Your basement can be used for many things—private theater, safety shelter, game-haven, workspace, office, or a guest room. That said, it’s important to choose the correct lighting for the space in order for it to feel more comfortable and less like a cave. It isn’t exactly easy to cut windows in basement walls, so the way to make the space brighter is choosing the right lights.
Placing Lights Where They’re Needed
When using can and downlights, you’ll want to space them 8’-10’ feet apart (or less than that if your ceiling is lower than 8’). In addition, you’ll want to be sure that the lights will illuminate the room enough as you won’t have streetlights or sunlight from outside to help with this. You’ll probably want an incandescent bulb thats 75-100 watts, but instead of thinking in terms of wattage, try considering the number of lumens instead. With newer lamps, you’ll want to have a lumen output of 800-1200 (a 13-watt LED should accomplish this) with a cooler temperature of lighting around 300K-400K. This will give the room the health of one upstairs and keep it from feeling like a cave. This would be considered ambient lighting that is used as the base layer of illumination for the entire room.
Ambient Lighting
Think about the lighting in a closet. It works, but it’s pretty bland. That’s why you want more than one layer of lighting. Accent lighting is a good way to accomplish depth and volume in an area. You’ll want to make the room feel open and bright, while still adding a few shadows to create a sense of space. You could add some eye-level lights, table lamps, and/or reflected lights around crown molding. With those accent lights, you’ll want to go with a warmer color temperature.
The most common type of lamp used for ambient ceiling lighting in basements is can and recessed lighting. Ceiling lights, track lights, or pendant lights aren’t necessarily a bad idea, but they can be hard to fit on a low ceiling (there’s less space to work with). Some floor lamps are used as well. Usually, any fixture you use will have to be surface mounted to save space. This is why recessed lighting is so common in these situations with sconces and lamps used as accents or task lighting.
Secondary Lighting
You want to put secondary lighting on different switches. Even if they aren’t in different rooms, it’s a good idea to do separate lighting (and switches) for each area of a room (based off the different functions of each space). You should also enable a dimming function for each switch (as needed).
Making Light of the Situation
If you want a cheap option, incandescents are the way to go. However, they do put out quite a bit of heat, so if you’re using your basement as a gym, using LEDs or CFLs would be a better option. If you want to make the room a little more inviting and natural, creating a fake window lit up by an LED panel is a great option.
A good tip is to place the light switches in places that are easy to find. Set them by doors and at the same level as the rest of the ones in your house. You should be able to turn on the lights before you even enter the basement. Consider where you’ll be when you want to dim the lights as well and place the controls for that there. You can also get LEDs that can be configured to be controlled remotely.
Basements are a space that you can design to fit your needs/wants. People treat the lighting in them just like any other room, but since there is no outdoor lighting that gets in, you can’t act like they’re the same as other areas. If you don’t hire someone to design or remodel your basement, keep the tips discussed previously in your mind.
What Kind of Bulb Is Best?
Smart bulbs to install overhead are compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LEDs). These are more energy efficient and will give off less heat than the traditional incandescent. They also can match the warm color quality of incandescents and save energy (1/4 of the amount).
What Are the Specifics of the Bulbs I Should Buy?
Wattage: The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) is trying to get people away from thinking about 60-watt and 75-watt numbers because they are now less efficient than other options.
Lumens: This is more preferable and refers to the brightness measurement or light output of a bulb. For example, a 100-watt incandescent gives off 1750 lumens, a 32-watt fluorescent creates around 2800 lumens, a 25-watt CFL produces 1,600 lumens, and a 15-watt LED concocts 1100 lumens.
Color appearance: The term is “Kelvin” and is used with a number and goes from warm to cool (or vise versa). A warm, white LED may be 2700 Kelvin and a cooler, blue light might be 4100 Kelvin.
Estimated yearly energy costs: These are usually based off three hours of daily usage per year. Some example costs are $1.57 a year for a 13-watt CFL or $2.17 per year for an 18-watt CFL for the same amount of light. Obviously, the pricing is going to be different based off how much it costs to run electricity in your area. It makes sense that leaving the lights on will add up the dollars. In addition, check how long the lamp should last—LEDs may last 50,000 hours, CFLs may last 10,000, and 60-watt incandescents 1,000 hours.
Mercury content: There is a risk with this and different states have different rules as to how you should dispose fluorescents (that could contain mercury). This means that you may not be able to just throw them in the trash/landfill in some states. Check your local regulations.
What About How Much CFLs and LEDs Cost?
While these do cost more, they’re beginning to be less and less expensive. What’s important, however, is to remember that they last longer than incandescents would.
What About Non-Ceiling Lighting?
You want to illuminate task areas (such as installing lights above a countertop or putting pendants over a bar) and/or architectural features. In addition, you can use lighting to highlight artwork or decorations. Installing a monorail that’s suspended from the ceiling can be a wise option as you can then aim the light beam at different features. This makes a room look bigger.
For directing light, CFLs aren’t the best option. The great new product to light up cabinets and countertops is LED tape. It’s a narrow 1/4” that’s easy to hide and only costs about $7-$10 per foot. If you’re installing a home theater in your basement, you’ll need lighting for the screen, seats, steps, and anything you decide to put on the walls.
Types of Basement Lighting
Track lighting: This option doesn’t take up wall or floor space and is very flexible. It can be easy to install during a remodel and can be used for accent (spot fixtures) or ambient (pendant or flood fixtures) lighting. Another upside of track lighting is that it can easily be changed when you rearrange the room without having to switch out the fixtures.
Pendant lighting fixtures: These fixtures are those that hover over an area and illuminate it. Not only do they effectively light up an area, but also define the space with their sculptural shapes and glowing colors. It all depends on their design but pendant lights can be used as task lighting, overall ambient lighting, or colorful accent lighting. Some mobilelike fixtures can be coupled with a dimmer switch, allowing you to set it to just the right amount of light for the occasion and/or your mood.
Recessed Can Lighting: If you have a finished or suspended ceiling in your basement, getting recessed cans is a good idea. They give off bright and focused light that minimizes shadows and glare and are perfect for seating, dining, and craft areas. They can be an awesome option in game rooms as well as they are out of the way and can’t be hit by pool cues or ping-pong balls. They disappear into the ceiling, making the features of the room the focus.
Combine fixture types: As mentioned before, using a combination of different lights is a good idea, especially in a basement, where not much natural light is found. For example, a modern home office in a basement may use recessed lighting in the display shelves while illuminating the entire room with a modern-style chandelier. In that case, the fixture would serve as both task and ambient lighting as well as an element of decor.
Industrial-Style Lighting: Many basements still have concrete walls and exposed structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. This gives them an industrial appearance so if you want to leave it this way, add industrial-style lighting to complete the look. A simple metal-and-glass pendant will do the trick.
Lighting a Basement Studio or Office: An example of good lighting for this type of room would be a combination of track lighting (that sends out tightly focused beams of light on the artwork displayed on shelves), pendant light (over a desk area), and some natural light (if possible, that comes in from a window and creates overall lighting).
Recessed Miniature Can Lights: If you have a bar or kitchen area in your basement, you may want to add in rows of recessed lights. You could get quartz-halogen fixtures that give off a bright white light. These not only accentuate the elements of the room, but also light up the space nicely. Putting each row on a separate dimmer switch can also add some depth and customization to the space.
Quartz-Halogen Track Lighting: This type of lighting gives off a dazzling beam of brilliant light that can be focused on an area where it’ll have a lot of impact. In addition, you can pair this with some floor lamps to give off a little extra accent lighting.
A False Lighted Window: We talked about this before but you can easily create the sensation of a window with lighting. Simply trim and frame an opening in a finished basement wall, paint the concrete behind it a reflective white and install fluorescent fixtures of daylight-spectrum bulbs on the wall. Finally, hang up a translucent light-filtering window treatment and pair this with a recessed can fixture and a halogen desk lamp and you’re good to go.
Pendants for High-Ceiling Basements: High ceilings can either feel light and airy or big, anonymous, and empty. By installing pendant lighting, you’re creating a more intimate feeling in the room as well as making it more aesthetically pleasing.
Recessed Light Panels: These are big fluorescent fixtures in the shape of a rectangle. Usually they’re installed in suspended ceilings in commercial buildings. If done right, they can look like sunshine.
Uplighting Creates an Elegant Ambience: Uplighting creates a soothing, even light without creating glare or harsh shadows. This is accomplished by aiming a light at the ceiling instead of horizontally or down at the floor.
Wall of Light: You can hide fluorescent fixtures behind a perforated panels to create a textural backdrop and broadly diffused illumination in a space.
Multiple Sources of Light: If you want the room to look evenly illuminated, be sure to use several different kinds of light. That’s how to achieve this look easiest.
Ceiling- and Wall-Mounted Fixtures: In the past, people never would’ve considered installing flush-mounted ceiling fixtures or fancier sconces, but that has changed now because the ceilings are about as tall as those in the rest of the house. This is a great idea, especially if the ceiling has some cool architectural elements that could be shown off.
Track-Mounted Spotlights: No matter if you do or don’t have natural light getting to your basement space during the day, it’s a good idea to get track lighting (especially if it’s a workspace). They can be used to directly illuminate workbenches, tables, sinks, shelving, and other areas. You can use halogen bulbs in them as those create a sparkling bright-white light that’s great for tasks that require attention to detail and color.
Recessed Lights for Accent Lighting: Recessed fixtures can also be used for accent lighting as well as overall lighting (as they’re usually assumed to be used for). The normal can lights are good at illuminating a general space and smaller ones are great for more focused illumination to spotlight different elements.
Lighting a Basement Game Room: Imagine getting a pool table and needing the correct light to play a good game while not having to worry you’re going to accidentally smash a bulb or knock over a lamp. You’ll want to use recessed can-light fixtures. You can avoid shadows by putting them in so that each fixture’s light overlaps the beam of the adjacent ones.
Adjustable Pendant Lights: There are times you want lighting close to the ceiling so that it thoroughly lights the whole room, while at other times you may want something a little closer and focused on the task you’re doing. Some fixtures have a pulley system that allows you to position them as high or low as you’d like.
Vintage Pendant Lighting: Some vintage-style pendants will give a nostalgic feel to an area because they are the type of lamp used in thousands of early-20th-century schools, libraries, and other public buildings (before fluorescent lighting). Additionally, they provide a pleasing industrial look with their brushed-nickel hardware, milk-glass shades, and surface-mounted wiring. The lamp itself should give off a diffused, soft glow when combined with shapely translucent shades.