Best Lighting for Basement

The basement is a part of the house that can be converted into living space. Basement renovation is our speciality, we invite you to CSG Renovation. And not the last role, in this case, will play the lighting: artificial or natural.

Natural light is the most pleasant option. But having a spacious basement with no windows to illuminate the basement with natural light, you do not want to turn it into a dark and uncomfortable dungeon. That is why you should think about installing artificial lighting.

Basement Finishing projects belong to a special group of rooms, for which there are peculiarities and rules of installation of wiring and lighting fixtures. When laying lighting in the basement, it is not worth saving on the purchase of quality lighting, protection and emergency shutdown devices, reliable cables and wiring, as well as their professional installation.

Natural Basement Lighting

The main advantage of natural light is the ability to use it for free. However, this advantage is significantly levelled by time frames, worsened weather conditions, etc. Also, do not forget that the basement, most often, is underground, so it can be extremely difficult to get sunlight. For this purpose, you can use either windows or tunnel lights.

The first method is the simplest, but part of the basement must rise above the ground or be in the basement to implement it. Simultaneously, the windows, due to small size, give little light; when orientation in space, the intensity of light depends on the sun’s position. Most windows should be protected with metal grilles from possible impacts.

A tunnel light is used for lighting basements that do not directly access the street; it is also called a light guide or light well. Tunnel light consists of three main elements:

1. dome;
2. mine;
3. diffuser.

This type of lighting does not require a connection to the power supply; it operates on a window’s principle. In the light time of daylight will get into the basement, but not in the dark time.

Electric Basement Lighting

An electricity source powers electric lighting, so it can be used at any time of day. It can be used as a source of household electricity and portable batteries, portable lights, etc.

However, in most cases, no one thinks about the microclimate in the room, moisture, or the condition of the floor covering and produces connection electricity from the input 220V. This solution is suitable only for basements where the living space is completely dry and different from concrete floors.

Type and Place of Basement Lighting Installation

If the basement has a separate entrance on the street, it is advisable to provide street lighting above the door. This option will allow you to move safely in the dark and help you cope with the door opening more quickly. For this purpose, a small lamp or spotlight is mounted on the wall or under the roof with a downward flow. If another lighting device is installed nearby, including lighting for the basement entrance, you can limit only it.

Depending on the type of basement and the purpose of lighting in it, you can use the following types of basement lighting:

1. dotted – suitable for small rooms where you are interested in a particular area or a small spot of light will be more than enough to perform any action;
2. tubular or rectangular – most suitable for a long room where you want to illuminate the perimeter or any objects;
3. spotlights – suitable for narrow corridors, where at one point, you can illuminate the entire route.

Notice that no matter what lighting model you have not chosen for the basement, the body and parts must be resistant to corrosion. For the type of light bulb, it is better to connect the light fixtures with LED lamps. They are the most economical and not susceptible to temperature changes. But if you rarely use light in the basement or want the basement lighting to have a heating function, you can also install an incandescent lamp. More ideas for basement renovation are here.

Bottom Line

The main criteria for choosing lighting should be your goals and the purpose of your basement space. This will influence the choice of natural or artificial lighting or a combination of the two. During the analysis process, you may also find that you need to add additional work to your to-do list, such as waterproofing or wiring. Be careful with your basement electricity and contact reliable electricians. CSG Renovation’s phone number for a consultation is (647) 428-0007.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you need basement renovations in Aurora and surrounding areas or basement underpinning services.