VERSATILE POT LIGHTS BRIGHTEN UP ANY ROOM
Just be sure to call an electrician to ensure safety of your home
My electrician, Frank, is always telling me how he likes to light a room. He taught me that pot lighting, also known as recessed lighting can bring a lot of brightness to dark, shady rooms. A pot light is installed directly into the ceiling line, meaning the mechanisms are completely hidden — all you’ll see is the bulb and the outlining trim. The flush to the ceiling profile can be a must in spaces with low overhead but I find it is a good option to provide evenly distributed lighting to almost any space.
WHERE TO INSTALL POT LIGHTS
Pot lights came into our world and opened up a ton of enhanced lighting options for our homes. Gone were the days where we had to rely on that centre light hung in the middle of the room mixed with lamps. With pot lights, we got lower-cost lighting into our homes that went with more contemporary ceiling designs. But there are pros and cons about pot lights, and you need to consider your options as to where and when you should use them.
When are pot lights a good choice? They work great in a kitchen to create some muchneeded task lighting above countertops where you need to see things more clearly.
Now, I think there are some great examples of light fixtures over an island that can enhance your kitchen, so this is where your personal style comes into play. You could even mix hanging lights with recessed lighting that can provide different lighting options, and still give you full coverage for any task required.
Recessed lighting also makes a lot of sense for the bathroom. You can even have them installed above your shower — as long as you get the right kind. By that I mean choosing lights that are meant to be used in a wet zone. You’ll want to select ones that have a good quality trim that will resist not only water but also vapour. Believe me: when the water flows, you don’t want it getting anywhere near your lights. But when you choose the right lights, and have them installed professionally, they’re totally safe.
A home theatre with pot lights is another area that makes a lot of sense — you don’t want your big screen to be obscured by a glass chandelier, after all.
CONCERNS ABOUT POT LIGHTS
If you’ve watched my show, you might notice that if we have to install pot lights near an attic zone, we often use bulkheads. This lets us cut into unused and insulated space without touching the attic. By doing this, we leave the lights out of the cold zone, and prevent the issues you would see with moisture. If you do install recessed lighting into a ceiling that goes into the attic, just make sure you are using vapour-proof boxes that seal into the vapour barrier and help prevent moisture from leaking into the attic.
Electricity is something I never mess with on my own. I’ve been in many homes where the homeowners hired a handyman to install their pot lights. But before you even drill a hole, you need to make sure you’re bringing in an electrician to run the wires properly.
I have homeowners tell me they do their own electrical work at home — and they’re not electricians. That makes me nervous. Every electrical job needs to be inspected. When you try to do the work yourself, you’re jeopardizing your home and the safety of your family. Hire an electrician; they know what’s code, they know how to do the work properly, and they’ll make it right for you.
Pot lights can bring a lot of much-needed brightness into your home. If you’re planning to retrofit your home with recessed lighting this year, make sure they’re installed by a pro and think about installing LEDcompatible pot lights throughout your home — not just for the future but for today.