Can lights offer sleek, recessed design in a huge array of styles. Can lights are shallow-ceiling compatible and sloped-ceiling compatible, so they'll look great where hanging fixtures would look awkward.

Can Lighting, Explained

Choose these recessed lights when you want to downlight a room. What really defines can lighting is the shape of its housing - it's cylindrical, like a can, with electrical wiring and a bulb on one end. Unlike standard hanging light fixtures, which bounce light off your ceiling and throughout the room, cans pour light directly into the room. Some can light fixtures are designed to diffuse light, while others are more like spotlights. You can even choose can lights that rotate, which allows you to change direction until you achieve the perfect ambiance.

Choosing the Right Finish for Your Can Lighting

Can lighting comes in a wide range of finishes so you can create a designer-perfect look in any room. When you're choosing a finish, pick something that matches or complements other fixtures. They're available in several colors and metals, including black to create contrast, whites that blend into your ceiling, and bronze, silver, and nickel.

Bulb Types for Can Lighting

Depending on your personal preference, you can choose can lighting that's compatible with a variety of bulbs. Most commonly, you'll find LED can lighting, compact fluorescent, and halogen-compatible can lights. Many also work with fluorescent, incandescent, metal halide, and xenon/krypton bulbs, as well.

The Nuts and Bolts of Can Lighting

Can lights are installed in your ceiling - nothing hangs down from your ceiling other than the trim and, in some cases, the light cover.

Build.com Tip: Look for IC-rated or AT-rated can lights. You can cover the housing of an IC-rated can light with insulation, and when a can light is AT-rated, it means the housing is airtight. These energy-saving ratings can help you make the right lighting choices.

Can Lights for Remodeling or New Construction

If you're remodeling your home, you'll need retrofit trims. Standard-recessed trims can be installed before your ceiling is installed. Some lights are built for both remodeling and new construction.

• Retrofit trim for can lights typically attaches to a low-profile housing, which is ideal for remodeling projects because it requires less work to install.

• Recessed trim is designed for can lights that are installed during construction. The housing for these recessed lights doesn't have to be low-profile because it can be installed when the ceiling frame is still exposed.

Trim and Housing Packages

Many pieces of trim and housing come separately - but you can buy trim and housing packages so you don't have to worry about compatibility.

UL Listing

Lights that are UL-listed let you know whether you can use them only indoors or whether they're okay to use outdoors or in damp conditions. When a light says it's "UL Listed," that means you can use it in a dry location that isn't subject to a lot of humidity, like your bedroom, dining room, living room or office.

If you intend to use your can lighting outdoors, it has to be rated properly. Here's a quick breakdown:

• Suitable for Damp Locations. You can use lights that are UL-listed for damp locations in your bathroom, on your covered porch or patio, or somewhere near the stove in your kitchen. These lights aren't made to survive direct contact with water, though, so they can't be used on uncovered outdoor areas or directly above your shower.

• Suitable for Wet Locations. Lights that are UL-listed as suitable for wet locations are safe to use outside because they can come in direct contact with liquids. You might choose these lamps for an enclosed shower or open-air deck.

Tips for Choosing the Right Can Lighting

When you're choosing can lighting for your home or business, keep these tips in mind:

• When you buy new bulbs, you'll see the light output measured in lumens instead of watts. The brightness of a light depends on how many lumens it puts out. A 1,600-lumen bulb is roughly equivalent to a 100-watt incandescent bulb, and a 450-lumen bulb gives you about the same amount of light that a 40-watt incandescent bulb would.

• Color temperature is measured in Kelvins. Warm whites are between 2,000 and 3,000K; cool whites are between 3,100 and 4,500K; and daylight-colored lights are between 4,600 and 6,500K.

• Voltage rating is important in lighting. U.S. electrical systems use 120-volt electrical outlets, while European systems use 240 volts.

Can Lighting Can-Do

Can lighting is a beautiful alternative to standard hanging light fixtures. Ideal for spotlighting a room's special features or creating a perfectly-lit space of any size,

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