subject: Expert Ideas For Upgrading Lighting In Old Kitchen [print this page] What older homes offer in charm and personality is often offset by inefficiency, bad lighting and poor design. Older kitchens often have just a central light fixture and a light above the stove. Obviously this is hardly adequate or safe in a space where you chop, dice and blend.
Modern improvements in the styles of track lighting fixtures make them a feasible option when updating the lighting in an older kitchen. Whereas it used to be a limited choice between an ugly black or white canister, new styles are attractive and available in a range of styles, colors and finishes. The big advantage to using track lighting when you have only one overhead fixture is that you do not have to rewire the kitchen! The next biggest advantage is that you can target the lighting wherever you need it.
There are three different standard systems in track lighting: Halo, June and Lightolier, which are represented by manufacturers as H, J or L. Every system demands its own certain type of tracks and lamp fixtures that are identified by one of these three letters. Because of this you should first pick out your fixtures and then pick out the corresponding track. Consider how many fixtures you will need to highlight your work areas like the range, sink, preparation area or some wood wall hangings.
When choosing the fixtures, you will notice that track lighting comes in low voltage and line voltage options. Line voltages draws current straight from the track whereas low voltages converts current from a box at the base. The most eco-friendly option is CFL bulbs with line voltage fixtures. If your need is to focus light toward one specific area, you may use a CFL flood lamp that will emit a sufficient amount of light without becoming hot like halogen or incandescent bulbs can. Another alternative is to put in several lights along the track wherever they are required to bathe an area in light and thus skip spot lighting altogether.
Track lighting can also be used if your kitchen has a cathedral ceiling or taller than average height walls. Shop for tracking lighting kits that let you suspend the track from the ceiling. This creates a dramatic effect that updates both the style and lighting efficiency of your kitchen, targeted to the way you work in your kitchen: You can choose to highlight a iron tree wall art and copper tree sculpture or shine some light on your countertop work surface.
You can next make a final decision for fixtures along with the required length of corresponding track. You can always put in your own lighting if you have experience in electrical work; in other instances you will be smart to hire the work done by a qualified electrician.
The simplest route to take when upgrading lighting in an older kitchen is to put in track lighting.
