FAQ – Decorative Recessed Light Products
Frequently Asked Questions About Beaux-Arts Classic Products decorative Recessed Light Products.
1.) How do you know what size decorative recessed light trim to buy to fit the existing recessed lights in my home?
This is the most important question. We make 9 different sizes. A decorative recessed light trim to fit every type of recessed light source; LED retrofit, LED wafer thin downlights and lightbulbs, incandescent or LED.
The key issue now is the light source. Are you still using old incandescent light bulbs or new LED bulbs? Have you recently converted to LED Retrofits? If you are in the process of building a new home, restoring an old home or a large renovation project, you may be thinking about using LED Wafer Thin downlights. Let’s begin with going over each type of light source; Light Bulbs, LED or incandescent, LED Retrofits, and LED wafer thin downlights.
Your Decorative Recessed Light Bulb Source
LED Bulbs or Incandescent Light Bulbs
If you use light bulbs, the type and size of your recessed light canister is the key issue.
The canister is the metal heat sink in the ceiling that prevents your recessed light from catching fire. It is also where the electrical wiring is connected and the light bulb socket is located.
If you looked up at a bare canister it looks like the inside of a large soup can, hence the name canister and nick name “Can Lights”. Recessed lights became popular in the 1970s. At that time they were all 6” in diameter. In 2004, 4” and 5” canisters became popular. The canister cannot be seen because it is covered with a “baffle”. The baffle is the ribbed cone that surrounds the light bulb. In some cases, the baffle has a rim around it that is removable.
In others the baffle and rim are fixed. Most 4” and 5” recessed light baffles have fixed rims. Most 6” recessed light baffles have removable rims. If your baffle has a removal rim, measure the outside of the baffle without the rim. If the rim around the baffle is fixed, measure the outside of the baffle rim. That tells you what size Decorative Victorian Trim to purchase for your recessed light.
If this is confusing, you can always take a close-up photograph of your canister (please remove the light bulb first ). Either text to cell phone: 301-789-6014, or email to: info@beaux-artsclassicproducts.com. We will tell you exactly what you need to purchase for your decorative recessed light trim product.
LED Retrofits
An LED Retrofit is a nifty combination of an LED Light and a Baffle with a fixed rim all in one piece. The name implies a conversion of an old recessed light canister with a new LED light source. It looks like the old traditional recessed lights of the 1970s. It is actually much better. It is all one piece. You can never see the canister in between the bulb and baffle, as was often the case in the old days. So, if you have already converted your old recessed light canisters to LED Retrofits, then you simply have to measure the outside of the rim on the LED Retrofit. The typical outside diameter measurements of LED Retrofits are 5”, 6-3/4”, 7-1/4” , 7-1/2” and 7-3/4”. We make all those sizes and more.
If this is confusing, take a close-up photograph of your LED Retrofit and either text to cell phone: 301-789-6014, or email to: info@beaux-artsclassicproducts.com. We will tell you exactly what you need. You will still have to measure the outside rim of the LED Retrofit and include that in the text or email.
LED Wafer Thin Downlights and Flush Mounted Down Lights
LED Wafer Thin Down lights are a new LED that doesn’t require a canister. LED lights don’t produce enough heat to cause fires. They are direct current and low voltage. more like a flash light than an old incandescent light bulb that gets extremely hot. LED Wafer Thin Down lights come with a transformer which steps down from AC current to 8 volts DC current. As their name implies, LED Wafer Thin Down Lights are only 3/8” thick. They are less than 1/2” ceiling drywall . Therefore, LED Wafer Thin Down Lights can be installed practically anywhere, even under ceiling rafters. Since these new Wafer Thin LEDs don’t make heat, you don’t need to purchase a canister or a baffle. They are very inexpensive to install and with less labor also. Therefore, they are particularly appealing to new construction.
Flush Mounted Down Lights are also thin, usually under 1” thick. They install directly under a ceiling electrical junction box (J-Box for short). Like all LED lights they run off low voltage direct current and come with an internal transformer. They can be wired into home based 120 volt alternating current. These flush mounts come in a variety of sizes from 4”, 5” 6”, 6-3/4”, 7-1/4”, 7-1/2” and 7-3/4”. Larger ones are available like 12” 15” 20” and 24”; however, we don’t make those sizes, yet.
2.) If you have existing recessed light canisters in your home, what is the best light source; LED Retrofits or LED Light Bulbs?
Until recently I would have always recommended LED Retrofits over LED Bulbs. Mainly because LED Bulbs were really cheesy looking. Remember that you can see the bulb on recessed lights. A lamp with a shade hides the bulb. So having a handsome flood lamp is important to achieve the overall look desired. Recently a company named ExPlux Commercial Lighting, started making an all glass LED Flood Lamp. You can purchase them on Amazon for under $10 each. The par 38 ExPlus LED Bulbs with 2,700k light color are perfect for 6” Recessed Lights especially with Halo H7 Canisters and our LBLB-101 Victorian Decorative trim. The combination of a Halo H7 type canister, The Explux Par 38 LED Bulb, and our LBLB-101 Victorian Trim offers the best look and the most finish options of any of our Recessed Light Decorative Trims. The finish on the Victorian trim and the finish on the baffle can be matched. Plus, there is no large rim in between the trim and the baffle since the rim is unnecessary and removable.) What finishes are best for LED Retrofits and Wafer thin Downlights with your Victorian decorative trims?
3.) What finishes are best for LED Retrofits and Wafer thin Downlights with your Victorian decorative trims?
All LED Retrofits have a large rim around the actual LED light source. Most all LED Retrofits are white, because most ceilings are white. So most of the decorative trims we make are also white. However, some LED Light Manufacturers sell retrofits with Bronze, Nickel and Black finish options. These are more expensive than the regular white retrofits, but they can be worth the upcharge. Companies that make LED Retrofits with bronze, Nickel and Black finish options include, my favorites Nicor and Lithonia. Other companies that I have not purchased from yet are Luxrite, Sunco, Torchstar, Designers Fountain, Ecoeler and American Lighting. Beaux-Arts Classic Products has the following finishes that work with Bronze ( Rubbed Bronze, Dark Bronze, Antique Cherry) Nickel ( Nickel ) Black ( Black, Pewter, Antique Brass).
4.) What size Recessed lights are best for lighting a home? Why all the different sizes of recessed Lights?
Recessed Lights come in roughly four different sizes, 6”, 5”, 4” and 3”. There are also some variations, like 2-3/4” and 6-3/4”. The larger 6” and 5” lights have about 1,000 lumens of light. They are made for 8′ to 12′ ceilings. They are also for rooms that require good task lighting; like kitchens, bathrooms, libraries, bedrooms, home office, utility rooms and garages. Smaller rooms such as powder rooms, hallways and closets are all areas where 4” recessed lights with about 650 lumens are enough to light the space. The smaller 3” recessed lights have about 525 lumens and are best used under cabinets and as shelving accent lights.
5.) What Color Temperature is best for LED Light Bulbs, LED Retrofits or LED Wafer Thin Down Lights?
All Light is measured in Kelvin temperature. Prior to LEDs, all light sources were hot; the Sun, fire, oil lamps, Gas Lighting and even Edison Light Bulbs and Quartz Halogen bulbs. Generally LED Lights range from 2,700k to 6,000k. The kelvin Temperature of a candle is 1,900k a dark orange color. The lowest Kelvin temperature is 2,700K which is a light orange glow and very favorable to skin tones. It is referred to as a Warm White. As the Kelvin scale goes up to 3,000k, the light color changes to yellow and is called Bright White. Yellow is slightly less flattering to skin tones. At 4,000K the yellow turns to white but the color is still referred to as Bright White. At 5,000k, it is called daylight, since the white color replicates sunlight at mid day. The highest on the LED light spectrum is 6,000K. It is so Bright it is blue. As you may remember the brightest stars are blue stars. In reality, 6,000K LED color temperatures should only be used in hospital surgery emergency rooms, never in your home. In my opinion the perfect Kelvin temperature for your home is the lowest 2,700k. It is the light color we are all used to growing up before LEDs were invented. Stick with 2,700k or 3,000k if you can’t find the 2,700k LEDs.