How do I change the lighting in my kitchen and dining room?
by
Jmeyer
+10
I bought an older home. The bulbs burnt out in the kitchen and dining room. When I tried to purchase new ones they're only being sold in bulk. I have been with only my overhead light on my stove for months. Lol, I'm getting pretty good at cooking in the dark. I don't no where to start... Is there a kit to change to different lighting? And what does that Intel?? Please help??
Thank you,
Judith
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What kind of bulb is it? Have you tried ..... https://www.1000bulbs.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw1NzZBRCoARIsAIaMwuu5gnBR1lciwMOBXvg8UZj1-PPxeZPgtQXU5NmgTErJcoHTwbmo75waAnWNEALw_wcB
First, where are you going to buy bulbs???? What type of bulbs are they? In the interim, move a buffet or table lamp into the kitchen and place on the counter. I had to do this myself while I was having the house rewired. Or skip inside cooking, it is summertime, grill everything!
It is not that hard, chances are you can do yourself. We can walk you through the process, or you can just watch a bunch of You Tube videos. Or, you can hire an electrician to do for you, it is not that expensive. Can you post photos?
Do the light bulbs need replaced, or does the electrical wiring need upgraded? L.E.D. light bulbs should last forever, and many do not require a special "driver", unless indicated on the box, but some cannot be installed in a "closed" fixture. This sounds like an opportunity to change out your diningroom light fixture!
In the interim, you can also buy strips of light that you can put up underneath the cabinets so you have more light to work by.
Thank you, ladies..😊
What type of bulbs were they that have burned out? Were they incandescent or florescent?
LED lighting is taking over so quickly now that many sources of lightbulbs no longer even sell any other kind. So, if you are replacing any existing light fixtures in your home, LED is definitely the way to go. They do not give off heat, take much less energy, and are very long lasting.
Fixtures come in two main styles- those that take LED lightbulbs screwed in, the way all lightbulbs used to be, and those fixtures that have integrated LED lights inside. Quality of the screw-in lights bulbs varies considerably from brand to brand, as there presently is no industry standard. Bulbs also vary in brightness, which is called lumens now, not watts, and the type of light such as warm, cool, and natural daylight.
My suggestion would be to check into the integrated fixtures. They are enclosed which makes them easy to clean, are lightweight, so they usually do not need additional hardware supports to hang. Without seeing a picture of your ceiling wiring, I cannot say for sure, but generally these new fixtures and can quite easily be wired up to the connections that you already have.
Re: AmAtHome's comment about the LED strips
The strips she is referring to look like the ones inside an integrated light fixture. However, these will still need to be either plugged into an electrical plug or hard wired, as they don't always come with an on/off switch. Having a loose or long extension chord in a kitchen can be dangerous. It will be very difficult to find strips that fit the length of the underside of your cabinets, without having to purchase additional connectors, which make mounting harder, and can be pricey.
Naomi's suggestion to borrow a table lamp from another room for temporary additional lighting is more practical.
Here are some ideas that may help you if the current lights are built into your ceiling. I really hope one of these appeals to you!
http://pinterest.com/pin/202310208236348161/?source_app=android
Thank you all. They are fluorescent.