recessed lighting way to determine how many I need

[ctkeebler]

Is there a formula or a electric code to determine how many recessed lights are needed to properly light a room. I'm redoing my basement and want to install recessed lights but don't know how to figure out how many I need so I don't under or over illuminate the place.

The ceiling height is 7 foot 9 from finished floor to finished ceiling

Thanks

[piette]

With a 7'-9" ceiling, you can figure roughly that a 6" can will light about a 10-12' diameter or so well. So I typically space them about 6-8' apart and maybe 5-6' off the walls. Of course, it is much easier to get a feel for it after I walk onto a job.

Jeff

[GilBeQuick]

What size is your room? Most rooms aren't 15-20ft wide so 5 or 6 feet off the wall will be way too far in.

For example: If the room is 12X12 I might put 4 lights in maybe 3ft off each wall. But if the room were 12x16 I'd probably put 2 rows of 3 lights the ouitside being around 3ft off the wall and then one spaced in the middle. It really depends on the size of your room and how much light you want and where you want it. Because it's a basement you may want more light than in a bedroom.