Updating Lighting In The Kitchen
What older homes offer in charm and personality is often offset by inefficiency, bad lighting and poor design. Older kitchens often have just a central light fixture and a light above the stove. Obviously this is hardly adequate or safe in a space where you chop, dice and blend.
Recent improvements in the designs of track lighting fixtures make them a viable option when upgrading the lighting in an older kitchen. Whereas it used to be a limited choice between an ugly black or white canister, new styles are attractive and available in a range of styles, colors and finishes. The big advantage to using track lighting when you have only one overhead fixture is that you do not have to rewire the kitchen! The next biggest advantage is that you can target the lighting wherever you need it.
Three different standard systems are produced in track lighting, including Halo, Lightolier, and June, represented by manufacturers as H, L, or J. Each system demands its own certain type of lamp fixtures and tracks that are identified by one of these three letters. Therefore, you should choose your fixtures first and then choose the corresponding track. Consider how many fixtures you will need to highlight your work areas such as the sink, prep area, the stove or some painted wood wall art.
When choosing the fixtures, you’ll notice that track lighting comes in low voltage and line voltage options. Line voltages draws current straight from the track whereas low voltages functions to convert current from a box at the base. Choose CFL bulbs with line voltage fixtures for the most energy efficient option. If your need is to focus light toward one particular area, you may use a CFL flood lamp that will put out a sufficient amount of light without becoming hot like incandescent or halogen bulbs can. Another alternative is to install several lights along the track wherever they are needed to bathe an area in light and thus skip spot lighting entirely.
Track lighting can also be used if your kitchen has a cathedral ceiling or taller than average height walls. Look for track lighting kits that let you suspend the track from the ceiling. This works to promote an eye-catching effect that updates both the style and lighting efficiency of your older kitchen, targeted to the ways that you work inside the kitchen: you can select to highlight a metal tree wall decor and copper metal wall art or shed light on your countertops.
With all of these decisions made, you can now make your final selection of fixtures along with the necessary length of corresponding track. If you are experienced in electrical work, you can install your lighting on your own; otherwise you’d be wise to hire an electrician if you have any doubt about your electrical skills.
While there are other methods for upgrading the lighting in an older kitchen, track lighting is, without a doubt, the easiest route to take.
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