Surface-mounted ceiling lamps for home and office

The issue of apartment lighting is one of the most important and significant decisions regarding the arrangement of your home. Overhead ceiling lights for the house, which have a variety of choices and are characterized by good lighting, are gaining popularity recently.

Their main feature is that they are mounted directly on the ceiling itself, and not suspended or embedded.

In addition to the types of overhead lights, which will be discussed later in the article, there is also a limitation for a certain type of ceiling, which requires special attention. Naturally, the appropriate overhead lamp is chosen according to the type of ceiling.

There are three types of ceiling:

• Holistic Absolutely all types of ceiling lights are suitable for this type, except spot lights, due to the complex installation process.
• Hanging For such a ceiling, just as many lighting options are suitable, for example, raster with good fastening.
• Stretchy Point and LED lamps perfectly fit into the design of such a ceiling. The use of other options is impractical because they heat the surface too much.

It is absolutely clear that before choosing an overhead lamp, you need to match it with the type of your ceiling. Knowing these nuances, it will not be difficult to choose a suitable option.

Types of overhead lamps

Surface-mounted lamps have many variants of execution, which differ in price, technical characteristics and requirements.

Here are the main types of ceiling lights by light source:

• Surface-mounted lamps using incandescent lamps. This option is traditional, but due to the fact that they have a very low efficiency, the structures have become less and less used in lighting.
• Lamps with halogen lamps. Their principle of action is almost identical to incandescent lamps, but differs in the source that turns into light. If in incandescent lamps it is an ordinary tungsten filament, then in halogen lamps a conductor with pairs of halogens is used. This circumstance allows you to significantly increase the service life, and also increases the lighting power. Halogen lamps have the property of significantly heating the surface, so they should not be used for certain types of ceilings, especially stretch ceilings.

• Fluorescent overhead lights. The basis of the operation of such light sources is mercury vapor, which produces ultraviolet radiation under the action of an electric discharge. And the light comes from the contact of this ultraviolet light with the phosphor – a special internal component of the lamp. This light source has many advantages, such as: economy, high efficiency, relatively long service life and much more. But, at the same time, one should not forget about the main drawback: mercury, which is used in its work, is a poisonous substance, and in case of damage, it can appear in the air, as well as on various objects of furniture.
• LED ceiling lights. This type of lamps appeared relatively recently, but has already managed to win the hearts of consumers who appreciate its long service life and good lighting performance. Among the disadvantages, one can probably mention the relatively high price of such devices, but this is a matter of time.

The main advantage of LED lamps , noted by many experts, is the high environmental friendliness of the lamps, because they do not contain all kinds of harmful compounds and gases.

Surface-mounted LED lamps are independent light sources that can be mounted and attached to any surface. The design of any LED lamp, one way or another, includes various LEDs that determine the lighting power. These LEDs are connected to each other in a single network, which is regulated by the power supply unit.

In addition, due to the fact that LED lamps do not support a standard alternating current network equal to 220 W, special electronic drivers were built into their design, which stabilize and reduce the voltage, depending on the technical data of the LED. An important part of the design is a kind of radiator, which will allow to remove the heat that is formed as a result of the operation of the lamp. Thermal paste is applied to the connection between the radiator and the LEDs, which improves their interaction.

Some types of lamps by design:

• Spot overhead lights. This method of lighting is characterized by ease of installation and a presentable appearance that can fit into any interior. Designs of spotlights can differ both in appearance and technical capabilities and characteristics. For example, there are lamps with adjustable light flow that turn in the desired direction. Despite the large number of advantages of using such lamps, it is undesirable to use them in independent lighting of the entire room. Such structures do not have a very high power, therefore, in order to illuminate the entire room, it is necessary to install a large number of them, and this will significantly increase costs.
• Raster overhead models. This type of lighting is typical for offices and industrial premises of various types. This type of lamps has significant dimensions, so you need to take care of reliable fastening to the ceiling in advance.
• Hanging chandeliers. Different light bulbs can be used in such lamps, depending on the wishes of the owners. Also, these chandeliers are a profitable solution for owners of rooms with low ceilings, because they are small in size and allow not to underestimate the space.

In addition to the listed options, according to the design, the lamps can be of various types, the main thing is to observe the method of fastening.

Selection criteria

When choosing one or another overhead lamp, you need to pay attention to the main points:

• the appearance of the lamp is selected depending on the interior of a particular room;
• dimensions;
• types of lamps that are planned to be used for lighting;
• required lighting power;
• temperature in a specific room;
• overhead light must have a certain class of protection;
• the nuances of installing lamps, because not everyone will suit the specifics of a certain ceiling;
• general electrical safety;
• differences in the type of lighting required for a specific room.

In addition to these criteria, you need to know a few more nuances, for example, the fact that the use of fluorescent lamps is not suitable for outdoor conditions and rooms where the temperature is very low.

LED lamps are not suitable for use in strongly heated spaces due to the fact that they are extremely susceptible to high temperatures.

Lamps also differ in the class of protection, the so-called IP value. The most common protection class is IP20 – this means that the lamps can be used in normal dry conditions, and the IP23 class will say that the surface lamps can be used both indoors and outdoors.

In general, knowing the main points and characteristics of certain overhead lights, you can choose the best option for your type of room.