If you like having the kitchen well lit (~35 lumens per sq ft), it will be insufficient unless you have the over counter lighting on at the same time.

14 * 7.5 * 35 = 3675 lumens.

800 * 3 = 2400 lumens. A naked incandescent bulb outputs ~ 800 lumens.

ooh, I'd never heard the "35 lumens per square feet" formula before. Thanks!

Thanks for posting this. I'm having the same problem and am hoping davidtay (or any other knowledgeable lighting person) can help me out. I'm thinking he won't tell me what I'm hoping and that is that these lights will work.

I searched high and low for the most wattage I could get from a flush (without being a boob light) or a semi-flush, as DH doesn't not want to use fluorescent tubes again and recessed are out of the equation.

I had settled upon Kichler 3620 and 3627 which take two and three 100-watt incandescent bulbs. I was all set to order until the Kichler customer service lady told me they could take up to two and three 9-13 watt CFLs only and not the 26-watt CFL 100-watt equivalent. Is that really true?She said that's what it said in their catalogue, so I couldn't use the 26-watt CFL's. Why not? I thought they were interchangeable??

I calculated my footage and lumens as illustrated earlier in this post. My galley is 8.5 x 17.6, although 8.5 x 5.7 of that is the laundry at the end of the galley kitchen. We were going to put the two 100-watt bulb fixture in the laundry end and the three 100-watt bulb fixture in the center of the kitchen area. I came up with needed lumens/lumens from fixture with 13-watt CFLS to be: total area, 5,236/4000; 3,570/2,400 for kitchen only; or 1,996/1,600 for laundry area. We will have fluorescent UCL and a 100-watt pendant over the sink. The pendant, for some reason, will take a 100-watt or a 26-watt CFL.

I really don't want to have to turn everything on all at once everytime to be able to see. Am I stuck with this problem unless I go back to the ugly fluorescent tubes? Or do I need to stock up on a lifetime supply of incandescents if I can find them? Ugh, this is driving me crazy.

Some fixtures have physical size restrictions. The 26W CFLs have bigger curly tubes than the 13W CFLs and which might just be too big for the fixture.

Some possible alternatives (In no particular order)
1. glimpseLED surface mount/ semi recessed lights from lightingScience. Claimed output of ~ 750 lumens

2. The EnduraLED A21 LED bulb from Philips. There are other possible LED alternatives such as
http://www.earthled.com/evolux-led-light-bulb.html

If a 23w CFL is too big, the Philips A21 LED 75w equivalent wouldn't fit since it's larger than the smallest 100w equivalent CFLs (23w). Sylvania and Philips both sell "micro mini" 23w CFLs that are the same size as a standard (A19) 100w incandescent bulb. The Sylvania gives off better light quality IMO, but also is a bit dim when first turned on; the Philips starts at nearly full brightness but gives off slightly pinkish light. Sylvania also has a "Living Spaces" CFL whose light quality is an acquired taste that I haven't acquired.

I've certainly used these CFLs in all sorts of fixtures that call for a max of 60w or 75w incandescent bulbs in order to get brighter light, as well as to save energy.

Thanks to both of you for responding. I've seen the "micro minis" that are the same size as a 100w bulb that should fit the same socket. Since the Kichler rep said it took a 9-13w CFL, could it mean she meant because of the physical size of the bulb a larger one equivalent to 100w wouldn't work? Or is it a safety issue with putting in the 23w CFL--too much voltage?

No. The fixture is line voltage (120V).

Thanks, davidtay. So if I understand correctly, you think the micro minis equivalent to 100w would be okay since they're smaller in size and should fit in the fixture. Not a safety issue at all, right? I was afraid that's what she meant. Nothing weird about the inner workings of the light that wouldn't accommodate the 100 equivalent? So I'd be thrilled to know I could use the micros in the fixtures I had picked out. Sorry to ask so many questions, but I'm afraid to pull the trigger and order them and they turn out to be too dim if I can't use the higher CFLs.

There should not be any safety issues related to wires overheating.

I would still compare the dimensions of the micro mini CFL bulb to a real 100W incandescent.

As I have mentioned in other posts, many vendors for both CFL and LED replacements like to claim "output equivalent to XXX watts". I gave an earlier example on this thread as an illustration.
"There are other possible LED alternatives such as
http://www.earthled.com/evolux-led-light-bulb.html";

Hope you find what you're looking for.

Davidtay, thank you again. I will look into your suggestions and hopefully find something that will work.

talley_sue_nyc, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, but maybe my questions and the answers to them will help you as well since we seem to have the same problem.

I've had a similar situation w/ CFL spiral bulbs that wouldn't fit in a light fixture, so i was happy to hear about the micro-mini 26w bulbs.