Installing track lighting in basement

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Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. This article has been viewed 23, times. Learn more A track lighting system is a great way to brighten any room, be it your kitchen or garage. But the prospect of installing a track lighting system on your own can be intimidating.

With thorough planning and a little care, however, you can install track lighting in just one afternoon. You just need to figure out the length of track you need, where you want it, how to fasten it to the ceiling, and how to connect it to a power source.

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Download Article Explore this Article parts. Related Articles. Part 1. All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Figure out the length of track you will need. Before going to your local home improvement store, measure the length of ceiling where you plan on installing your track lighting.

Have someone help you hold a tape measure up to the ceiling to get an accurate measurement. With basements, the windows are usually smaller and higher than windows found on the upper floors. Even so, a little fenestration goes a long way in sun-starved basements. When the basement is deep, the window opening must be cut into the foundation wall. For this, you'll need to consult with a contractor or structural engineer to avoid structural failure that could affect upper floors.

Window openings in shallower basements can be cut into the wall stud system and are supported by appropriately sized window headers. This is a significantly easier and more straight-forward project than cutting into poured concrete or concrete block foundation walls. A daylight or walk-out basement has one or more full walls at ground-level.

Usually, daylight basements are in houses located on sloped terrain. The downslope side of the house creates an opening. Making a daylight basement in a house on mostly level terrain requires excavating a section of the earth next to a wall and shoring up the earth with a retaining wall.

A water management plan is a necessary component to prevent water from pooling up in the excavated area and flooding the basement. While building a daylight basement is a costly, elaborate project, it can improve the intensity and quality of light in the basement and will increase the overall value of your home.

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List of Partners vendors. In This Article Expand. Basic Requirements. Types of Lighting. In basement playrooms designed for rambunctious kids, elaborate or delicate light fixtures typically aren't the best idea. If you have a finished ceiling, recessed can-light fixtures are the obvious choice. Avoid shadows by installing the fixtures so the light from each fixture overlaps the beam of adjacent ones. Then kids are free to play without fear of knocking over a lamp or hitting a wall-mounted fixture.

Track lighting excels at focusing brilliant beams of light precisely where they will have the most impact. In this basement landing area, a snaking track of spotlights can illuminate a dark hallway when needed.

Along with a wall-mounted sconce, the overhead fixtures can direct light onto a collection of wall art on the staircase wall, creating a gallery-like effect.

Pendant lighting fixtures drop from the ceiling and hover over an area that needs illumination. Besides shedding light over a specific area, they can introduce sculptural shapes and glowing colors that add style from overhead.

Depending on their design, pendant lights can offer focused task lighting, overall ambient lighting, or colorful accent lighting. To maximize the brilliance of basement lighting, choose clear glass shades that won't obstruct the bulb's brightness. Bring sunny daylight-spectrum light into a windowless basement room by constructing a false lighted window.

These easy-to-build custom light fixtures create above-ground ambience with a clever illusion. Just frame and trim a window opening in a finished basement wall, paint the concrete wall behind it reflective white, mount several inexpensive fluorescent fixtures on the wall, and equip them with daylight-spectrum bulbs. Then hang a translucent light-filtering window treatment, such as a gauzy accordion shade, to enjoy the even, filtered illumination. If your basement includes features such as built-in shelving or cabinetry, use lighting to accentuate these areas.

Try mounting a wall sconce directly above built-ins to focus light downward and draw extra attention. For deep shelving, choose a swing-arm sconce that extends further away from the wall and can direct more light back toward the shelves. For even illumination, multiple light sources work best. This basement kitchen has every angle covered, with light converging from above.

Opening the ceiling allows for natural light to flow into the below-ground room. Pendant lights above the island allow for task lighting in the work triangle. With concrete walls and exposed structural, mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, unfinished basements have all the bones of an industrial-style living space.

If you choose to leave these elements exposed rather than cover them, consider adding industrial-style lighting to complete the look.