A room with competently designed and installed modern spot lighting looks beautiful and cozy, and its ceiling plays with bright colors. Lighting with the help of ceiling lamps allows you to emphasize individual interior items, or divide the room into comfortable zones. In rooms with a small area (corridor, living room, bathroom, etc.), spotlights for suspended ceilings are used as the main source of light, in other cases – as an additional one.
Modern devices are stylish, practical and reliable, their design perfectly complements the main look of the room, and the ease of their installation and efficiency of use is considered a profitable plus.
Features of the organization of lighting in a room with a suspended ceiling
Properly selected lighting can transform and decorate a room, add space and fresh colors to it. It is better to take care of lighting at the stage of designing the ceiling and decide exactly on the choice of your favorite option. A feature of the suspended ceiling is that it hides the electrical wiring, but if the owner plans to change the system, the entire ceiling structure will be affected. Therefore, the issue of lighting organization (choice of type, devices, location of their installation) should be carefully thought out in advance.
Types of room lighting with a suspended ceiling:
- basic lighting;
- additional lighting (backlighting).
Types of spotlights
The decisive factor when choosing spotlights for installation in a suspended ceiling is often the aesthetic preference of the owner, the height of the room, and the features of its design.
The following types of spotlights are distinguished:
- Rotary products. By carefully turning the bell in different directions, you can coordinate the direction of the light flow. They are installed where there is a need to change the lighting direction of the room or its separate area (kitchen area).
- Irreversible. The fixed position of the lamp does not allow changing the angle of the light flux. They are used in the bathroom, on the balcony, and in other rooms.
- Surface-mounted lamps allow you to save space in a low room. They differ in the type of their grid: double, mirror, parabolic, used in cases where built-in lighting is impossible.
- Built-in When installing built-in lamps in the suspended ceiling, it is necessary to take into account that the ceiling niche must be wider than the inner part of the lamp by at least 15 mm. This is especially important for the safe and efficient operation of halogen lamps.
Choosing a light source for a spotlight
Different lamps can play the role of a light element in them: halogen, LED, fluorescent.
- Lamps with halogen lamps. Their feature is high light output, so their installation and operation in suspended and tension structures can cause problems. The power of the devices varies in the range from 12V to 220V. Products with low power have a long service life, but for their reliability, the installation of an additional transformer is required. Replacing a halogen lamp should be done carefully, according to the recommendations. An acceptable price and saving of light is considered a significant advantage of lamps.
- Lamps with LED lamps . Consumption of a small amount of electricity, duration of operation, and high efficiency are their significant advantages. Doubts about their purchase are caused only by the need for additional installation and connection of the transformer, as well as the high cost of the products. Widely used by designers in interior decoration.
The use of LED lamps in combination with a dimmer allows you to adjust their brightness and create diffused light.
- Lamps with incandescent lamps. They are widely popular due to their affordable price and bright light. Connecting standard spotlights is similar to connecting electrical appliances, but due to their massiveness, they are installed on high ceilings. Their replacement will be frequent, but will not take much time.
- Fluorescent lamps are very popular because of their economy. Their pleasant light has a good effect on vision. It is not recommended to use the devices if there is a threat of power surges in the network.
Transformers used to operate halogen and LED devices are of two types: induction and electronic.
Choosing a spotlight for a suspended ceiling by design
The modern market of models offers a rich selection of products, the external design of which satisfies the most sophisticated tastes of customers.
Modern manufacturers offer classic models and options with bold design solutions made of glass, metal, and other materials. A variety of designs allows you to choose a model that matches the style of the room, and the appearance of the bulbs allows designers to use them as an organic addition to the interior.
Connecting a lamp on a suspended ceiling
In order to correctly perform installation work on the installation of the lamp, you do not need special knowledge, skills and abilities. They will not take much time and effort. The design of the lamps makes hidden installation as easy as possible. If the lamp is connected using a transformer, in order to avoid power losses, it should be taken into account that the length of the cord between them should not exceed 2 meters. Before starting work, it is necessary to prepare the necessary tools and devices.
You need to start with laying the power line:
- install the lighting box so that access to it is free;
- run cable lines from it to the intended places of installation of lamps, protect the wires with corrugated pipes;
- when installing halogen or LED lamps, branching boxes are installed to avoid overloading the first one with terminals.
After the stage of laying and fixing the cables is completed, they proceed to the installation work. Spot lights can be installed both before the ceiling covering and after the work is finished.
A mandatory condition for the correct installation of the lamp is strict adherence to the recommended work algorithm:
- before starting the installation on the plasterboard base, you need to make marks in the places of the intended installation of the lamp;
- holes are drilled on the suspended ceiling. The diameter of the drill crown and the width of the lighting device must match;
- if the lamp stand has a square shape, the drill is replaced with a saber saw or electric jigsaw;
- a previously de-energized cable is pulled into the hole (you can grab it with a wire hook);
- if the lamp does not have built-in screw clamps, then it is connected to the cable using a terminal block;
- by lifting up special clamps, the lamp is firmly fixed on the suspended ceiling;
- the bulb is screwed in, and only after that the outer ring is put on.
It must be remembered that all the listed works can be carried out independently only with a special permit for this kind of work. In no case should you neglect safety rules!
Only when the installation of all the lamps in the room is completed, their simultaneous inclusion is checked.
Installation of convenient and reliable modern lighting devices is an excellent solution to the issue of changing the lighting design of an office, apartment or country house. Soft warm light will add a unique style, gentle warmth and homely comfort to the interior of the room. When choosing them, you need to take into account not only the external properties, but also the possibility to create competent and safe room lighting with their help.