What size recessed lights are most using? I have included some pics of the room, the center light will be removed. Also where do you think I should place the lights, not sure if what I was planning would be the best. Thanks for the help

http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/1571/room034yj0.th.jpg (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=room034yj0.jpg)
I had planned on putting 3 against the far wall
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/4320/fpwc7.th.jpg (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fpwc7.jpg)
2 against the fireplace
http://img73.imageshack.us/img73/8493/rishtsideos1.th.jpg (http://img73.imageshack.us/my.php?image=rishtsideos1.jpg)
3 against far wall, TV will not be there, this is where the projector screen will be mounted
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9654/proposedroomot4.th.jpg (http://img214.imageshack.us/my.php?image=proposedroomot4.jpg)
Not sure what to do with this side.

I think you have to first describe what you want to do with the lighting. For example I am using 6" units to provide fill lightfor my room. I am using smaller directional 4" lights to provide accent lighting to specific areas around the perimeter of the room.

Well that center light will be removed so I will need it to fill my room. Where else would you suggest I place lights?

What size recessed lights are most using? I have included some pics of the room, the center light will be removed. Also where do you think I should place the lights, not sure if what I was planning would be the best.The general rule of thumb for 8 foot ceilings is to space the fixtures 4 to 5 feet on center, assuming you use 75 watt PAR bulbs in 5 inch dia. fixtures. 5 inch fixtures allows you to use higher wattages than 4 inch, and fewer fixtures to achieve the same lighting level. Thus fewer holes punched in the ceiling.

You can space the light fixtures evenly throughout the room (i.e. in a grid) but you may want to eliminate one or more in the vicinity of the screen, or else put those lights on a separate switch/dimmer.

Will the room have multiple uses? You may want to set up the fixtures on several switches or dimmers in "zones" so you can vary the lighting levels. A full set of downlights at full brightness gives your room a uniform, office-type look. Consider using some wall washers in combination with downlights. Wall washers provide an indirect light and make the room look larger. They are usually mounted 2 feet from the wall.

You may not need two lights over the fireplace, unless you like it to be really bright. If you plan to hang a picture over the fireplace, you could use a 4-inch recessed spot as an accent light. A low voltage fixture (with MR-16 bulb) produces a concentrated light beam that makes the artwork stand out.

I use mostly 5 in. down lights with 75 watt PAR30 bulbs in the central part of my room, and 5 in. wall washers with 75 watt R-30 bulbs. (The wall washers aren't rated for PAR bulbs.) In the zone near my TV (42" plasma) there are no downlights, but there are wall washers on the right and left walls. I found no need to shine a downlight on the TV! :D

I also have two 6-inch downlights, but they put a big hole in the ceiling and I don't recommend those unless you have 9-foot ceilings.

I used 6" cans in the "main" area of my ceiling, and 4" cans in my soffits. I'm using narrow-spread (10 or 12 degree) lamps in all my fixtures and several lighting zones in order to control the light hitting the screen.

The general rule of thumb for 8 foot ceilings is to space the fixtures 4 to 5 feet on center, assuming you use 75 watt PAR bulbs in 5 inch dia. fixtures. 5 inch fixtures allows you to use higher wattages than 4 inch, and fewer fixtures to achieve the same lighting level. Thus fewer holes punched in the ceiling.

You can space the light fixtures evenly throughout the room (i.e. in a grid) but you may want to eliminate one or more in the vicinity of the screen, or else put those lights on a separate switch/dimmer.

Will the room have multiple uses? You may want to set up the fixtures on several switches or dimmers in "zones" so you can vary the lighting levels. A full set of downlights at full brightness gives your room a uniform, office-type look. Consider using some wall washers in combination with downlights. Wall washers provide an indirect light and make the room look larger. They are usually mounted 2 feet from the wall.

You may not need two lights over the fireplace, unless you like it to be really bright. If you plan to hang a picture over the fireplace, you could use a 4-inch recessed spot as an accent light. A low voltage fixture (with MR-16 bulb) produces a concentrated light beam that makes the artwork stand out.

I use mostly 5 in. down lights with 75 watt PAR30 bulbs in the central part of my room, and 5 in. wall washers with 75 watt R-30 bulbs. (The wall washers aren't rated for PAR bulbs.) In the zone near my TV (42" plasma) there are no downlights, but there are wall washers on the right and left walls. I found no need to shine a downlight on the TV! :D

I also have two 6-inch downlights, but they put a big hole in the ceiling and I don't recommend those unless you have 9-foot ceilings.
The room will be used only for watching TV,Movies.I was planning on using a grafik eye with 4 zones. So i could have the lights near the screen off and some lighting in the back for watching sports,etc. Would you suggest only 2 lights against the wall then? Thanks

The room will be used only for watching TV,Movies.I was planning on using a grafik eye with 4 zones. So i could have the lights near the screen off and some lighting in the back for watching sports,etc. Would you suggest only 2 lights against the wall then? ThanksGrafik Eye sounds good. You didn't say what the size of the room is. Which wall are you referring to, and how long is the wall?

If you just need light for TV viewing, fewer fixtures would do the job. If you want enough light for reading, you can follow the rule of thumb I mentioned previously: set the first fixture 2 to 3 feet from the wall, then 4 to 5 ft spacing for the rest. If the light near the screen will always be off, then maybe you don't need to install one there...

Grafik Eye sounds good. You didn't say what the size of the room is. Which wall are you referring to, and how long is the wall?

If you just need light for TV viewing, fewer fixtures would do the job. If you want enough light for reading, you can follow the rule of thumb I mentioned previously: set the first fixture 2 to 3 feet from the wall, then 4 to 5 ft spacing for the rest. If the light near the screen will always be off, then maybe you don't need to install one there...
Sorry the room is 20X11X8. I was refereing to the wall where that tv is which is where the screen would be and the opposite wall where the seating would be. I would imagine the light near the screen would mostly be off, expect for if I had all lights on to clean or something.

Sorry the room is 20X11X8. I was refereing to the wall where that tv is which is where the screen would be and the opposite wall where the seating would be. I would imagine the light near the screen would mostly be off, expect for if I had all lights on to clean or something.If you want to have evenly-spaced fixtures across the room, then install 8 fixtures in a 2 x 4 pattern. That's assuming about 5 feet between each fixture.

The bank of two lights near the screen should be on a separate switch. You can place each remaining pair of lights on its own switch or dimmer, or put all six on one. You may find that when you're watching movies on a projection screen you'll prefer to have the lights in the center of the room completely off, rather than dimmed. In that case you'd want the center room lights on their own switch or dimmer.

If you want to have evenly-spaced fixtures across the room, then install 8 fixtures in a 2 x 4 pattern. That's assuming about 5 feet between each fixture.

The bank of two lights near the screen should be on a separate switch. You can place each remaining pair of lights on its own switch or dimmer, or put all six on one. You may find that when you're watching movies on a projection screen you'll prefer to have the lights in the center of the room completely off, rather than dimmed. In that case you'd want the center room lights on their own switch or dimmer.

Thanks, Does anyone have suggestions on what lights to use? I see there are many types i.e. some bulbs are flush some sit back in the can. What are most using?

Thanks, Does anyone have suggestions on what lights to use? I see there are many types i.e. some bulbs are flush some sit back in the can. What are most using?

For my 6" cans I used Halo H7ICAT's (http://caesare.homeip.net:32171/basement/slides/IMG_1381.htm) and for my 4" cans I used Halo H99ICT's (http://caesare.homeip.net:32171/basement/slides/IMG_1382.htm).

Both models are IC rated and Air-Tite. The sockets are adjustable depth. By adjust the socket depth, beam spread of your PAR lamp, and reflector type, you can control the amount of ambient light spread quite well.

Thanks, Does anyone have suggestions on what lights to use? I see there are many types i.e. some bulbs are flush some sit back in the can. What are most using?The bulbs should be recessed into the fixture as much as possible to reduce glare. (The lighting engineers call this "regressed.") The trim ring should have a baffle or cone reflector that also minimizes glare.

The better recessed fixtures use all metal components--housing, baffle, trim, etc. Avoid plastic baffles or reflectors; they usually deteriorate after a few years of use due to the heat from the bulb. I installed 5" Lightolier downlights (w/cone reflector trim, #1013). They cost a bit more but they are worth it; easier to install and the reflectors put out more light. These aren't available at the home centers, but you can get them at lighting stores or order them online (cheaper). http://www.mmlighting.com

http://pluto1.genlyte.com/MKACatImages/lytecaster/pics/pp1008-13whinc.jpg http://pluto1.genlyte.com/MKACatImages/lytecaster/draw/ld1008-13whinc.gif

The fixture housings should be the insulated ceiling (IC) type if the floor above the room is un-heated (i.e. an attic). The IC fixtures minimize air leakage and allow fiberglass insulation to be placed right on top of the fixture. Otherwise the non-insulated type of fixture is sufficient. These are a little cheaper and easier to install.

On light spacing....to get them evenly spaced so they look right in the room, try this tip an electriction buddy showed me.

Lets say the room is 14'x10', and you want 3 rows of light the long way and two rows the other. You divide the room dimension (in inches) by DOUBLE the number of rows you want to use...so 168"/6 =28" . Space the center of the first light 28" from the wall, then double the dimension 56" to the C/L of the second, now another 56" to C/L of third light , and your left with 28" to the other wall. l---28"---O------56"------O------56"------O---28"---l
The other dimension (10') you want two rows so divide 120" by 4 = 30"
So l---30"---O------60"------O---30"---l.

On 8' ceiling heigth I would not space lights any further than 72" inches.
Using this formula will give you nice even lighting across the entire room, if you use 6" cans and 75 watt floods.

Frank

IC means insulation contact. If you're installing into an attic, you also want AT, air tight. It's the AT that minimizes air flow. The IC allows you to place insulation in contact with the can, but does not necessarily impede air flow.

This one, for instance, is both IC and AT:

http://www.mmlighting.com/store/PPF/parameters/1016_0/more_info.asp

Thanks for the info!

My local home depot has a six pack which includes IC rated airtite 6" cans and metal baffle trim rings for around $50. Heck of a light, even more so at that price.

One more quick question. We decided to do 8- 5" recessed lights. We are going to use the 5" black baffle trim BUT should I use eyeball trims for the two closest to the fireplace? The ceiling will be painted dark. Im wondering if the eyeballs will stick out too much or if the baffles will look goofy near the fireplace? Any suggestions? Attached a rough sketchup.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6614/hometheaterzj0.th.png (http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=hometheaterzj0.png)

Anyone?