Browse Forums Lighting + Lighting Design 1 Sep 30, 2009 11:17 am How far up should I put the wall lights? I am not having any downlights in the void as it will be impossible to replace globes and dont want stair lights either. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Building in Bella Vista Waters Sydney. The Galaxy with Macquarie facade by Young Homes Re: wall lights for stairwell 3Sep 30, 2009 1:05 pm I think it will depend on a number of factors... - whether the wall lights throw light up/down/out/sideways etc... - if you want them at a level height on the wall or staggered (i.e. in parallel with the stringer) - if you want them above head height or not - your personal tastes We have two wall lights going in our stair well. They are the type that throw light up and mostly down. They will be level on the wall. The one towards the top of the void will be above head height as you walk past (which dictates the height of the other one). Yes, that does mean that one of them will be almost impossible to replace the globes - but I wasn't going to let the be a factor and will deal with that when it happens in 5000-hrs of use. As SuH says - I think you will need to stand back and visualise. Having someone hold them up will help too Sorry, I don't have pics of ours - as we don't really have a stairwell yet (just a frame) Re: wall lights for stairwell 4Oct 06, 2009 12:27 am Hi there Kerrin62, This is a really good question! But the short answer is, stair lights should be placed to illuminate the stairs (usually within 300mm of the stair. Afterall, you don't want anyone tripping. Now, the worst downlight in any home, is the one in the staircase void. So, its good to hear that you are trying to avoid this. Therefore, to illuminate the balance of the void, you really have 2 options: 1- Drop down pendant light, or 2- Wall Light, positioned just above eye level at the middle landing. If you have some pictures, post them on the forum, as i may have some other suggestions. Hope this helps. Re: wall lights for stairwell 5Oct 08, 2009 12:19 pm Good topic and glad to see a lighting expert! I got the sparky to run huge loops of cable in the wall cavity where the stairs were going and then measured it all out so I could do wall lights after the plaster/stairs were done. With two sets of 2way switches for the stairwell. 1st one will do the wall lights, probably 3 along the straight flight (13-14 stairs from memory) and the 2nd will do a downlight above the winder at the bottom of the stairs and another at the very top so both are easy to replace and are used when I need more lighting in the stair well area. Only thing I haven't decided on is what sort of wall lights. All I know is that i want them to be flash with the wall and illuminate the treads. Probably a rectangle design? What products should I be looking at? Re: wall lights for stairwell 6Oct 08, 2009 1:33 pm dave- Good topic and glad to see a lighting expert! I got the sparky to run huge loops of cable in the wall cavity where the stairs were going and then measured it all out so I could do wall lights after the plaster/stairs were done. With two sets of 2way switches for the stairwell. 1st one will do the wall lights, probably 3 along the straight flight (13-14 stairs from memory) and the 2nd will do a downlight above the winder at the bottom of the stairs and another at the very top so both are easy to replace and are used when I need more lighting in the stair well area. Only thing I haven't decided on is what sort of wall lights. All I know is that i want them to be flash with the wall and illuminate the treads. Probably a rectangle design? What products should I be looking at? If it's any comfort, we went with low Watt LEDs (they come in square or rectangular shapes and run off 240V cable at about 2-3W can't remember exactly). They have been placed about 300mm above every third/fourth tread. This is in addition to a couple of larger flush wall lights higher up (above eye level). No drop down pendant as we were advised that it would visually "enclose" the stair well void... as opposed to drawing the eye up into the vast expanse of the void . Still waiting for them all to be installed - so I can't comment on whether that decision was a good one or not. Re: wall lights for stairwell 7Oct 09, 2009 8:48 am Hi Dave, dave- Only thing I haven't decided on is what sort of wall lights. All I know is that i want them to be flash with the wall and illuminate the treads. Probably a rectangle design? What products should I be looking at? It's great to hear that you left extra cabling in the wall, and the 2way switches are a must for staircases. You'b be surprised, how many people leave them out. It's such a nightmare later to put them in, most times ... impossible without doing major plaster damage! As for which wall lights? Well, you need to ask yourself some simple questions. This will make your decision so much simpler. 1- 12v or 240v? 2- LED or Halogen? 3- Recessed or Flush Mounted? (in your case you mentioned flush) 4- Fitting Colour? 5- Shape of fitting - Square, Round or Rectangle These are the main points you will need to consider, to enable you to short list the staircase lights that you can use. Hope this has helped! Re: wall lights for stairwell 10Oct 11, 2009 9:17 pm MICA It's great to hear that you left extra cabling in the wall, and the 2way switches are a must for staircases. You'b be surprised, how many people leave them out. I'm sure it happens all the time and it was a last minute idea just as the sparky was packing up. We figured running massive loops wasn't a big deal and worst case is I can leave them out if I changed my mind. MICA Well, you need to ask yourself some simple questions. This will make your decision so much simpler. I'm doing 12v halogens throughout the ground floor. The sparky said he used the viper transformers from memory. They'll be brushed silver (using satin chrome on all the door hardware so whatever matches that) and round. But for the wall lights I think rectangle/square will look nicer. The photos from Judie look good! So I'm just reading up on this ecosystem of lights. I'm planning on putting deck lights along the outside edge of a large deck. Will need about 3 packs (18 lights) plus… 0 23025 Thank you again Simeon.. I will call my certifier for that. Have a good day 4 5197 Thanks for the insights, that makes perfect sense, and yeah, I will be leaning on the experience of the excavator operator entirely. 6 16160 |