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  • We Answer the Top Recessed Lighting Questions

    We Answer the Top Recessed Lighting QuestionsRecessed lighting outdatedHere at Total Lighting Supply, we are excited about recessed lighting! With over 3,000 trim and LED recessed lighting options, we can get you what you need. We consistently receive questions about recessed lighting projects and how to upgrade trims in existing housings. Here are some of the common questions, and simple answers, that will help you with each phase of your project. We can not wait to work with you :)

    1) Is Recessed Lighting Outdated?

    Recessed lighting is anything but outdated. With all kinds of new LED technology, increased color rendering, increased energy efficiencies, better light distribution, and designer trim colors to add to the overall ambiance of the space, you cannot go wrong. Your project needs fixtures that will offer you trouble-free, maintenance-free performance even if technology changes. Many of our product types have been in operation for over 50 years and all they took was a little upgrading. We have a wide range of products and we would be happy to help you find exactly what you need for your project.

     

    what are recessed lighting housings2) Do You Need Cans for LED Recessed Lights?

    In most cases you do. The recess light is generally comprised of the housing (or can), which is the primary structure that holds the recessed lighting parts, and is hidden in the ceiling, as well as an LED module or trim. Keep in mind that recessed lights, downlights, or can lights, need to meet the National Electric Code (NEC).

     

     

     

    3) What Size of Recessed Lighting Should I Use?

    4" vs 6" Recessed Lighting4” and 6” are the most common. We have a blog that explains when and where to use these. However, we offer a wide range of sizes, from 2",3”, 4", 5” and 6”, with an abundance of options depending on the project design needs. We even offer fire rated housings for projects that require it, like multi-family projects (see #7 below).

    4) What Are My Canned Lighting Trim Options?

    There are so many to chose from! From the antique look, halogen and fluorescent, to the new LED recessed lighting modules. With thousands of options, we can get your project going right away. For a small fee, you can also spend time with our recessed lighting adviser - our in-house expert that will help you save time and money by finding you exactly what you need to start your project off right, and avoid shipping something that won't work. Money well spent.Recessed lighting options

    5) What is the Best Type of Recessed Lighting?

    The best type of recessed lighting is the one that will do the job for you. What do you expect from your lighting? Is it just decorative? It is a work area like a kitchen? Is it a design element that compliments the ceiling and architecture? How bright do you want it? What about color rendering? Is it for a restaurant, fast food, or retail store?  When you visit stores, homes or other places similar to your space, take note of how they look. What did they do right and what did they do wrong? The more information you can gather, the better the results.

    6) What is the Difference Between Can Lights, Pot Lights and Recessed Lights?

    There are many different terms for these lights, but there is no difference at all. Sometimes these lights will be referred to differently by region. For example, in Canada, the are commonly referred to as "pot lights." In other places you might hear "recessed ceiling lights" or "downlights."

    7) What are Fire Rated Recessed Lights?

    Fire rated recessed lightingThese are special housings that have certifications for garages, multi-family dwellings, and more. Your electrician and building inspector will know if you need fire righted lights and you should contact us before you order them. It has to be done right the first time, or you will have to pay to tear them all out.

    Good planning makes great results. We can help you find the correct product to meet your needs, and our products meet, or greatly exceed, standards anywhere in the USA. From California to Washington, and all the way to New York, we have all of the certifications and meet all state, city, designer and architects' requirements.

    8) Who are We?

    We just do lighting, and offer a unique, small website, run by a family that is dedicated to recessed lighting. Let us work with you to get your project shipped on time and in budget. Lets do the best we can to get it right the first time.

    We always recommend starting at this page to get things on the right track right away.!

    Posted in:

    Tags: led, Fire Rated, Outdated

  • Meet our 4" LED recessed lighting family + insights and features, Video

    LED 4" recessed lighting has become the standard size in most down lighting and can lighting applications. In this video, we go over the many features of our LED 4" trims and housings comparing them against our competitors and showing you the difference between the old standard styles of the past. If you're unfamiliar with 4" recessed lights or pot lights you don't want to miss this informative video.

    See the 4" LED Recessed Lighting family HERE!

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    Tags: comparison, led, overview, Features

  • Affordable LED Under Cabinet Light unboxing video

    We have finally found an affordable LED under cabinet light that is not only bright with a beautiful diffused light but has a super thin 1-1/8" profile that will fit in the most hard to light places like kitchens, garages, works shops, showcases and more!

    We made this quick unboxing video to provide you the basic details of the LED under cabinet light, like for instance, what is included in the box, how much light output and power consumption as well as installation information such as knockout quantity and location.

    Check out the LED under cabinet light video below!

    Posted in:

    Tags: led, LED under cabinet lighitng, video, Under Cabinet Lighting

  • Lighting Your Kitchen Like a Pro

    (Updated January 2016)

    Whether one is doing a kitchen remodel or starting from scratch, the lighting design is frequently the last thing considered and often the first thing to get cut from the budget. Lighting design and planning should be phase 1 of a kitchen project whether you are starting from scratch or remodeling. If you want your lighting to look like it was done by a pro, choosing the right light and the right placement of the light will make all the difference in the world. To avoid headaches, hassles and driving your project cost up unnecessarily, the lighting decisions need to occur in the initial stage of the project and not as a 'hindsight is 20-20' kind of thing.

    What are the aspects that need to be considered in making these decisions? Lighting designers say that using three types of lighting functions is paramount to good lighting design-whether it is in your kitchen or elsewhere. It is a 'layering' technique:

    1. General or ambient light source: this is the primary and central source of lighting that provides overall illumination. Think of this as the general lighting that allows you to move about in the space safely and allows you to perform general tasks.
      - Best choices for general lighting: ceiling and wall mounted fixtures, recessed lights.
    1. Task lighting: lighting that allows you to perform specific tasks such as, food preparation, reading, cooking, etc. Effective task lighting should not have distracting glare and shadows and make sure that it is bright enough to avoid eyestrain.
      - Best choices for task lighting: recessed, pendant lights, under the cabinet lighting, floor and table lamps.
    1. Drama/accent/focal lighting: lighting that is used to introduce elements of drama or accent by bringing the viewer’s attention to something in particular-such as artwork, plants a wall, etc. How to make focal lighting work effectively? Make sure the light on the focal point (object) is three times brighter than your general lighting source around it.
      - Best choices for focal lighting: recessed lights, track lights.

    Some Thoughts on Dimming Systems

     

    Some designers like to incorporate dimming systems in their lighting design. Our designer recommends that dimming systems be avoided in most cases-with the exception of dining rooms and media rooms. Here are some reasons why a dimming system should be avoided: 1) color temperature shifts (if you are not using a LED lamp) 2) bulb does not dim in the full range and will drop out around 15-20% (common with LED lamps) 3) flickering. Halogen bulbs experience color temperature shifts when being dimmed-not to mention that they require more energy to run and create unwanted heat. Fluorescent bulbs do not have a filament-which translates to it not being conducive to being dimmed-they drop out at 15-20%-which in turn, does not give you the full range. Fluorescent bulbs will also flicker when being dimmed. LEDs do not have a filament either, and suffer from the same things that fluorescent bulbs do; dropping out at 15-20% and flickering. Flickering is a bigger deal than one would initially think: it can cause neurological disturbances, headaches, fatigue, eye strain, affects your perception of motion and is a distraction, to name a few of the problems. As technology changes, the LED are becoming more easily dimmed, but we like to reserve dimming for where dimming is actually needed. Hopefully, we've succeeded in talking you out of using a dimming system.

    You can achieve a more pleasing effect by using the layering technique-not to mention that it looks professional. You can also keep your lighting costs down by using fixtures that can perform multiple functions.

    General Light Source

     

    6" recessed cans are a great choice for the general lights-and will give you the most choice by way of lamps/bulbs that fit into the fixture. When I did a kitchen remodel in my own home in 2008, LED lights for 6" recessed had just been introduced to the market. Yes, initially, LED bulbs cost more than their counterparts, but now with the changes in LED technology, prices have dropped down to where they are more than affordable. The new LED bulbs provide up to 60,000 of continuous light that is cool burning and instant on. No other bulb can do that! LED is also the most 'green' choice you can make in keeping your carbon footprint minimized. Initially, we tried out LED bulbs that had a color temperature of 27K. We found these to look too 'yellow' and ended up going with a brighter, slightly cooler color temperature of 30K. Much better! You can go up to as high as 4100K. We found that the 5000K and above is just to white of a light for use in a home-to the point where your eyes see it as blue.

    LED 6" recessed kitchen lights

    Here is an example in my kitchen with just some of the recessed lights on-this is my 'everyday' lighting choice. The lights are LED bulbs in 6" recessed cans (my camera did yield some unwanted lens flare from pointing up in to the lights-those reflections are not really there on the ceiling).

     

    LED 6" and 4" CFL recessed kitchen lightsIn this example of my kitchen lighting, I have all of the recessed lights on. All decisions for the lighting source and placement were intentional. We looked for a light that had a broad, white, diffused, bright, even light-one that did not have 'edges' to the beam spread. This reduces the shadows on the work surfaces and the amount of glare. The LED lights we chose met that criteria. Track lighting was not a good choice because it is harsh, directional and creates lots of shadows. It wasn't appropriate for our application (you might have call for a directional light in your kitchen layout, however).

    My lighting designer wanted all my work surfaces to be evenly lit. Notice the distance of the recessed lights in relation to the cabinets. They are place 18" out from the cabinets so that it would light the cabinets and allow the light to light the inside of the cabinet when opened. This distance also minimized shadows cast in the area of the work space when standing at the counter. The space between each recessed light is about 2 feet-allowing for a well lit room. Notice too, that one is placed over the doorway.

    Look carefully at the bank of recessed lights above the table (far top right of image). These are 4" LED Modules just like we used in the 6” housing. Using the 4" housing and module also breaks things up and adds interest-we didn't need as much light over the table area.

    With the 6"recessed cans, our lighting designer put them on two switches so that you could just have some on and at other times, have them all on when you want it to be brighter. That provided two levels of general lighting.

    Task Lighting

     

    The next layer of lighting in my kitchen is task lighting. Right above my kitchen sink is a light to provide me with an additional layer of light-by way of a LED under cabinet fixture.
    kitchen sink task lightAn additional LED under cabinet light fixture over the kitchen sink for additional task lighting (I turned the general lighting off so that you can see this light source better - we have a full video on the new LED under cabinet fixture at this link)

    stovetop task lighting Task lighting over the stove top area achieve by way of halogen MR-16s

    Accent Lighting (for added drama)

     

    Accent lighting in my kitchen was achieved by way of additional fixtures under the cabinets The LED under the cabinet fixture is a great choice over a fluorescent since it lasts longer, is more energy efficient AND has a lower profile. Not to mention that the color rendering is much better. The LED under the cabinet is a specular light source-it gives an added dimension that a fluorescent bulb cannot. Think of it as adding more 'bling'.

    under cabinet lighting Under cabinet lighting
    cabinet lighting specials LED under cabinet & cabinet lights

    Pictured here are the LED under the cabinet lights and LED cabinet lights in the upper cabinets.

    Of course, it goes without saying, that if you have natural light to work with, by all means incorporate that in to your lighting design. Natural light always makes a home more appealing. When trying to achieve natural lighting with lighting fixtures, be sure to use bulbs that are described as 'daylight' instead of those described as warm-that way the color temperature is more closely matched.

    Hopefully, by sharing what went in to the decision making process for lighting choices in my kitchen remodel, you will have at least a better starting point. Avoid using a dimming system and avoid trying to light the entire room with just one light source such as a ceiling mounted fixture.  Please feel free to contact us for solutions to your lighting challenges-we are here to help!

    If you found this article to be helpful, please send us your before and after photos and a brief description of your experience-we'd love to share your success story!

    Posted in:

    Tags: Energy Saving, led, LED under cabinet lighitng, 6" recessed lighting, LED recessed lighting, kitchen lighting, Under Cabinet Lighting

  • New LED Ceiling Surface Lights

    LED ceiling surface lightsOur dimmable LED ceiling surface lights come in a variety of styles, sizes and color temperatures and are perfect for bedrooms, bathrooms, hallways, closets, laundry rooms, offices and much more! Made with a soft but strong diffuser, metal design components and metal base, our ceiling lights can be easily surface mounted in a multitude of locations such as ceilings and walls.

    Available in a bright 3000K warm white or 4000K cool white LED package, you will find the right light tone for your space.

    Need to bring light to a utility room? Your master bathroom too dark? Kitchen a bit dim? With a variety of sizes to choose from we have the size to fit virtually any room or office you need to illuminate.

    Concerned about energy use? Not to worry, our LED surface lights offer great energy savings and amazing light output. You can find the watts and lumens an every detail page of our ceiling LED lights to help you match the perfect light too your lighting requirements.

    • 10", 11" & 12-1/2" at 14watts produces 1200 lumens
    • 14" & 14-1/2" at 20watts produces 1800 lumens
    • 19" & 19-1/2" at 35watts produces 2900 lumens
    • 32" at 70watts produces 5800 lumens

    Watch our LED ceiling surface light videos!

    Come visit our growing list of LED ceiling surface lights and discover the LED difference!

     

    Posted in:

    Tags: Line Voltage, Energy Saving, Green, led, kitchen lighting, video, Surface Lights, Ceiling Lights

  • LED Cloud Ceiling Surface Lights Overview & Video

    LED cloud ceiling surface lights

    Our cloud LED ceiling lights are perfect for almost any surface mount locations such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, closets, hallways, kitchens, meeting rooms or office spaces. Elegant outside, smart inside with little to no maintenance required unlike those old fluorescent or incandescent fixtures. The soft but strong diffuser helps keep it from breaking while the all metal sturdy base allows for quick and easy installation.

    Available in three styles: mushroom cloud, cylinder cloud or square cloud, our LED ceiling lights bring bright diffused light in either a 3000K warm white or a 4000K cool white dimmable LED package.

    Need to bring light to a utility room? Your master bathroom too dark? How about that walk in closet? With six sizes to choose from: 11", 12-1/2", 14", 14-1/2", 19" and 19-1/2", we have the size to fit virtually any room or office you need to illuminate.

    Concerned about energy use? Not to worry, our LED surface lights offer great energy savings and amazing light output. Just see the watts versus lumens list below.

    • 11" & 12-1/2" at 14watts produces 1200 lumens
    • 14" & 14-1/2" at 20watts produces 1800 lumens
    • 19" & 19-1/2" at 35watts produces 2900 lumens

    Watch our cloud LED ceiling surface light videos!

    Our LED ceiling surface lights are affordable, quality made and are available in the size, finish and light output you need. Come check out our growing selection of LED surface lights today!

    Posted in:

    Tags: Line Voltage, Energy Saving, Green, led, kitchen lighting, video, Surface Lights, Ceiling Lights

  • LED Satin Nickel Two Ring Ceiling Surface Lights Overview & Video

    LED two ring ceiling surface lights

    Our LED two ring ceiling lights are perfect for almost any surface mount locations such as laundry rooms, bathrooms, closets, hallways, kitchens, meeting rooms or office spaces. Elegant outside, smart inside with little to no maintenance required unlike those old fluorescent or incandescent fixtures. The soft but strong diffuser helps keep it from breaking while the all metal sturdy base allows for quick and easy installation.

    Available in two beautiful finishes: bronze or satin nickel, our LED ceiling lights bring bright diffused light in either a 3000K warm white or a 4000K cool white dimmable LED package.

    Need to bring light to a utility room? Your master bathroom too dark? How about that walk in closet? With four sizes to choose from: 10", 14", 17" or an oval 32", we have the size to fit virtually any room or office you need to illuminate.

    Concerned about energy use? Not to worry, our LED surface lights offer great energy savings and amazing light output. Just see the watts versus lumens list below.

    • 10" at 14watts produces 1200 lumens
    • 14" at 20watts produces 1800 lumens
    • 17" at 35watts produces 2900 lumens
    • 32" oval at 70watts produces 5800 lumens

    Watch our LED two ring ceiling surface light videos!

    Our LED ceiling surface lights are affordable, quality made and are available in the size, finish and light output you need. Come check out our growing selection of LED surface lights today!

    Posted in:

    Tags: Line Voltage, Energy Saving, Green, led, kitchen lighting, video, Surface Lights, Ceiling Lights

  • LED Under Cabinet Lighting Overview & Installation Tips Video

    LED Under Cabinet LightsWe thought you would like to know more about our new LED under cabinet lighting fixtures so we made a overview video showing the many features of our new addition. We reveal to you what comes in the box, available finishes, different lengths as well as helpful tips on how best to install the LED light for common applications plus much much more!

    Sit back and discover the simplicity of Total LED under cabinet lighting!

    Our LED Under Cabinet Lights

    • Rated at 40,000 hours
      • Warm white light at 3000K
    • High / Low Rocker switch for high low light setting
    • Five lengths at five wattages:
      • 12" at 5watts
      • 21" at 7watts
      • 24" at 9watts
      • 33" at 13watts
      • 42" at 16watts
    • Three finishes available: Bronze, Satin Nickel and White
    • 1" low profile with slim steel body
    • Frosted glass lens for pleasing soft light
    • Link up to 10 units
    • No additional transformer or driver is required!
    • Common household 120volt input
    • Two installation options: Portable plug-in or hard wire option
      • Portable plug-in option includes 6ft. power cord for standard electrical wall outlet use
      • Hard wire option can be directly connected by knockouts with included 1/4" Romex connector and grounding screw and wire
    • ETL listed

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    Tags: Line Voltage, installation, led, LED under cabinet lighitng, kitchen lighting, video

  • Just added Premium LED Under Cabinet Lights

    led-under-cabinet-lighting-blogWe have been looking for the best LED under cabinet lights for quite some time now. We have been testing and reviewing many LED under cabinet lights for time and a half. We believe we have found the best at the best price!

    Made of quality steel, frosted glass and with a superb balance of options, Total Lighting Supply and Total Recessed Lighting are proud to announce the best marriage of quality, price and performance in LED Under Cabinet lights.

    Available in Bronze, Nickel and White, the 3000K color temperature LED under cabinet fixtures provide quality components including a high / low rocker switch capable of two levels of brightness bringing the perfect level of light to your space when you need it. Rated at 40,000 hours, the LED light is sure to provide hours of energy saving bright light without all the negative and toxic aspects of fluorescent lighting.

    We offer these beautiful under cabinet lights in five convenient lengths at five different wattages: 12" at 5watts, 21" at 7watts, 24" at 9watts, 33" at 13watts and 42" at 16watts. With a large selection of lengths these cabinet lights are sure to fit nicely in your space be it under cabinets in your kitchen or utility room, shelves in your garage, a tight work space, in a retail location for product display or on the go in trade show lighting.

    Discover how easy it is to install these lights in either a portable plug-in option with the included 6ft. power cord for standard electrical wall outlet use or a hardwire option via the integrated knockouts and included 1/4" Romex connector. Both options are included with each under cabinet light allowing you the freedom to choose how you would like to install your new LED light!

    Interested? For more information please visit our Total Recessed Lighting LED Under Cabinet Lighting section for dimensions, applications and detailed specifications.

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    Tags: led, kitchen lighting, Garage Lighting, Shelf lighting, Cabinet lighting, retail lighting, Under Cabinet Lighting

  • Just added 3" GU10 MR16 Recessed Housings & Trims

    3 inch gu10 MR16 recessed lightingWe have just added 3" Gu10 Recessed housings that work perfectly with all our 3" MR16 Gu10 compatible trims. No need to scour the web for Gu10 MR16 3" recessed lighting trims we have put them all in one easy to find place. Choose from 3" baffle trims, 3" chrome trims and 3" adjustable trims like eyeball and gimbal trims. We have also made it easier to find MR16 Gu10 light bulbs by grouping them in their own category under the Gu10 3" recessed lighting category!

    The simplicity of using Gu10 lighting technology is that it provides the flexibility you need in todays ever changing lighting world. Our 3" Gu10 recessed cans don't use a low voltage transformer but rather tap right into the same voltage wired to the housings junction box. So if your input voltage is 120volts the output voltage will be 120volts. Simple as that. No need to waste your time looking at transformer compatibility charts to make sure the light bulb you want to use will work with your recessed light. All you need is a Gu10 base MR16 light bulb that uses the same voltage going into your housing. Now that's easy!

    Our 3" MR16 Gu10 recessed trims and housings will provide you the freedom to choose! If you want to use Halogen technology you can easily use a halogen Gu10 MR16 light bulb. If you want to take advantage of energy saving technologies such as LED you can quickly update your recessed light with the latest LED Gu10 MR16 light bulb. Just remove the bulb and replace. It's that simple!

    Changing the light bulb over a complete trim our recessed light is much more environmentally friendly on so many levels! Get peace of mind knowing your recessed lighting is ready for the next big thing that's coming!

    Find 3" Gu10 MR16 recessed lighting here!

    Posted in:

    Tags: Line Voltage, led, MR16, GU10, Trim, 3", Halogen, recessed housing

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