Lighting up my Kitchen

I'm thinking of putting in track lights(I have a flat-top roof so can't do any attic wiring) in the center of my kitchen as the main lighting. There may be other lighting on top of new Cabs I'll be putting in.
Not knowing anything about what effect I would get I put in an 8 foot track and bought one Can (to see the effect) that uses a 60 W par 16 bulb. The object was to eventually get 2 or 3 more Cans and a dimmer to produce plenty of light.
PROBLEMS:
the effect was plenty of light BUT when used directly over the sink produced lots of shadows AND
when angled off to the sides of the kitchen still produced shadows and also "blinded" me when I walked into the kitchen!
What should I do to change this? Different bulbs? Completely differnt kind of Fixture (don't really want to do this)?
Thanks for Help/ideas
Frank

 

If I understand you have installed the track with one light, and like it, except for the shadow it is casting down ?

The character of the shadow cast by an object depends on the uniformity of the illumination in the area and apon the direction of the light falling upon the object. If the light is coming from one direction only, a sharp, dense shadow will be cast. As the number of directions in which the light is impinging upon is increased, The sharpness and denseness of the shadow cast will be reduced. In other words trying one can on the light bar is really not giving you the effect as is you tryed six, pointing in many directions. It's sort of like if you turn on your map light in the car, You end up with a sharp light in one direction, but if you turn on the map lights, and the dome lights all at once, the light is all comming from one place in the car, but the intensity is increased, and the shadows are decreased. Another example is the old kitchen lights that you could install 3 bulbs in, and had the flat square glass globe over the bulbs. If one or two bulbs were to blow you ended up with a dim kitchen, but as soon as you replaced the bad bulbs, "all light comming from the same point" then the kitchen was much more pleasing to the eyes.

 

I'm THINKING of putting in track lights(I have a flat-top roof so can't do any attic wiring) in the center of my kitchen as the main lighting. There may be other lighting on top of new Cabs I'll be putting in.

Not knowing anything about what EFFECT I would get, I put in an 8 foot track and bought one Can (to see the effect) that uses a 60 W par 16 bulb. The object was to eventually get 2 or 3 more Cans and a dimmer to produce plenty of light.

PROBLEMS:
- the effect was plenty of light BUT when used directly over the sink produced lots of shadows AND
- when angled off to the sides of the kitchen still produced shadows and also "blinded" me when I walked into the kitchen!

What should I do to change this? Different bulbs? Completely differnt kind of Fixture (don't really want to do this)?
Thanks for Help/ideas
Frank

 

I think aphares was right in his point. With only the one light, the effects you talk about are normal, but most likely when you put additional lights on the track you will see those negative effects diminish. Simply get 3 or 4 lights and you should notice a considerably better effect.

 

Placing the light source near the same angle as your eyes will reduce the shadow effect. IOW, the light over the kitchen sink should be placed above the edge of the counter, centered on the sink, and angled back toward the sink. The shadow will then fall under your hands where it isn't so objectionable.

This is true of any task lighting, and it's why under-counter lights work extremely well to light a work area.

It also will help to use flood bulbs instead of spots. Floods diffuse the light, while spots focus it in a smaller area.