessed lighting will never go out of style. However, the finishes and sizes will vary and change as time goes by. There are too many advantages of having the lighting recessed for them to eventually go out of style or phase out.
What size can light for 10-foot ceiling?
To find an ideal height for a foyer light, take the room's height, then multiply it by 2.5 and 3, which will give you 2 numbers. (For example, if your room has a 10-foot ceiling, you will get 25 and 30.) Those two numbers are a good range for foyer light heights.
How many can lights in a 10x10 kitchen?
To properly light the task areas of a 10 ×10 kitchen with an average height ceiling, 8 (4 inches – 8 watt) can lights or 4 (6 inches 12 watt) can lights are required whereas for general illumination, 8 ( 4 inches 10 watt ) or 4 (12 watt 6 inches) can lights are required.
How much area does 6 recessed lights cover?
For example, for a 6-inch light, typically, the number is 1.5, which should be multiplied by the ceiling height. So, if your ceiling is 8 feet tall, multiplied by 1.5, the maximum space between each light should be 12 feet.
How many can lights for room size?
A common rule of thumb is one recessed light for every 4 to 6 feet of ceiling space.
What is the difference between a can light and a recessed light?
Canned lights are a type of recessed lights. They get their name from the fixture that sits within the ceiling, which is a cylinder, almost like a metal can. This can is essentially the holder for a light bulb, instead of having a lower-hanging pendant that you would install the bulb into.
Measure the Room
Large spaces need more lighting than small rooms. To find out how many lumens you’ll need in a given area, you need to start by measuring the room. Here’s how to quickly calculate square footage:
Understand Foot Candles
A foot candle is a measurement that tells you how bright a light source is when standing one foot away. Understanding foot candles to lumens conversions can make it easier to determine your own lighting needs.
How Many Lumens Do I Need?
Once you’ve measured the room and calculated the required foot candles, it’s time to determine how many lumens a space needs. Multiply your room square footage by your foot candle requirement.
Lumens Quick Guide
Taking a few minutes to determine the recommended lumens per square foot with the method outlined above is ideal. However, if you can’t make calculations or quickly need to know how many lumens are needed per square foot for a garage or workshop, you can try the lumens quick guide below for an average estimate:
Tips for Industrial and Commercial Spaces
Industrial spaces often require more lumens per square foot because of the complicated, potentially dangerous nature of work being performed. In these spaces, you’ll want to look for shop lights, wraparound lights, LED troffers and high bay lights that have higher output.
