Types of Recessed Lighting You Need to Know

In this article, we delve into the world of recessed lighting and uncover the diverse styles that seamlessly integrate into ceilings, walls, or outdoor spaces.

What is Recessed Lighting?

Recessed lighting is a design technique that embeds a fixture into a wall or ceiling panel for a clean and minimalist look. Recessed fixtures are commonly used for ambient, accent, or task lighting and contribute to a streamlined and contemporary look in homes, offices, and outdoor spaces.

The popularity of recessed lighting can be attributed to the advances in LED (light-emitting diode) technology. As LEDs become smaller, more efficient, and affordable, it's become easier to integrate them into compact recessed fixtures.

Today, nearly every recessed lighting fixture sold is driven by LED bulbs. From houses and cafes to large malls and warehouses, recessed lighting has become the go-to solution for its quality illumination and clean aesthetic.

Types of Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting is a versatile and flexible solution that caters to every industry and application. Thus, more recessed lighting fixtures are available on the market today than we can count.

Generally, recessed lighting can be categorized based on install location, application, and housing design.

1. Ceiling Recessed Lights

We start with the most common type of commercially available recessed lighting, the simple ceiling light. Primarily used for ambient lighting, these fixtures sit flush with your ceiling, blending into the surroundings and offering a clean and sleek modern aesthetic.

Applications:

Recessed ceiling lights can be deployed in any situation due to their excellent ambient lighting.

Some common applications include bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, office spaces, classrooms, large warehouses, mall interiors, etc.

2. Wall Recessed Lights

Recessed lighting isn't just limited to roofs and ceilings. Wall recessed lighting is a fun and unique way of adding some excellent accent or task lighting to your space. You can treat these light fixtures as invisible wall lamps that don't disrupt your room's visual design.

You can pair wall lighting with a sloped housing or adjustable trim to control the direction of the light beam.

Applications:

Recessed wall lights help enhance wall decorations in a museum, add visual appeal to hotel hallways, and set the mood at a restaurant or bar.

3. In-Ground Recessed Lights

If you can install a recessed light in the ceiling or a wall, you can also install it in the ground. In-ground lighting is an excellent way to illuminate a pathway while preventing a tripping hazard.

Path lighting can be quite challenging; if installed too high, the light directly hits your eyes, hindering visibility, and if too low, you are likely to stub your foot against it. In-ground recessed lighting solves both these problems by offering a whimsical lighting technique that doesn't get in the way.

Applications:

Popular in-ground lighting techniques involve garden pathways, driveways, or general front yard walkway lighting.

4. Adjustable Recessed Lighting

Recessed lighting fixtures also come with a swivel or gimbal mount that helps adjust the direction of the light with a simple touch. The versatility afforded by these fixtures enables customers to manage and change their lighting design down the road. Enabling you to switch your lighting design from ambient to accent lighting quickly.

Applications:

Adjustable recessed lighting is an excellent option for closet ceilings, walls with hung artwork, and kitchen stoves.

5. Remodel Recessed Lighting

There are two ways of installing recessed lighting in your ceiling. Installing a new construction with screws and nails for better mounting or using remodeled fixtures that clip into a ceiling cavity.

New construction housing requires access to the attic or roof to install the necessary mounting hardware and wiring.

Remodel kits are better suited for quick retrofit, as you only need to clip the recessed housing into the drywall.

Applications:

Remodel recessed lighting is ideal for older apartment buildings, ancestral homes, historic structures, etc.

6. Low-Profile Recessed Lighting

Low-profile or shallow ceiling recessed lighting fixtures are flat designs that require less mounting headroom. Recessed lighting requires space for the light fixture, the mounting brackets, and additional electronics, which isn't possible for all locations.

Applications:

Low-profile recessed lights are best suited for attic lighting, garage illumination, and older houses with less ceiling space.

7. Recessed Lighting with Insulation Contact (IC) Rated Housing

A standard recessed light fixture comes with a non-IC housing. The fixture heat will create a fire hazard if it comes in contact with insulation material. Hence, your average recessed lights should be at least 3 inches from wall or ceiling insulation.

However, with IC-rated recessed lights, insulation contact is not an issue. These fixtures are designed and tested to prevent accidental ignition, making them much safer for a house with an insulated ceiling.

Applications:

Insulated ceilings and walls in residential and commercial buildings.

8. Recessed Lighting with Airtight Housing

Installing a recessed light requires cutting a hole in your ceiling, which compromises the air condition of the space. Hot or cold air in a room can quickly escape through the small gaps in the recessed lighting trims, leading to increased heating and cooling costs.

An airtight housing prevents airflow through it, thus insulating the room.

Applications:

Residential and commercial spaces with air conditioning and temperature control setups.

9. Recessed Lighting with Slope Housing

A slope housing is designed to angle your recessed light and match it to the natural angle of the wall or ceiling. Recessed light installation suddenly becomes much harder if you have an angled wall or ceiling.

Hence, getting a matching slope housing fits snuggly into your mounting point is better.

Applications:

House attics and similar angled spaces.

Types of Recessed Lighting Trims

The trim is a circular piece that connects to the main recessed fixture housing and acts as its outer seal. Recessed light fixtures support many trim features that have practical and aesthetic effects on your lighting design.

Here are some of the most common recessed lighting trim options.

1. Baffle Trim

The light bulb is surrounded by a ribbed (baffle shape) trim that diffuses the light, reducing glare and harsh reflections.

2. Reflector Trim

The opposite of a baffle trim, where the bulb is surrounded by a reflective material that concentrates the light through internal reflections and increases the brightness.

3. Open Trim

This is the simplest type of LED recessed lighting, where the light bulb sits flush with the mounting surface.

4. Pinhole Trim

This trim option has a smaller exit point for the light beam, concentrating it into a narrow beam angle.

5. Gimbal Trim

This trim allows you to change the bulb angle, controlling the direction of the light beam. Gimbal trim recessed lighting bulbs stay flush with the ceiling.

6. Eyeball Trim

The eyeball trim is similar in function to the gimbal trim, except the bulb doesn't sit flush with the surface. Adjusting the eyeball trim recessed light bulb pushes the bulb out of the housing slightly.

7. Wall-Wash Trim

Half of the circular opening of the recessed light is covered with an opaque shield that restricts the light coverage.

8. Shower Trim

The light bulbs in these fixtures are protected by a glass lens, making them ideal for bathroom and shower applications.

FAQs

1. Are There Different Types of Recessed Lighting?

Different recessed lighting fixtures vary based on size, install location, housing design, and trim options. Making them extremely versatile options for decor and lighting purposes.

2. What is The Difference between Can Lights and Recessed Lights?

Can lights are recessed lighting with a shaped housing, which protects the light bulb. Other than that both are mostly similar.

3. Are Canless Recessed Lights Better?

For a more compact and sleek design, canless lights have a built-in LED chip that is part of its core design. Meanwhile, can recessed lighting uses standard removable light bulbs, which can be quickly replaced.

4. What is The Difference Between Recessed and Flush Lighting?

A recessed light sits in a cavity or hole in the ceiling. If that recessed lighting is perfectly flat with the surface of the ceiling, it's called flush lighting.

Conclusion

Recessed lighting is a versatile and flexible option for residential and commercial buildings. Its use of energy-efficient LED bulbs yields extensive cost savings while maintaining a clean and modern design that enhances your workspace. Choosing the right recessed lighting is all about knowing the subtle differences between its various types and functionality.

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