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please help with kitchen lighting plan X Post

Honu3421
9 years ago

Hi lighting people! I am seeking your guidance and advice on kitchen lighting. I started a thread in the kitchen forum and they suggested I also come here for help. I need to finalize the plan by Tuesday, so any help is appreciated!!

Here is the link to the thread on the kitchen forum.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load/kitchbath/msg0605044530171.html?10

I posted a picture of the final layout of my kitchen with my initial proposed lighting for you to see where I am starting. The kitchen has 9-foot ceilings and I was planning 6-inch lights. Also, the kitchen is open to the family room and the dining room.

Could you please take a look at this plan and provide your recommendations?

Thank you so much!!

Comments (8)

  • MonkeyDLuffy
    9 years ago

    The plan looks really good. I could also recommend taking a look at this website, they have amazing lamps.

    Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.interior-deluxe.com/

  • David
    9 years ago

    The following discussion could be helpful

    Here is a link that might be useful: recessed LED lighting discussion (kitchen + more)

  • williamsem
    9 years ago

    Really? Spamming with lamps? Not even relevant.

  • Honu3421
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Hi davidtay:
    I have read the post you linked so many times, but when the discussion gets to the bulb types, my eyes start crossing. And then I get worried about purchasing a lifetime bulb now only to replace it in a few years when technology changes. I was hoping to use incandescent now and upgrade to LED when the technology improves. I've inserted an updated lighting plan and would love your input on that. Will this plan give me enough light if I use incandescent? Keep in mind that my cabinets are cherry and my counter tops are soapstone.

    I considered installing LED in the kitchen and incandescent everywhere else but I think the color differential between the two type of lighting will be a problem.

    1. If I go with 4-inch housings in the kitchen and end up with regular incandescent will the lighting be too dim?

    2. I am installing several eyeball trims throughout the house and the local lighting store tells me they do not have an LED bulb for the eyeball trim. So I would have to use incandescent for those fixtures. Is there a manufacturer out there who makes both LED and incandescent that are the same color?

    I'm not sure if you read my kitchen forum post, but in our area, most professionals are advising to wait for the LED technology to improve. (I inserted a link to my kitchen thread.) We make our own electricity with Photovoltaic so our electric bills are pretty minimal. Any advice is appreciated. thank you so much. .

    Here is a link that might be useful: x post kitchens forum

  • David
    9 years ago

    LED solutions such as the Cree CR4 have the equivalent output of an incandescent bulb in a can and perhaps a little more.

    The color temp for warm white light is 2700k which will be met by the CR4. LED dimming will always differ from incandescent dimming. For a detailed explanation, you could go to the DOE or Lutron's website and look up led dimming.

    There are also BR30 led lamps. Led lighting has matured to the point that CFL lighting is being displaced along with incandescent lighting.

  • David
    9 years ago

    It might be worthwhile to check out the creebulb.com website for more information on LED bulbs.

    LED eyeball lights from Halo are also available.

    4" recessed lighting is considered more elegant than 6" cans.

    However, 4" cans are tight spaces for replacing light bulbs.

    In addition, the number of cans installed could be more (depending on a number of factors), making for a higher total cost.

    The CR4 and CR6 data sheets on the cree.com website have more information that could help you plan on the number of lights and arrangement to provide a similar illumination for an area in foot candles.

    You could leverage the UCL to reduce the number of cans needed.

    Here is a link that might be useful: eyeball led

  • Honu3421
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Davidtay: thank you so much for your follow up. It's on DH's list to go to HD to purchase a BR30 to see how it looks in our current cans (vintage 1987, 6-inch halos and still going strong). maybe we can simulate a four inch can opening to get an idea of how tight the space is. Don't these bulbs have a long life, enough so that we only replace them once/20 years?

    I had a long discussion with someone at Cree and feel a little more comfortable with my understanding of LED. She said the CR4 is the same as the ecosmart at HD.

    In the kitchen I want the lamps to illuminate the front of each of my 3 glass front cabinets. If the beam spread will illuminate the cabinets from a farther distance than I have shown in the graph layout, I can reduce the number of lights. Can you provide insight on this, assuming 4-inch cans?

    I am inserting a graph layout showing 4-inch cans.

    thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge.

  • David
    9 years ago

    Yes they all have a long lifespan. The CR6 still works better than a BR30.
    Advantages -
    1. provides a better seal
    2. dimming works better without humming.
    3. better color and potentially light spread since all the LEDs in the CR series are facing outwards.

    Differences between EcoSmart and Cree branded lights
    The EcoSmart branded CR4/6 type lights @ HD have a shorter warranty period than Cree branded equivalent CR4/6.

    The HD lights have a max output level of 625 lumens (CR6) and 575 (CR4) vs 625, 800, 1000 lumens for the Cree CR6.

    The Cree branded CR 6 lights have versions that come in 2700, 3200, 3500, 4000k color temp.
    www.polar-ray.com is a good site to look at the Cree and other LED light options.
    As for the 4' can internal space, HD has 4' cans that you could look at, play with.

    It may be worthwhile taking a look at the phantom lighting website for ideas on illuminating glass cabinets.

    If you choose to implement internal cabinet lighting, more planning will be required.

    Here is a link that might be useful: phantomlighting