OT: Recessed lighting layout

[bcarroll01]

I am planning on putting recessed lighting in my living room as there is only lamps lighting it now. The space is 19.5 ft long by 13.5 ft wide with about an 8 ft high ceiling. I keep finding differing amount of lights to put in ranging from 6-12 for 6 in cans. Can anyone give me any tips or insight for the right amount of lights?

 

[Mark101]

You also have to consider what type of lamps flouresents or incadesents. Also the type of trims meaning do you want any of the lighting highlighting anything on the wall these are know as wall washers

 

[bcarroll01]

I am looking at using led bulbs that at 14w but are equivalent to 85w. I do not need anything on the wall highlighted.

 

[Mark101]

Bryan,do you have the cut sheet on the trim it should tell you the degrees of light spread this will help you determain how many lights will be needed

 

[bcarroll01]

No, I have not bought anything yet, I am starting to research and plan ahead. I can try to get the degrees of light spread though.

 

[Electromen]

Bryan, I install over 1,000 recessed lights each year.
1.Can you post a simple floor plan, showing furniture and tv location?
2. What is above the ceiling, attic or 2nd floor.
3. The best LED lamp I've seen so far for recessed is BulbBright. I just bought a couple of GE, I haven't tried them yet. I didn't like the Phillips.
4. Be aware that a dimmer must be approved for LED. I like Lutron Ariadni and Luton Diva, but they must be LED rated.
5. Since you're from the Pittsburgh area, I may be able to get you a deal on quality lights.
6. New work or Old work? In other words, is there a plastered ceiling there now?
7. The layout will depend on how the ceiling is framed; 12", 16" or 24" on center?
8. If there's a 2nd floor above, where is the plumbing and duct work?

 

[bcarroll01]

I will start drawing up a floor plan and find out about the framing.

 

[bcarroll01]

Here is a quick layout I did. I can make on to scale on a lined paper if that would be better. The right side of the picture is the entertainment unit with a DVD holder. The front of the couch is about 10ft from the wall. In the back is a desk, fish tank and chair used for reading. The studs are 16 inches from outside to outside of the stud. There is an insulated attic above that is fan vented. There is also a plastered ceiling with no ductwork or pipes above it.

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by default 2013-07-16 at 9.28.50 PM by bry1865, on Flickr

 

[Electromen]

Here's the lighting layout I can up with. The lights are 4' on center, since this works with 16" OC framing. It uses three different switches which allows the TV area to be very dim or off, the couch to be dim and the desk and chair to be brighter. It also shows a speaker layout. Depending on framing and your preference, You may want to kick the entire layout back toward the desk area.

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[Electromen]

Here are three views. Notice my pano of Pittsburgh is on your wall in #1.

#1

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#2

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#3

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[Electromen]

I like the pano large

#4

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[Electromen]

Since there is insulation in the attic, you must use IC cans. These are rated for direct contact with insulation. You'll want to make sure insulation is on all sides and on top of the can. Failure to do so will cause condensation inside the can and heat loss.
Another option is lighting the walls with indirect light. In that case you'd use a wall washer trim.

 

[bcarroll01]

Thank you for taking the time to make up the mock. It's funny because I have a brand new set of ceiling speakers like you put in the layout in a closet. One question though, From the front and back wall to the first light is it 3'8"? I have always loved your pano.

 

[bcarroll01]

I just noticed I left out a the window and the opening but the layout seems like it will work good. I have been placing round cutouts to see what it will look like.

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Untitled by bry1865, on Flickr
View attachment 1213356
Untitled by bry1865, on Flickr

 

[Mitchell]

Nice work, Greg.

When I went through this years ago with my large living room (25x25), the best thing we did was lay out the furniture groups. I then installed the lights to illuminate different seating patterns on independent switches. Very functional and worth the effort now!

 

[Electromen]

Thank you for taking the time to make up the mock. It's funny because I have a brand new set of ceiling speakers like you put in the layout in a closet. One question though, From the front and back wall to the first light is it 3'8"? I have always loved your pano.

In a family room, we usually install them between 3'6" and 4'0" from the wall to the center of the light. In an eight foot ceiling, a recessed light will light an eight foot circle on the floor. I like keeping the light a little toward the walls vs the center of the room. I was trying to place them closer to the desk and chair.

 

[Electromen]

Thank you for taking the time to make up the mock. It's funny because I have a brand new set of ceiling speakers like you put in the layout in a closet. One question though, From the front and back wall to the first light is it 3'8"? I have always loved your pano.

Notice where I've place the front left and right speakers in the wall vertically. The center speaker is under the TV horizontally. Rectangular speakers look best in the wall, round look best in the ceiling. The sub-woofer can be anywhere in the room, it doesn't matter.

 

[Rich Gibson]

This past fall I converted my family room to a home theater environment. Since you asked about recessed lighting I thought I'd show you my setup. The viewing part of the room (the background part contains an elliptic and bowflex) is 20' wide by 15' deep, similar to your dimensions. The projector is about 13 feet from the 106" screen.

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The lighting consists of two central recessed lights for general lighting.

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The other set is around the periphery.

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Here are the seats. The three were purchased in conjunction with AVSForum.com

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I installed a track light over each of the seats. Lighting control is done through insteon outlets and iRule software. You can see my iPad on my center seat in the first shot.

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The buttons permit adjusting all the lights incrementally. iRule also permits automating the lights. For example shutting off the cable and receiver runs up the periphery lighting automatically.

Hope this helps. If you need parts/numbers let me know.

 

[Electromen]

Rich, Very nice job. It looks like some of those recessed might be low voltage MR-16. Is that right?

 

[480sparky]

Only way to answer this is to know what lamp you're gonna put in them.