LED lights in hallway - lower ceiling??

lobster123

Hi,

I'm thinking of fitting led lights to my narrow hall as it's really dark. Will I have to lower my ceiling to fit the lights or can they be fitted some other way? Complete novice here

I'm also getting the ceiling and walls skimmed and wondered what would I do first!

Many thanks

lobster123

lobster123 wrote: »

Hi,

I'm thinking of fitting led lights to my narrow hall as it's really dark. Will I have to lower my ceiling to fit the lights or can they be fitted some other way? Complete novice here

I'm also getting the ceiling and walls skimmed and wondered what would I do first!

Many thanks

Hi, thought I'd bump this to see if anyone could help me out please.

ziggystardust

Hi there fella.
It depends if you can get access to the ceiling from above? You should have floor boards of some descripton.
With regards to LED lights I suspect they will come in a kit with transformers. These will have to be wired into your lighting circuit. You will need to speak to an electrician really as electrics arent my bag.

If you did need to lower your ceiling however it shouldn`t cost too much. A few lengths of batten (50-70p a metre) and some plasterboard (£4-£5 for a 1200mm x 2400mm sheet). The plasterer would probably thank you for that aswell.

lobster123

ziggystardust wrote: »

Hi there fella.
It depends if you can get access to the ceiling from above? You should have floor boards of some descripton.
With regards to LED lights I suspect they will come in a kit with transformers. These will have to be wired into your lighting circuit. You will need to speak to an electrician really as electrics arent my bag.

If you did need to lower your ceiling however it shouldn`t cost too much. A few lengths of batten (50-70p a metre) and some plasterboard (£4-£5 for a 1200mm x 2400mm sheet). The plasterer would probably thank you for that aswell.

Cheers Ziggy. You don't by any chance know if you have to leave a certain amount of space between theexisting ceiling and the lowered one? Thanks

lifes-too-short

Hey Lobster, what lights have you currently got in?

There is a good chance that you will already have enough space in the ceiling as this is the depth of a ceiling/floor joist. Depending on what lighting is in you may need to extend your lighting circuit to facilitate LED downlights which in turn might make the wiring easier if you do lower the ceiling. I previosuly had 240v GU10 spot lights in and changed them to LED (straight replacement) as they have a built in led driver. If your going for LED go for a reputable brand (Phillips) they are a lot more expensive but well worth it for output and lamp quality.

ziggystardust

lobster123 wrote: »

Cheers Ziggy. You don't by any chance know if you have to leave a certain amount of space between theexisting ceiling and the lowered one? Thanks

I think that would depend on the size of the transformer (if one is needed). I do know that halogen downlighters need a 6" clearance as they get hot but I think LED operate at a low temperature and therefore do not need this clearance.

But you will have plenty of room between the joists if you can access them. If not, rather than battening and reboarding why not just remove the plasterboard ceiling you have. Get a sparky to do the work and reboard?

elstimpo

If the ceiling is high and the hallway is narrow, make sure you get a fairly narrow beam angled LED Spotlight. 38 or 45 degrees sounds about right for you. If you get too wide a beam angle then the light will be lost up at the top and hardly any light will reach the floor and be spread over too wide an area.

elstimpo

lifes-too-short wrote: »

HIf your going for LED go for a reputable brand (Phillips) they are a lot more expensive but well worth it for output and lamp quality.

I am an LED retailer and been in the LED industry for over 12 years and completely and utterly disagree with this. I have products where the performance and quality is far higher than anything Phillips have got.

I also know who Phillips, Osram etc all buy their products from. You think they buy on performance and quality first or potential margin? These companies have huge overheads to cover and look to make significant profit, so no, don't always look to the big brands as you will get a far better product and far better value by finding a specialist LED retailer.

Hintza

Buy Halers although expensive I am very impressed.

lifes-too-short

elstimpo, we are all entitled to our own opinions, I'm an electrican and fit hundereds of these things, fair enough you deal in then but I fit them and hear the moans from customers who supply there own lamps "saying well I visited a lighting shop and was told these LED's are better than those LED's etc etc" I have never had any issues with Phillips just like you proabably dont have any issues with your brands, each to there own.

elstimpo

lifes-too-short wrote: »

elstimpo, we are all entitled to our own opinions, I'm an electrican and fit hundereds of these things, fair enough you deal in then but I fit them and hear the moans from customers who supply there own lamps "saying well I visited a lighting shop and was told these LED's are better than those LED's etc etc" I have never had any issues with Phillips just like you proabably dont have any issues with your brands, each to there own.

Which is why i said that people need to find an LED specialist. Around 90% of the LED products we test don't come near to the claims on the box and it's a real issue. Going to a wholesaler or general lighting shop isn't often going to help someone when buying LED products. 9/10 the information on the box is whats used to recommend products, which isn't helpful.

I have no issue with Phillips products at all, what i am saying is that there are better performing products with more quality out there that don't come with a brand name.

I don't sell brands or have a brand name. I find my products myself from manufacturers and extensively test them in the UK so that we don't rely on manufacturer 'facts and figures'.