track lighting uses and placement
Prior to jumping into a track lighting solution, consider some basic questions involving your lighting needs and the track lighting uses.
Ambient-general lighting purposes
If your purpose is to light a small room, a small kitchen or a entryway, track lighting can be a suitable response. In these cases, it can provide sufficient brightness and lighting comfort.
Track lighting can also be a good solution for finished basements, to help create comfortable work spaces.
But if you want to get general lighting for large rooms, track lighting isn’t probably the best solution. That would demand multiple tracks...
Accent lighting purposes
If your purpose is to get accent lighting (to highlight a painting, an architectural feature, etc), track lighting is a versatile response, easy to implement.
Track lighting is easy to angle, making highlighting the objects an easy task. Track lighting is versatile enough to illuminate series of decorations or just a simple element. And in most case you can rearrange your living room without having to change the track system associated with the track accent lighting. You just need to rearrange the angle of the heads.
Task lighting purposes
Task lighting purpose is to assist us in performing works such as reading or cooking. It illuminates the small areas where these tasks are performed.
Track lights can focus the light in the heavily used areas, with efficiency – since it supplements the overhead ambient light just in the areas where light is most needed, instead of a more powerful ambient lighting for the whole room.
Indirect lighting goals
Track lighting is also a good option for wall washing lighting and other forms of indirect lighting. Track lighting provides easy lighting from very different angles, which is critical to achieve a glare-free illumination and a sense of accrued height or depth for the rooms (the main purposes of indirect lighting).
Where to place the track lights
General lighting, accent lighting, task lighting and indirect lighting (wall washing…) respond to different needs and require different placements.
Task-work points (in kitchens, for instance) and accent points (architectural details, paintings…) are usually at the perimeter of the room; in such cases, for most ceiling heights, the track is placed 20-40 inches out from the correspondent walls.
Just be aware to the height of the ceiling. Higher ceilings demand tracks to be positioned farther out from the walls….
To minimize glare and reflection look for appropriate angles. Angling at approximately 30° can minimize unwanted reflectivity (in indirect and accent lighting solutions).
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