What Are the Best Suspended Ceiling Lights?

In photography, there is a saying, “lighting is everything”. That phrase holds equally true when designing the interior of a room: particularly the ceiling and lighting. One of the most diverse methods of effortlessly adding character to a room is through suspended ceiling lights.

If you direct your gaze upwards when in an office or school, what do you see? Most likely a panelled ceiling, often featuring recessed lights or hanging fixtures. Whichever you see, they create an atmosphere of work, focus and concentration. Though other fittings undoubtedly work in tandem to generate such a tone, the choice of lighting is highly influential in the perception created.

Suspended or dropped ceilings have grown in popularity – despite historically being overlooked in residential properties – due to the inherent advantages they bring: optimised airflow and thermal insulation, improved soundproofing and the concealment of structural necessities like pipes and wiring.

Today, we look at suspended ceiling lights, the variants and the modular adaptability of this type of installation.

3 Best Types of Suspended Ceiling Lights

Whether you are refurbishing a room for commercial or residential use, knowing the different types of suspended ceiling lights can help in assisting you in implementing the type of character and mood you wish to install, whilst also giving the room an adequate amount of practical light.

1. Recessed

Perhaps the most common lighting installation in offices and often paired with square panel tiles, recessed lighting represents a low-profile option that still outputs necessary, consistent illumination.

If you pair this choice with LED or halogen bulbs, they provide a suitable amount of light whilst being highly cost-effective.

As recessed lighting can be measured up to the specific dimensions or your choice of panel tile, your suspended ceiling light installation team can design a perfectly balanced, uniform look to the room.

2. Mounted

Mounted light fittings are an excellent choice for suspended ceiling lights; however, you must ensure that they are installed correctly as their weight is not supported by the suspended ceiling or its skeletal frame, it is instead affixed to the structural ceiling beneath the concealment.

Though the name may suggest that this variety of ceiling lights must sit flush, this is not the case. You may choose a flush finish or an alternative that hangs below the suspended ceiling.

3. Suspended Fluorescent Light Fixture

Most commonly in a rectangular or circular form, hanging from the ceiling using suspension wires, suspended fluorescent light fixtures are designed to hang from the ceiling to create consistent lighting and draw in a large room.

Though a common choice, this type of suspended ceiling lighting can sometimes be prohibited by individual building codes, so check with your landlord to confirm you are permitted to install this type of lighting.

Tailor Your Suspended Ceiling Lights

As the suspended ceiling lights are often modular, there are a plethora of choices available to you and your design team so that you can implement the lighting effects, character, tone and warmth of a room just as you specify.

As aesthetic design is crucial to the character of a room, the modular nature of suspended ceiling lights means that just one change to the design feature can vastly alter the perception: from commercial to residential with a simple change.

Be aware, your choice will always be dependent on the quantity and aesthetic design required for the function of the room: office and educational space will typically have different regulatory requirements to that of living space.

Bulbs and Tubes

Your choice of bulb or tube plays a role in the luminance and overall aesthetics of a room; warmer lighting may not be beneficial in a working environment, for example. The choice you make can also be reflected in your bottom line, as certain types have better power efficiency than others.

The most common lights used are fluorescent, halide, halogen, incandescent and LED.

Panels

Typically found in commercial buildings and environments such as office space, changing rooms, kitchens and clean rooms, panels are often used to cover recessed ceilings: they can be transparent or translucent depending on the intensity of light required.

Diffusers

Available in many different designs, diffusers are effective in ensuring consistent lighting whilst almost eliminating dreaded glare: particularly useful in office and IT environments.

The most common types of diffusers used in suspended ceiling lights are egg crate, lattice and prismatic.

Your Choice of Suspended Ceiling Light

Though a wealth of options and choices can rarely be a bad thing, it can often be overwhelming. Depending on the intended use of the room, design can be tough to implement without expertise.

Allow the experts at AB Drylining to help you attain the perfect suspended ceiling for the job.

Who are AB Drylining

Specialising in suspended ceilings, drylining and plastering, AB Drylining is a company that prides itself on expert service and top-quality finishes delivered by approachable, reliable and knowledgeable staff every single time.

Each member of our expert team is carefully selected from a stringent interview process to ensure they produce the highest quality results in the friendliest manner: each holding a valid CSCS card and are IPAF and PASMA accredited.

How We Can Help

As experts in the design and installation of suspended ceilings and suspended ceiling lights, we can advise and roadmap the project from start to finish.

Contact us today!

Do you find our guide on suspended ceiling lights helpful? If so, have a gander at our other easy to follow, helpful guides!

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