How many lights do I need? (Basement)

[weatherby460]

I need help on where to place basement lights and how many. Please see attached picture. I have 2 rooms, a 16'x17' and then a bigger room that's L shaped. The L shaped room also has a 10" ceiling drop for HVAC that complicates matters. I am using Sunco 6" ultra slim downlight 850 lumens/14W 3000K warm white lights. These are the very low profile new ones that don't need a housing. They are only about .5" thick. Dimmable also. I am drywalling the ceiling. Thanks

 

[Bert_]

Their website doesn't list an IES file which is the easiest way to figure this out. The site does look fairly professional so it might be worth contacting them to see if an IES file is available.

 

[Stuart in MN]

It will help if you define what the rooms will be used for.

 

[weatherby460]

TTT...anyone? I'm thinking 7 for the 16x17 area.

 

[Greeny]

Like Stuart said....
What will the rooms be used for? If it's a bedroom or rec room, I wouldn't have much light in it. If it's a hobby room with a workbench or similar, I'd try to light it up for surgery with no shadows allowed.

 

[nadogail]

Like Stuart said....
What will the rooms be used for? If it's a bedroom or rec room, I wouldn't have much light in it. If it's a hobby room with a workbench or similar, I'd try to light it up for surgery with no shadows allowed.

What Greeny said.
Your anticipated use and budget will guide your solution.

 

[Wileel]

This is great advise, it all comes down to what you want to do in the space. Make your plan then double it . On a serious note, I like a VERY well lit area and HATE working in my own shadow so that being said I would have no less than 9 in the 16x17 area.

 

[Justind97]

I just finished a basement. The one section is 11' wide by 30' long. I put in 16 potlights similar to what you installed. 2 potlights every 4' spaced across into even 1/3s.

It may seem like overkill, but there's plenty of light. Other parts of the basement did not get as many lights and it's very noticeable. Ceiling heights are just shy of 8'.

So your 16x17 room, I would say 12 lights.

The 16x28, 21 light, 7 rows of 3.

You will never complain of too much light. And since they are dimmable, you'll be fine.

 

[yeldogt]

As others have said -- it depends on use. IMO -- people use too many if using as an extension of the living space. I like to do indirect light -- so lighting up walls ..etc is nicer.

Too many and it looks like a utility space .. unless thats what you want.

 

[Platonic Solid]

As others have said -- it depends on use. IMO -- people use too many if using as an extension of the living space. I like to do indirect light -- so lighting up walls ..etc is nicer.

Too many and it looks like a utility space .. unless thats what you want.

Exactly. Interior living space lighting is very different from shop lighting. It's too subjective to make a recommendation.

 

[weatherby460]

The 16x17 will be a room to display deer heads, with wood walls, but white drywalled ceiling. The other big L room will have a tv and maybe a pool table. Living space, so I don't want it super bright.

 

[yeldogt]

The 16x17 will be a room to display deer heads, with wood walls, but white drywalled ceiling. The other big L room will have a tv and maybe a pool table. Living space, so I don't want it super bright.

The whole room of deer heads ?? Spooky

Trends are strange .. I can't tell you how many dropped ceiling I encountered when I started buying and rehabbing rentals back in the late 80's -- many with fluorescent panels. In the living spaces! .. I guess living in an office was the goal?

It's the same with basements. I get that they are dark ... but, so is any room at night. Someone started the big florescent treatment or peppered with endless recessed ..and it's been copied ever since.

Now we have the surface LED's -- it's really an ugly kind of light for a room. It's typically hard to pick specific spots for ceiling down lights is a general use room -- that's why I light up the walls with down lights or use wall sconce for more general lighting.

 

[dscheidt]

The 16x17 will be a room to display deer heads, with wood walls, but white drywalled ceiling. The other big L room will have a tv and maybe a pool table. Living space, so I don't want it super bright.

The solution to too bright is dimmers, not fewer lights. Can lights throw light in a cone; if the cones do not overlap at the plane of interest, there are shadows.
The plane where the overlap occurs is usually the floor, but it can be a counter or workbench, or a pool table.

 

[yeldogt]

The solution to too bright is dimmers, not fewer lights. Can lights throw light in a cone; if the cones do not overlap at the plane of interest, there are shadows.
The plane where the overlap occurs is usually the floor, but it can be a counter or workbench, or a pool table.

He is thinking of using the flat type -- they work more like a surface fixture ... except IMO a nice surface is better.

 

[dscheidt]

He is thinking of using the flat type -- they work more like a surface fixture ... except IMO a nice surface is better.

The ones I am familiar with are just a trim ring and a panel, installed above the plane of ceiling. some rquire a box, some are LV, and can have the box remote. But they're all down lights, with much less than 180 beam spread.

 

[Stuart in MN]

The 16x17 will be a room to display deer heads, with wood walls, but white drywalled ceiling. The other big L room will have a tv and maybe a pool table. Living space, so I don't want it super bright.

I wouldn't worry about putting much if any light in the ceiling. You can probably get by with a couple table lamps in each room, along with a pool table light.

 

[Justind97]

I wouldn't worry about putting much if any light in the ceiling. You can probably get by with a couple table lamps in each room, along with a pool table light.

I think the op is going for a useable space that feels like what he has upstairs.
Table lamps reminds me of a "finished" basement from the 70s/80s with the brown/orange/yellow **** like carpet and wood panel walls.