spacing of hi-hats in new kitchen re-model

Does anyone know a general rule of thumb, or an online tool that is used to determine how hi-hats should be spaced out and how many you need in a new kitchen? For example, do you space them out according to the room size, do you center them on a work area, or a wall cabinet?

Reply to
Mikepier
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Not sure about rules but I laid out my kitchen with the can lights roughly 4 feet apart, a row over each work surface, and one centered in each doorway ( I was told the doorway rule is pretty standard..it worked for me). My lighting seems to be laid out well, nice and bright where needed but not overdone. My brother put his more evenly around the kitchen in his house, not specifically over the worksurfaces or doorways, and closer together too, and in my opinion he ended up with too many and has to dim them to make it comfortable.

Reply to
Mike S.

I usually use Halo H7 cans for this and I try to line them up so that the center of the can is lined up with the countertop edge. With this arrangement there is a great deal of light on the countertop and using a 90 watt R40 bulb there is light going into the upper cabinets and light illuminating the lower cabinet drawers as well as the dishwasher. Most of the jobs I do are remodels so spacing is contingent upon what is already in the ceiling cavity such as pipes and ducts, but generally 24" - 30" is what I aim for. With the R40 lamp you could go as wide as 36" and still have even lighting.

Reply to
John Grabowski

So, can you tell me about the energy efficiency of this type of lighting? Right now we've got a basic 4-tube flourescent flushmount ceiling fixture in the kitchen, but we're thinking of removing that and installing can lighting. I'm curious whether the energy consumption is significantly higher than flourescent. Is the lighting with can lights improved enough to justify the higher electrical bill?

Reply to
KLS

This is helpful for me as I get ready to replace a single 2 long-bulb fixture in the center of my kitch with cans as part of a total remodeling job. I was wondering how far out from the cabs the cans should go and distance between.

One friend has his kitch redone and the remodeler went overboard...6" cans everywhere. Its bright and hot!

I'm thinking of using 4" cans with halogens on a dimmer. Do those guidelines still apply??

--Jeff

Reply to
JB

on 9/25/2007 9:09 AM KLS said the following:

Incandescents are always less energy efficient than fluorescents. I replaced my kitchen fluorescent light with can lights (wife's demand) and found that every worktop and cabinet area needed its own light. Now I have 9 ceiling cans, and 7 under cabinet halogens. Also the glare is intrusive. Reading a glossy magazine at the table requires tilting the mag up to be able to read it.

Reply to
willshak

I agree with all of that. In addition your hands will produce shadows on your work with a concentrated direct light like cans. Aim for lighting by 2 sources at any work location. Linear fluorescent lights for a work area are not a concentrated source and don't have the same shadow problem. 'Normal' ceiling lights bounce a lot of light off the ceiling and do not have as much shadow problem. Cans give you 'dramatic' light but are not necessarily good where you are working.

-- bud--

Reply to
bud--

The four inch cans do not have as wide of a beam as the six inch so you may want to put them around 24" apart. You will still get some light thrown into the cabinets if you keep them lined up with the counter edge as I stated before. Also with the four inch cans you have fewer choices as to the type of bulbs that you can use. Have you had experience with halogen lighting before? Some of my customers don't like it as it not as soft as the incandescent.

Reply to
John Grabowski

We have just added recessed lights in our dining room aand had used them in previous houses. If you're not careful, you can make those in the room feel as though they're sitting in a spotlight or have it glaring in their eyes when they look across the room. Based on past experience and advice from product sources, we went with R-30 units, using a flood (not spot) bulb mounted almost at the ceiling surface. Equipped with a dimmer, this has proved to be a good installation. They provide ample light, but the fixture is smaller and less obvious than the larger units. We originally thought we'd need six to eight fixtures, but the manufacturer's information included a table that showed we would only need four. My recommendation would be to use as small a diameter can as possible, optimized for use as a flood light unless you're trying for a special effect such as highlighting artwork or light-washing a wall.

The manufacturers have calculators for the number of recessed lights for rooms of various size, and any good lighting house ought to have their brochures. There's also info on the web at

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and others also showed up when we Googled "Recessed lights numbers."

Reply to
JimR

A 32x32 inch grid worked for me, (in every second joist pocket), with the counter rows row aimed just inside the countertop edge. The chrome reflector inserts are great for cutting down shadows and getting the most even light.

Reply to
RickH

A lot depends on the type of bulb you use. Spot or flood. Par, reflector, halogen?

Take a look at:

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Reply to
noname87

You actually raise a good point. I installed 4" cans with halogens in the BR against 1 wall. But those were intended to be "spots" over a dresser. I'll have to think about whether what would work as floods. Its a small kitchen and I just don't like large 6" cans.

Reply to
JB

Reply to
noname87

Info for 6 inch cans

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4 inch cans really limit your bulb options and also the wattage. Have

Reply to
noname87

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