lightsonline.com bath lighting guide

8/12/2019 LightsOnline.com Bath Lighting Guide

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Proper bathroom lighting is crucial to ensure that the room is lit well andprovides helpful, attering light when you need it most. There are a fewdifferent ways to get ideal bath lighting, depending on your personal styleand design goals as well as the size and shape of the room itself. You’ll get

to know more about each one in this bath lighting buying guide.Because renovating bathrooms is a popular home improvement project,adding useful and helpful lighting is crucial to nishing the job right. If yourbathroom is in need of better illumination but you’re not sure where to startyour lighting project, this bath light buying guide will help light the way!

You’ll learn about the types of bath light, how each is used and how to ndthe right size and type of light xtures. Then, you will be able to make thebest and most well-informed decision about how to light your bathroom.

Remember, if you need more help or advice on bathroom lighting, do nothesitate to contact us or call our trained lighting specialists at 1-866-688-3562.

Bath Light Types and UsesVANITY STRIPS: Also known as bath bars, bath brackets, bath strips orvanity xtures, this is the most well-known and commonly-used type ofbath light. These are crafted in rows that hold more than 1 light—generally2 to 5, with many styles coming in different sizes to t bathrooms big andsmall—and are usually mounted right above the mirror in a bathroom.However, sometimes vanitystrips are mounted on top ofthe mirror for an interestingreective effect.

SCONCES: These smaller xtures are generally offered with just 1 light. They are great for mounting on both sides of a mirror to provide a better

wash of light. Sconces can be used in any othersmall area needing more brightness. They are oftenoffered as part of a larger collection with matchingvanity strips. Some are also rated for use in wet areas,meaning they can even be mounted inside a showerto provide more light.

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PENDANTS: These versatile xtures can play a few differentroles in a bathroom. Two mini pendants hung from the ceilingcan serve the same purpose as wall-mounted sconces. Onelarge ceiling pendant mounted in the middle of the room can

be a source of overhead ambient light.

CHANDELIERS: Believe it or not, somebathrooms are actually a perfect place to hanga chandelier for ambient lighting. They are agreat way to add sparkle and elegance to aroom that is often considered a spa-like escape

or an inner sanctum. Since there are manydifferent styles of chandelier, ranging fromornate and traditional to minimal and modern,there is a great chandelier for your bathroom.

Anatomy of a Bath Light

The basic structure of a bath light, especially a vanity strip, is practical anduncomplicated. Further decorative structures and details may be added,but these are the basics.

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http://www.lightsonline.com/chandeliers/

http://www.lightsonline.com/chandeliers/

http://www.lightsonline.com/pendants



• Base or back plate: the part of the bath light that attaches to the wall. The base or back plate might be very small or it could stretch the entirelength of the xture.

• Mounting screws: used to mount the bath light to the wall.

• Arms: when present (some bath lights incorporate the light sourceswithout any arms), arms hold the light sources out and away fromthe base.

• Globe or shade: encases the light source to provide softer illumination,which is best for the bathroom.

Sizing Bath LightsFor vanity strips: Measure the length of the bathroom mirror (or mirrors). That number will be your limit for the length of corresponding vanitystrips. Many people choose vanity strips that are about 75 percent of themirror’s length and then mount them centrally and evenly. If you have

multiple sinks or a very long mirror setup, consider that appropriatelywhen thinking about lighting your bathroom with vanity strips. You mightneed more than one strip or one with more lights on it.

For sconces: Pick small sconces if you will be close to what the sconce islighting. In bathrooms, where you will be close to the mirror, pick sconcesthat are about 9 or 10 inches in height and width. Consider the eye levels

of the home’s occupants, which can vary widely, because it is importantto reduce glare and make sure no one is stuck peering right down intothe sconce. ADA-compliant sconces are allowed to extend no more than 4inches from the mounting surface, which is good for narrow or small spaces.

For chandeliers and ceiling pendants: Measure the length and width ofthe bathroom you wish to light with the chandelier. Then add the lengthand width together to get the ideal width of your new xture. For example,an 18 inch wide xture would be ideal for a room that is 8 feet by 10 feet.Chandeliers and ceiling pendants should hang 12 to 20 inches below an8-foot ceiling. Add 3 inches for every additional foot of ceiling. There needsto be at least 1 foot of clearance for people walking below the pendant.



Bath Light Source Information There are three general types of light bulb used in bathroom lights:incandescent, uorescent and LED. Each one has its advantages, thoughyour personal preference should also be considered.

Incandescent is still the most popular light source. LED bulbs havevery long lives (20 years), although the bulbs are more expensive.Fluorescent bulbs should be chosen carefully to ensure that theyprovide flattering light.

No matter what type of bulb you choose to use in your xture, there are

some important numbers you need to look at so you can get the best lightpossible.

COLOR TEMPERATURE: Measured in degrees Kelvin, color temperaturemeans how white a light source is. For a yellowish-white light, commonlyassociated with incandescent bulbs and sometimes described as warmwhite or soft white, look for bulbs with a color temperature between 2700

to 3000 degrees Kelvin (K). Cool, neutral or bright white light can be foundwith bulbs at a color temperature between 3500 and 4100 K. For naturalwhite light that looks close to daylight, look for 5000 to 6500 K. In thebathroom, you want the best lighting experience possible so that you canaccurately see the close-up tasks you need to do (like shaving, putting onmakeup and brushing teeth), so look for high color temperatures. Color

temperature appears on bulb boxes as a sliding scale from warm to cool,low to high. Here’sa graphic exampleof different colortemperatures viaEnergy Star so

you can see thedifferences side-by-side.

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_color

http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls_color



COLOR RENDERING INDEX: Along with color temperature, bulbs arealso rated on their ability to be as true to daylight as possible. Thisis the color rendering index, or CRI. Again, getting the truest andmost accurate light possible is important in the bathroom, so look for

high CRIs between 85 and 90. 100 is the highest CRI score, but is justfor daylight since that is considered the highest ideal type of light. To summarize: high color temperatures and high CRIs are the bestcombination for ideal bathroom lighting.

LIGHT DIRECTION: In a bath light xture, the light sources will often pointeither up or down. This is called uplighting and downlighting . Both styles

have their advantages, depending on your needs. Uplighting aims lighttoward the ceiling, providing a wash of ambient light, and is a great stylefor aging eyes. Downlighting aims light the other way, which is good formore directed task lighting in the bathroom. However, some bath lightxtures spread the illumination all around instead.

LUMENS AND WATTS: When buying bulbs to use in the bathroom, or in

any xture, the most important measurement is really lumens, not watts.Wattage means how much power is required to operate the xture, butnot how much light it produces. (Note that wattage is still important,however, because you do not want to use more wattage in your bulbsthan the xture is rated for—that is a re hazard.) Lumens are a measure ofhow much light a bulb will give you. With lumens, the more you have, the

brighter the light. This is a table of watt to lumen equivalency rates thatuse the traditional, not the recent and more energy-efficient, wattages onlight bulbs.

100 watts 1600 lumens (range of 1490 to 2600 lumens)






Again, that table is based on the traditional bulb wattages, not therecent government-mandated revisions that improve bulb efficiency (allof which have gone into effect as of January 1, 2014). Here is a table ofthose revisions:

100 watts 72 watts

75 watts 53 watts

60 watts 43 watts

40 watts 29 watts

Other Important Bath Light Information The entire bathroom can get misty, especially after a shower, but that smallamount of water is not the same as constant, direct exposure to water. So,it does not pose a risk to bath light xtures. You only really need to know alight xture’s damp or wet rating if you plan to expose it directly to water.For example: some people put small LED lights inside their showers forfocused and helpful light. In that case, you need to make sure a xture israted for exposure to water.

Are you ready to buy great new bath lighting?

Explore our selection of bath lighting now.

Put your new knowledge to the test and visit us at...


http://www.lightsonline.com/




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Main Number: 770-476-8537

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lightsonline.com bath lighting guide

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