Brantford Home Repairs: What Is Recessed Lighting?

Choosing the right type of lighting for a room is an important decision. Lighting is often the focal point of the room, which means that it’s the first thing that your guests see when they enter. Here’s everything you need to know about recessed lighting and how an electrician in Brantford can help with installation. 

What is Recessed Lighting?

Recessed lighting is installed directly into a ceiling or wall, giving any room a sleek appearance. It’s a great way to add illumination without taking up extra space. Recessed lighting is made up of three main elements:

• Housing: This is the main component of the fixture that contains the electrical connections. It’s usually hidden within the wall or ceiling. While shallow housings work best for thin walls, angled fixtures are ideal for pitched ceilings. If you’re planning on installing recessed lighting outdoors where it can come into contact with water, be sure to choose a wet-rated fixture.

• Trim: This is the decorative portion of the fixture and the part that’s visible to the eye. It can include reflectors, shades or baffles.

• Bulb: The bulb is the component that produces light. Although halogen and incandescent bulbs produce bright light, they consume much more energy than LEDs. LEDs are efficient bulbs that produce minimal heat and last many years.

What Are the Pros and Cons of Recessed Lighting?

If you’re interested in giving your home a modern and clean look, recessed lighting is a great choice. In addition, it can make your room appear bigger than it actually is by freeing up your ceiling space. Electrical repair services can help ensure that your recessed lighting illuminates the entire room instead of just the center. However, you can also use recessed lighting to illuminate certain sections of a room, such as a painting or a small reading area. Recessed lighting tends to work best in:

• Kitchens
• Hallways
• Rooms with low ceilings
• Home movie theaters
• Shower stalls
• Basements

Although recessed lighting does a great job at brightening up any space, you may need a few of them to provide an adequate amount of light. This is because each lighting fixture only has a single light facing the floor. You’ll also have to create a sizable hole in your ceiling to fit the metal housing. Although this can cause air to leak through the gaps between the light and wallboard, you can fix this by opting for air-tight recessed lighting.

How Can You Dress Up Your Recessed Lights?

Recessed lighting comes in a variety of trims, from metal to plain to decorative. Depending on your home’s decor, you can choose a trim that best complements your personal style. The trim you select also affects the amount of light produced by the fixture. The most common types of trims include:

• Baffle: These trims reduce glare and provide a soft light for living areas. While back baffles absorb light, white complements light-coloured ceilings better.

• Lensed: Used primarily in bathrooms or outside, lensed trims have solid covers that shield wiring and bulbs.
• Eyeball: Also known as adjustable trims, these allow you to change the light’s direction and are often used as accent pieces.

• Reflectors: These trims provide lots of light and direct it downward. They’re a good choice for rooms with high ceilings.

• Wall wash: If you’re looking to highlight an art piece or other important feature, wall wash trims consist of an opaque shell that directs light sideways.

How an Electrician in Brantford Can Help

Recessed lighting can be difficult to install on your own, which is why it’s best to contact a professional. At Handyman Connection, our team of experts will walk you through each step of the process and ensure that you’re satisfied with the results. Call us today to learn more about our electrical repair services.

*All electrical work is subcontracted to ECRA/ESA Licensed Electrical Contractors