Recessed Lighting Buying Guide | Lowe’s (2024)

FAQs

How many lumens should my recessed lights be? ›

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.

Generally, you'll need one can light for every four to six square feet. The taller your ceiling height, the more can lights you'll need. Map out your room to plan ideal recessed lighting placement.

Both canned and canless recessed lights have their own advantages and disadvantages. Canned lights are typically more durable and can be easier to install, while canless lights are often more energy-efficient and can create a cleaner, more modern look.

One downside of recessed lighting is the possible energy efficiency problems they might create in your home or business. To install recessed lighting, you have to cut holes in the ceiling and sometimes parts of the walls, which then become potential areas that air can leak in and out of your house.

The culprit: Too many recessed lights. It's easy to get a little overzealous when it comes to how many recessed lights go into a space. Too many can leave a living room feeling like a lobby or a hallway feeling like a runway.

6” recessed lights are typically used in larger rooms with taller ceilings. Unlike 4” lights, these fixtures provide light over a larger area to create general light over more of the room.

For an average 12′ x 12′ bedroom, you would need around 4,000 lumens of light.

By dividing the total height of your ceiling in half, you get the amount of space you should leave between each light. For example, recessed lighting spacing for a 16-foot-high ceiling would be 8 feet between each light. This will provide good spacing for the overall illumination of the room.

Whatever new recessed lighting you add should work with your existing fixtures. 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. Doing so provides even, overall illumination.

How do you calculate the number of recessed lights needed? ›

How to Calculate How Many Lights You Need. A good rule of thumb is to measure the height of your ceiling, then divide it by two. That's the number you should use for spacing between lights. So if your ceiling is 8' high, you'd want to leave 4' of space in between your recessed lighting.

The most common size recessed light is 6-inch. The standard ceiling cut-out size for 6-inch housings is 6-3/8 inches, and the inside diameter of the housing (trim removed) measures approximately 6-inches.

4-inche Recessed Lights

It's recommended to maintain a distance of 4 to 5 feet between each recessed light. The distance from the wall to the fixture should be approximately 2.5 feet to ensure even light distribution and prevent shadowed areas.

In a 10-foot ceiling, you might want 4-inch fixtures for area lighting, since the light will spread out more. A 7-inch fixture makes a nice wall washer in an 8-foot ceiling. The most popular size is a 6-inch fixture.

If you plan to illuminate an entire wall or accent particular architectural features or pieces of art, the rule of thumb is to place your recessed light fixtures between 1.5 feet and 3 feet from the wall. If your fixtures are fixed, they should be placed a bit closer to the wall.

If your room is large and you need to light up a lot of it, recessed lighting may not be the best choice. You will need a lot of recessed lights to properly light a big room. As you don't really see recessed light, if you are looking for a decorative element, they won't provide it.

However, there are alternatives to recessed lights that can make your home look as beautiful as you want. These alternatives include modern semi-flush ceiling lights, and styles such as disc lights, pendant lights, tube lights, and track lights.