Recessed Can Lighting

Recently, we had a Client ask if we could install recessed can lights through out their home. The home was built in the late '70s and lacked good lighting everywhere. This is still common today as I have seen many new homes with only a few lights in the living room.

We informed the client there were four options for recessed can lights. Halogen, Incandescent, Fluorescent and LED. To understand the differences between each one, we need to first cover some terminology.

Lumens - term for measuring the flow of light from a source
CRI (Color Rendition Index) - quantitative measure of the ability of a light source to reproduce the colors of various objects faithfully in comparison with an ideal or natural light source.
Kelvin - used to convey the warmth of the color of light, the hue of the color which you see.

From a Client's perspective, they want lighting which is close to natural or sunlight, low maintenance (especially in a vaulted ceiling application) and low energy consumption. What's the point of having lights if you cannot keep them turned on for a extended period of time? We decided to compare the attributes of each type of lighting to see how they measure up. Here are the results based upon four recessed can lights on display at Wright Lighting, San Jose, CA. Every can except for the Halogen was a 6" recessed can light. The Halogen was a 4" light.

Halogen Lighting
*50 Watts are equal to 950 Lumens
*3000 Kelvin (warm color)
*CRI 100
*4,000 hour life (as advertised)
*Contains no toxic Mercury. No disposal issues (ok to throw in the trash)
*Fully dimmable
*Not California Title 24 compliant
*Closest to Natural Sunlight

Incandescent Lighting

*65 Watts are equal to 600 initial Lumens*2700 Kelvin
*CRI 80
*1,500 hour life (as advertised)
*Contains no toxic Mercury. No disposal issues (ok to throw in the trash)
*Dimmable
*Not California Title 24 compliant

*Least efficient of all lighting sources

Fluorescent Lighting

*18 Watts equal to 700 initial Lumens

*4000 Kelvin (considered a cooler color)*CRI 70
*10,000 hour life (as advertised)
*Does contain toxic Mercury. Proper disposal is required (cannot be thrown into the trash)
*Not dimmable
*California Title 24 compliant

LED Lighting

*12 Watts are equal to 650 Lumens
*2700 Kelvin
*CRI 92
*50,000 hour life (as advertised)
*Contains no toxic Mercury. No disposal issues (ok to throw in the trash)
*Dimmable
*California Title 24 compliant
*Exterior structure (housing) made of 100% recycled aluminum

The choice for the Client? LED lighting. Even though LED lighting is double the cost of Incandescent lighting, the amount of energy consumed is so much less. Also, think about the maintenance on the Incandescent bulbs. I have seen quite a few that don't reach their advertised life expectancy. Having to replace those bulbs in a vaulted ceiling is a challenge. With the LED cans, much longer life expectancy and less maintenance.

Also, LED can lights do a great job of dispersing the light much more evenly than Halogen or Incandescent. You won't see as many shadows in the room. Plus, the colors of surrounding materials (countertops, woodwork, walls, etc) show much better with LED lighting.

And you cannot ignore the cost savings on your electric bill. We installed 8 recessed cans in the living room. The LED cans consume 96 watts per hour in that room, while Incandescent lights would be sucking down 520 watts of electricity. A difference of 424 watts per hour can add up in one month.

If you are truly conscientious about lowering your carbon footprint, polluting less, saving the environment, etc, this is an option you must explore. Yes its great to do solar panels or wind turbines, but just checking your electrical consumption is a big part of it. In addition, good insulation and new, energy efficient windows help quite a bit.

For more, check out our web site at www.jrgidesign.com

Faux Wood tile

Have you noticed a tile that resembles the look and feel of wood planks? Usually its a dark brown color, made to mimic walnut wood flooring. In the right applications, it looks quite nice.

Where to use it depends on whether the room is light or dark, earth tones, small or large and most importantly, a high traffic area? With regards to the lighting, if you get alot of light, than you can see the details of the tile. This can be good or bad, depending on the quality of the tile. Poor light hides alot of sins when it comes to less than fantastic materials. If you use this tile in a large room, you run the risk of more noticeable wear patterns.

I have seen the wear patterns in this tile (courtesy of a restuarant in the City) and its not pretty. The fax wood grain flattens, the color fades and a faint reddish/pink color begins to show in the worn areas.

Unlike real wood, this tile cannot be sanded and refinished. It would have to be replaced. Thus if its a small room, you can be more successful in mixing and matching new tiles (if not replacing most of them). A larger room and you just have a larger challenge. Why? Because the dye lot for each batch of tile will have some variation, leaving you with a tile that is either darker or lighter than the original. Thus replacing a few will show a contrast (possibly subtle) to the surrounding tiles.

I applaud the idea of making a faux wood tile and saving some trees. Just keep in mind where the tile will be placed and how it will look in five years.

Big or Little?

Lately, we have Clients requesting large tiles be installed when remodeling their bathrooms. Why? Minimal grout lines. Some clients don't want to see alot of lines in their shower/bathroom walls. They would rather focus on the pattern or look of the tile. Some Clients don't want the cleaning required on grout lines.  Less lines equals lower maintenance for them.

There is a fix to the cleaning problem of grout lines. Granted, it will not eliminate the need to clean a shower. But if you use a grout epoxy in the shower area, it will clean more easily and quickly than regular grout. But its expensive, as much as 3x a regular box of grout. Also, the labor to install is more since it takes more time to apply than regular grout. Yet it pays for itself in the long term.