How to Select the Right Track Lighting for a Dining Room

Track lighting can help define the areas of your room with light, adding to the mood and ambiance and enhancing the style. In your dining room, track lighting can provide versatile options for task lighting and ambient lighting, as well as create accents on your art work and design elements.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Pen and pencil
• Length of string and measuring tape

1. Start by defining task areas in your living room and deciding on appropriate lighting for them.
2. Choose elements of your dining room that you’d like to accent with light.
3. Fill in with ambient light from a ceiling fixture, recessed lighting or track lighting.
4. Decide where track lighting would be beneficial.
5. Measure the length of track that you’ll need. Use a string to measure contoured tracks, then measure the string to get the full length.
6. Decide how many lamps you need in your track lighting fixture.
7. Check your electrical circuit requirements to be sure that it will support the addition of track lighting. If you are replacing an existing ceiling or wall fixture with track lights, be sure to match the voltage requirements.
8. Decide between incandescent and fluorescent lamps for your track light fixtures. In general, incandescent lamps are easier to replace but fluorescent lamps are more cost-effective.
9. Choose a type of track lighting based on the kind of light that you’ll need. There are lots of flexible options that include monorail, dual circuit rails, flexible cable lighting and modular track lighting.
10. Choose a track configuration that suits your dining room décor, and choose lamp housings and shades that complement your dining room’s style.
11. Narrow your choices by budget considerations.

Tips & Warnings

• Take advantage of the expertise of professionals. Many lighting and hardware stores employ experts who can offer you important advice on your best choices.
• Consider low voltage track lighting instead of line voltage lighting. Low voltage uses less energy and creates less heat. It may cost more to install up front, but it will save you money in the long run in energy savings and maintenance costs.
• Check local ordinances for new construction and major renovations. Many cities require certain switch configurations and have requirements for low energy use.

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