Recessed lights for stretch ceiling

When installing a stretch ceiling, there is a need to install a reliable, beautiful and efficient lighting system. To use traditional incandescent or halogen bulbs for these purposes is impractical, since during operation they heat up quite strongly, creating a danger to the ceiling material. Such lighting systems use low-power ceiling lamps installed in luminaires of a special design.

Classification of lighting fixtures for suspended ceilings

The variety of different types of ceiling lights allows you to choose the necessary device for installing it with your own hands in the interior of any room. At the same time, making such a choice is quite difficult, without at least minimal knowledge about what types of lighting devices are and how they differ from each other.

The following types of these devices are distinguished by the depth of integration:

1. Fully recessed.
2. Partially recessed.
3. Overhead lights. Products of this type are often used in the organization of additional lighting points for the kitchen, dining room or living room.

The depth of installation mainly depends on the type of lamp used. Light bulbs for suspended ceilings, as well as lamps for suspended ceilings, come in several forms:

1. Halogen.
2. Metal halide.
3. LED light.
4. Incandescent lamps.

When installing a lighting system with halogen lamps, the depth of installation of luminaires is 4-9 cm, for LED lamps - 1-2 cm. If for some reason it was decided to use incandescent lamps for lighting a room with a stretch ceiling, then the depth of installation of such devices will be from 20 to 30 cm

Depending on the nature of the lighting, fixtures for suspended ceilings are divided into devices:

1. Scattered light.
2. Directional light.

In addition, their technical design can be divided into the following types:

1. Panel (modular), used in most cases with suspended ceilings.
2. Point.

Panel lights are one of the most popular types of lighting systems. In appearance, such devices resemble an ordinary ceiling panel. They are rarely used to illuminate living rooms, since the appearance of these products does not favor the creation of home comfort in the room. Such lamps are best chosen for lighting workrooms or offices.

Since these devices are placed behind a stretch ceiling canvas, they can only illuminate a room with diffused light.

Benefits of recessed luminaires

The advantages of using products such as ceiling lamps include:

1. The ability to plan lighting for a kitchen, hallway or bathroom that will create soft diffused light, greatly contributing to the creation of a favorable atmosphere in these rooms.
2. The location of the lighting points on the ceiling can be completely arbitrary.
3. A large number of models of modern fixtures allows you to achieve various effects, emphasizing certain details of the interior. Lighting for the kitchen can emphasize the separation of the working and dining areas, and the use of LED lamps in children’s room or in the hall makes it possible to smoothly change the light intensity or to obtain the effect of “starry sky".
4. The ease of installation and maintenance of built-in fixtures makes it possible to do it yourself.

The advantages of overhead models include the least loss of free space spent on the installation of a stretch ceiling, as well as the possibility of using incandescent lamps in them, achieved due to good ventilation.

Kids room lighting

A very popular option for decorating children's rooms is to create an effect that mimics the starry sky. To do this, it is better to choose LED lamps, the operation of which is controlled using a software unit. This solution allows not only to get a starry sky on the ceiling of the room, but also to achieve the effect of its movement and even the fall of comets.

Another option for creating lighting "starry sky" on the stretch ceiling of a room may be the installation of optical fibers and a light generator in it. This method is cheaper, while stellar flicker can be obtained using special crystals glued to the ceiling canvas. Such a "starry sky" does not provide the effect of the movement of celestial bodies, but it also looks very beautiful.

Bathroom lighting

A feature of the bathroom is the high content of water vapor in the air, as well as fairly high temperatures. That is why the fixtures in the bathroom must comply with a certain class of protection against water and dust (not lower than IP44).

When choosing a luminaire for a stretch ceiling in the bathroom, you should refrain from buying chandeliers, as well as flat models that resemble a plate in shape. Metal parts of the housings of such products experience significant heating, which can lead to damage to the ceiling and even a fire.

Despite the small size of the bathroom, it can also be arranged zoned lighting, highlighting certain interior items.

In order to make high-quality lighting in the bathroom with your own hands, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements for electrical wiring in rooms with increased danger.

LED Strip Light

To make the right choice among the possible lighting options for the kitchen, dining room, bathroom or corridor it is necessary to plan it in such a way as to be able to change the light intensity from muted to as bright as possible. This can be achieved by using an LED strip, which is placed behind the stretch ceiling canvas, as an additional element of the lighting system.

A popular lighting option for the kitchen or dining room is the use of a chandelier with the simultaneous location of several recessed fixtures to illuminate several areas of the room.

Lamp design

The body material of most lighting devices used for installation in rooms with suspended ceilings is cast or stamped aluminum. Its surface can be anodized, chrome plated or powder coated.

The diffuser is most often made of plastic, although glass can be used to make this part of their design in expensive lamp models.

Spotlights

Spotlights (or downlights) allow you to organize lighting from individual points located on the ceiling plane. Such devices are focal lights that can be fully or partially integrated into the suspended ceiling.

Most often they are used to highlight certain interior details or areas of a room.

The design of spotlights includes its own reflector, which allows focusing the light flux in a certain direction. Many models of such devices are equipped with rotary mechanisms, allowing, if necessary, to change the direction of light.

Stretch ceiling lighting options

In order to make a high-quality and effective lighting system with your own hands, first of all, you need to choose a model of a lighting device. For large rooms, a chandelier or overhead models that allow the installation of sufficiently powerful lamps may well be suitable. As auxiliary sources of light (or the main ones, for example, in the bathroom), small spotlights can be used. To organize night lighting, an LED strip or backlight that mimics the starry sky can be used.

When using spotlights, it is possible to highlight certain areas of the room.

Since most canvases of stretch ceilings perfectly reflect light, it is possible to achieve the desired effect by mounting the lamps in the ceiling cornice. In this case, the integrity of the ceiling surface is not violated.

Device mounting

Installation of recessed luminaires for a stretch ceiling is not too complicated and can very well be done with your own hands. In this case, it is necessary to remember that the electrical safety rules are observed, all connections must be made with deenergized elements of the electrical wiring.

Do-it-yourself installation of a luminaire for a stretch ceiling consists of the following steps:

• First of all, it is necessary to make the marking of the ceiling, which is performed to determine the exact location of the lighting places in accordance with the design plan.
• Next, the installation of adjustable fixtures for fixtures, as well as chandeliers. Doing it yourself is quite simple, but working at height requires an assistant.

• Laying electrical wires from each fixture to a switch or junction box.
• Installation of a stretch ceiling canvas with pre-cut holes for fixtures.
• Installation of the lamp on an adjustable stand.

The most labor-intensive operation, which is quite difficult to do with your own hands, is the installation of a stretch ceiling canvas, which requires the use of special equipment.

 Important! Before installing the luminaire, it is necessary to put a heat-insulating ring on its body.

The use of recessed luminaires makes it possible to achieve the most effective lighting in rooms with suspended ceilings. The variety of models of these devices opens up wide possibilities for a variety of design ideas, from a strict office environment to a lighting system that mimics the starry sky.