Cathedral Ceiling Lighting Mistakes to Avoid

It is a common mistake among those using cathedral ceiling lighting to think that their installation options are limited to what they can find in local stores, or to long hanging lights that focus the illumination on the center of the room. There are, in fact, a number of great lights that can really help you show off your cathedral ceilings to your advantage. In order to avoid some of the most common mistakes, you should take the time to research illumination methods, and the rights and wrongs of cathedral ceiling lighting.

Choosing the Wrong Light

This is by far the most common of all the errors, and is easily possible by those without the confidence to choose good lighting systems. Traditional cathedral ceiling lighting hangs down from the central beam, resembling the church-style hangings one might associate with a name like cathedral ceiling. If you wish to avoid a religious theme, or would prefer to illuminate a painting or ornament attached to the sides of the room, then you need to consider other forms of lighting. Low-level lights that hang from the intersection between the wall and the roof might be a better option then. Installation lights can help give you more lighting down on the floor of the room, rather than sending 50% up to the roof. Floor lights can also help you to get more light where you need it. Don't fit too many bright lights against the roof, as most of it will just pass through to the ceiling.

Incorrect Installation

Another problem with fitting the lights to your cathedral ceilings is incorrect installation. Even if you do decide to opt for the hanging light in the center of the room, you can make this situation worse by not putting the support brackets into the right part of the joist, or by failing to screw it into place correctly. Gravity prevails on poorly attached plates, a fact worth remembering when you fit any lights to the ceiling.

Installing wall lights can also be done incorrectly. You have to recollect that your room angles are not like other rooms, and this should be reflected in how you position the lights. Don't allow too much of your illumination to bounce off the angled ceilings, as this can throw shadows down onto people in the room below. You should also avoid angling the lights downwards, as this can mean that the ceiling is completely cast into shadow (unless you like the Gothic villain look, of course). Floor lights are probably the best answer to your problems, as they combine the illumination of something near the floor, while casting enough light up to the ceiling to lighten the eaves. Take care not to place too much furniture around the floor lights, as this can push grotesque shadows up into the ceiling. In avoiding mistakes, you should be able to provide a neat balance between casting too little light onto the floor, and throwing up Hammer Horror style cut-outs onto the ceiling above.