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Lighting guides

Help with the job

Guides on the things we get asked about most: how to get recessed spotlights neatly into a ceiling, which dimmer actually works with them, what you really save by replacing fluorescent tubes with LED, and how to light a staircase. Written from the specifications of the fittings we stock ourselves.

LED recessed spotlights in a ceiling

Installation · 9 min

Fitting recessed spotlights in a plasterboard ceiling

Measure the space above your ceiling first, then choose the spotlight. With the cut-out sizes and recess depths of our ranges side by side, the full step-by-step and the four mistakes we see most often.

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Dimmer on a wall

Advice · 6 min

Which dimmer works with our LED spotlights?

Every spotlight in our range is triac dimmable, and that decides which dimmer you need. What leading edge and trailing edge mean, how many spotlights one dimmer can take and how to cure flicker.

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Fluorescent fitting in a workshop

Saving · 5 min

Fluorescent to LED tubes: the sums

What a fluorescent tube costs in electricity per year, what an LED tube costs and at how many burning hours it becomes worthwhile. Plus the question to answer first: which of the three types fits your fitting?

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Round surface mount for stair lighting

Installation · 5 min

Stair lighting on an open staircase

No riser to build into? Three approaches that do work — in the wall, in the stringer or under the treads — with the recess depths you need and what each one asks in preparation.

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Square surface mount for stair lighting

Advice · 5 min

How much stair lighting do you need?

Every two or three treads is enough, and 90 to 150 lumens per point is about right. At what height, on which side, what a light point costs and which surface mount suits your staircase.

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Step light with motion sensor

Advice · 4 min

Stair lighting with a sensor, smart or wireless

A sensor in the fitting or one sensor for the whole staircase — the difference decides whether the light follows you up or everything comes on at once. Plus an honest verdict on battery-powered wireless.

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LED recessed spotlight with spring clips

Installation · 5 min

What cut-out size do you need?

Ø68 to Ø75 mm is the standard, but always measure the hole and not the spot. Every cut-out size we carry, which spots cover a whole range, and what to do when the hole turns out too large.

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Lit LED recessed spotlight in a ceiling

Advice · 5 min

How many recessed spotlights per room?

Work in lumens, not in numbers of spots. How much light a living room, kitchen, bathroom and hallway need, four worked examples, and how far they belong from the wall and from each other.

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Recessed fixture with a separate GU10 lamp holder

Advice · 5 min

GU10 or integrated LED?

Integrated is thirteen millimetres slimmer and reaches Ra 90 to 97; with GU10 you pick the light source yourself and replace only the lamp. The difference point by point, including what it costs all in.

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Can't find what you need?

If your question isn't here, just ask. If we don't know the answer off the top of our heads either, we'll look the specification up with the manufacturer for you.

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Choosing and fitting recessed spots

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Guide Fitting recessed spotlights in a plasterboard ceiling Wat is het verschil tussen GU10 en GU5.3? What is the difference between GU10 and GU5.3?Why the difference is not in the pin spacing but in the voltage, and what that means for your transformer. Wat is een GU10-fitting? What is a GU10 socket?How to recognize a GU10 by its two thick pins, why it needs no transformer, and which of our fixtures use it. Mag een GU10-spot in de badkamer? Can a GU10 spot go in the bathroom?Why the socket says nothing about moisture, which of our GU10 spots are IP65, and what the second IP rating... GU10 of geïntegreerde LED: wat kies je? GU10 or integrated LED: what should you choose?Integrated LED is thinner and offers better color reproduction, GU10 lets you choose the bulb yourself. The... Hoeveel inbouwspots heb je nodig per kamer? How many recessed spotlights do you need per room?Calculate in lumens, not in number of spotlights: 100 to 300 lumens per m2 depending on the room. With four... Welke zaagmaat heb je nodig voor inbouwspots? What cut-out size do you need for recessed spotlights?Ø68 to Ø75 mm is the standard, but always measure the hole and not the spot. All the cut-out sizes we carry...

Stair lighting

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Trapverlichting met sensor, slim of draadloos: wat werkt echt? Stair lighting with a sensor, smart, or wireless: what really works?Sensor in the fixture or one sensor for the entire staircase? And why we don't sell wireless stair lighting.

Dimming

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Guide Which dimmer works with our LED spotlights? Wat is Dim2Warm? What is Dim2Warm?Why an incandescent bulb goes orange by itself and an LED does not, how Dim2Warm imitates that, and when it... Kun je een dimbare led-lamp zonder dimmer gebruiken? Can you use a dimmable LED lamp without a dimmer?Why dimmable on a switch is no problem, non-dimmable on a dimmer is, and which function you miss without a ... Welke led-dimmer heb je nodig voor je spots? Which LED dimmer do you need for your spotlights?Why your old halogen dimmer makes LED spots flicker, and why the type of dimmer has to match the driver in ...

Colour temperature and output

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Wat is Ra of CRI bij led-verlichting? What is Ra or CRI in LED lighting?What the Ra figure measures, the gap in the measurement, and which rooms you want above Ra 90 in. Wat is het verschil tussen kelvin en lumen? What is the difference between Kelvin and lumens?Two numbers that get confused, set side by side in a table, plus the order in which you choose them. Wat is het verschil tussen lumen en lux? What is the difference between lumens and lux?Why you buy on lumens but experience lux, and the three factors that sit in between. Welke lichtkleur is 4000K? What light color is 4000K?Where neutral white belongs, where it does not, and how CCT spots let you build two layers of light without... Wat is het verschil tussen 2700K en 3000K? What is the difference between 2700K and 3000K?Where 300 Kelvin of difference is and is not visible, and why a CCT switch can postpone the choice for you. Welke lichtkleur is 2700K? What light color is 2700K?Why 2700K feels like an incandescent bulb, which rooms it suits, and when you are better off one setting hi... Hoeveel lumen heb je nodig bij warm wit licht? How many lumens do you need for warm white light?Why warm light feels softer at the same lumens, and how to correct for that in your lighting plan. Welke lichtkleur is 3000K? What light color is 3000K?Where 3000K sits on the Kelvin scale, why it is the most chosen setting, and what CCT and Dim2Warm add to it. Hoeveel lumen heb je nodig per kamer? How many lumens do you need per room?From square meters to a number of spots, calculated with the real light output of our recessed spotlights.

Tubes and panels

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Guide Fluorescent to LED tubes: the sums Wat betekent UGR bij een led-paneel? What does UGR mean on an LED panel?What the UGR figure says about glare, what EN 12464-1 requires, and why a louvre panel works out differentl... Hoeveel led-spots kun je op één driver aansluiten? How many LED spotlights can you put on one driver?How to work out how many spots fit on a driver, why there is also a minimum load, and when cable length sta... Kantelbare of vaste spots: wat kies je? Tiltable or fixed spotlights: which do you choose?When tilting genuinely adds something, when fixed is better, and what tiltable does not solve. Hoeveel afstand moet er tussen een spot en de muur zitten? How far should a spotlight be from the wall?Why the distance to the wall decides something different from the spacing between spots, and which measurem... Hoeveel inbouwdiepte heb je nodig voor een inbouwspot? How much recess depth do you need for a recessed spotlight?The difference between cut-out size and recess depth, the three measurements to take first, and what is lef... Kun je inbouwspots in een betonnen plafond plaatsen? Can you fit recessed spotlights in a concrete ceiling?Why concrete has no cavity to recess into, how to check, and which three routes do work. Hoe sluit je inbouwspots aan? How do you wire recessed spotlights?Why spots go in parallel and not in series, what to do with live, neutral and earth at an existing outlet, ... Hoeveel spots heb je nodig in een badkamer? How many spotlights do you need in a bathroom?The sum per square metre, why a spot above the mirror actually casts shadow, and which IP rating is allowed... Wat is een opbouwspot? What is a surface-mounted spotlight?Why a surface-mounted spot is the way out with concrete, beams and rented homes, and what to check first ab... Wat is het verschil tussen inbouwspots en opbouwspots? What is the difference between recessed and surface-mounted spotlights?Why the choice between recessed and surface-mounted is about your ceiling rather than taste, with the four ... Kun je inbouwspots vervangen zonder het plafond open te breken? Can you replace recessed spotlights without opening up the ceiling?When you can swap a recessed spotlight through the existing hole, and in which case you do have to go into ... Hoe waterdicht is IP65 precies? How waterproof is IP65 exactly?What the two digits of IP65 mean on their own, and why many recessed spotlights list two IP ratings. Welke led-dimmer heb je nodig voor je spots? Which LED dimmer do you need for your spotlights?Why your old halogen dimmer makes LED spots flicker, and why the type of dimmer has to match the driver in ... Hoeveel inbouwspots heb je nodig per kamer? How many recessed spotlights do you need per room?Calculate in lumens, not in number of spotlights: 100 to 300 lumens per m2 depending on the room. With four... Welke zaagmaat heb je nodig voor inbouwspots? What cut-out size do you need for recessed spotlights?Ø68 to Ø75 mm is the standard, but always measure the hole and not the spot. All the cut-out sizes we carry...

Other subjects

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Wat betekent het energielabel op een led-lamp? What does the energy label on an LED lamp mean?Why a perfectly good LED spot now sits at F or G, and what the label does and does not say about the lamp. Waarom flikkert led-licht op camera? Why does LED light flicker on camera?Why an LED that looks fine still produces banding in photos and video, and what you can do about it. Wat kost led-verlichting aan stroom per jaar? What does LED lighting cost in electricity per year?What an LED spot costs per year in electricity, how that compares with halogen, and where the biggest savin... Mag een IP44-lamp buiten hangen? Can an IP44 light be used outdoors?When IP44 is enough outdoors, where the line with IP65 sits, and which risks are not covered by the IP code... Kun je een tl-buis vervangen door een led-buis? Can you replace a fluorescent tube with an LED tube?Why the ordinary fluorescent tube left the market, which three types of LED tube exist, and what converting... Kun je een geïntegreerde led vervangen? Can you replace an integrated LED?Why an integrated LED is not separately replaceable, why that matters less than it sounds, and what to chec... Wat is een G9-lamp? What is a G9 lamp?How to recognize a G9 by its two loops, why it belongs in wall lights, and why heat is the thing to watch h... Wat is een verlichtingsplan en hoe maak je er een? What is a lighting plan and how do you make one?What belongs on a lighting plan and how to make one in six steps, from furniture to color temperature per z... Hoeveel watt heeft een led-spot nodig? How many watts does an LED spot need?Why watts says nothing about light output since LED, and the three calculations where you do need the number. Wat is een MR16-fitting? What is an MR16 fitting?Where the MR16 designation comes from, how MR11 relates to it, and when 12 volts is still the right call. Hoeveel afstand zit er tussen plafondspots? How far apart should ceiling spots be?The rule of thumb for spacing and distance to the wall, and why symmetry counts for more than the exact mea... Hoe sluit je een 3-fase rail aan? How do you connect a three-circuit track?The difference between single-circuit and three-circuit track, the wiring step by step, and the two mistake... Hoeveel spots heb je nodig in een keuken? How many spots do you need in a kitchen?The sum per spot, and why shadow on your counter is solved by placement rather than by more spots. Waarom knippert je led-lamp? Why does your LED lamp flicker?The five causes of flickering LED in order of likelihood, and how the dimmer setting tells you which one it... Wat is het verschil tussen IP44 en IP65? What is the difference between IP44 and IP65?The two digits explained separately, with the fixtures from our range per class and the intermediate step I... Hoeveel spots heb je nodig in een slaapkamer? How many spots do you need in a bedroom?Why you plan tightly in a bedroom, where the spots do and do not belong, and what to add with wall lights. Hoe vervang je halogeenspots door led? How do you replace halogen spots with LED?Why GU10 is a matter of unscrewing, MR16 is not, and why your old dimmer almost always has to go with it. Welke led-driver heb je nodig? Which LED driver do you need?What an LED driver does, the difference between separate and loop-through, and why dimmability sits in the ... Wat is een E27-fitting? What is an E27 socket?How to recognize an E27 screw socket, how it differs from GU10 and G9, and which fixtures you will find it on.

Couldn’t find it?

If your question is not covered here, just ask. We look the specification up with the manufacturer if we do not know the answer off the top of our head.

Get in touch