How Far Should Recessed Lights Be From Walls

The rule for installing wall wash recessed fixtures is approx.

How far should recessed lights be from walls.

The result is the amount of space to leave between each light. A good general rule for placement if to divide the height of the ceiling by two. Wall washers recessed lighting layout. If the ceiling is 10 feet you ll want to put about 5 feet of space in between each fixture.

Follow the ceiling height rule of thumb. If your fixtures are fixed they should be placed a bit closer to the wall. So remember the distance between your lights is always twice 2x the distance from the wall to the first light. Wall wash fixtures should be spaced apart the same distance from each other.

To determine how far apart to space your recessed lights divide the height of the ceiling by two. Measure the width of the area and write down your answer. Divide the width of the area by twice 2x the number of lights to be placed in that row and write down your answer. Recessed cans could be placed at just 18 inches from the wall moving them much closer to the upper cabinets.

In most homes that means that lights will be roughly 25 inches from the wall. The general rule for installing wall wash recessed fixtures are about 1 5 to 3 feet away from the wall. This will give good spacing for general room lighting. Some experts recommend leaving a space between light fixtures that is twice the distance from the wall to your first light.

1 5 to 3 away from the wall. The recessed lighting spacing formula is to set an equal distance between recessed lights to get a uniform lighting distribution and make the distance between recessed lights and the wall half the distance between recessed lights. For example recessed lighting spacing for an 8 foot high ceiling would be 4 feet between each light. If a 6 inch light has a spacing criteria of 1 5 and the ceiling height is 8 feet the maximum space between each light should be 12 feet.

This formula is critical for lighting a space because if the lights are too far apart they will look like spotlights with big shadows between each other. If you place a light 2 feet from your wall your remaining lights should be 4 feet apart from each other. Adjustable trims may be placed farther away from the wall. If a room has an 8 foot ceiling you should space your recessed lights approximately 4 feet apart.

If you plan to illuminate an entire wall or accent particular architectural features or pieces of art the rule of thumb is to place your recessed light fixtures between 1 5 feet and 3 feet from the wall. Fixed lights can be placed closer to the wall. Depending on the size and shape of your room following all of these guidelines may prove impossible. However some designers prefer that the recessed lighting be closer to the upper cabinets.