6 Types of Lighting for Drop Ceilings and What’s Best for Your Home

Lighting has a huge impact on the way a home feels, and drop ceiling lighting is no exception to this rule. Though most famous for appearing in commercial buildings, a few simple tricks can turn it into an excellent modern option for just about any abode. Use this guide to explore the different types of drop ceiling lighting fixtures that can transform your drab drop ceiling into something that shines like new.  

1. Recessed Lighting 

Recessed lights are integrated into a ceiling to take up as little overhead space as possible. Installing recessed lighting without a drop ceiling is a costly process of clearing overhead space and installing wires if none exist. However, having a drop ceiling already in place simplifies the installation and reduces overall costs. 

There are two main types of recessed lighting: can and canless fixtures. Can lights have a cylindrical-shaped housing where the bulb sits. Canless lights are an all-in-one unit that includes the bulb, housing, and trim. Because they are an all-in-one fixture, you’ll have to remove the whole recessed light to change a light bulb if it burns out. 

Best For: Illuminating kitchens, hallways, and basements

2. Wafer Lighting

Wafer lights feature an ultra-thin housing unit with an LED light attached. The LED light provides energy efficiency, with a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. Once it burns out, however, the entire unit will need to be replaced.

Wafer lighting is easy to install since it can be directly connected to electrical wires and doesn’t require an electrical box. You have the option to mount it when the ceiling is exposed or after drywall is installed.

Best For: Above kitchen islands, countertops, or other task-focused areas

3. Cove Lighting

Like recessed lighting, cove lighting sits in the edges or recesses of a ceiling, which creates a framed appearance. This type of fixture provides a warm, well-dispersed ambient light that’s ideal for both primary and secondary light sources. In larger rooms, you may need to supplement cove lighting to fully light the space. 

Best For: Adding ambient lighting to a living room or bedroom

4. Surface Mount Lighting 

As its name indicates, surface mount lighting describes any type of lighting fixture that can be mounted directly to the wall, like ceiling sconces, pendant lights, and chandeliers. Though these types of lights are ideal for almost any ceiling setup, drop ceilings allow you to go all out. 

For example, if you have high ceilings and a lot of extra overhead space, you could have enough room to hang a grouping of pendant lights for a decorative touch. 

Best For: Rooms with high ceilings that need a decorative touch

5. Troffer Lighting 

Troffer lights are rectangular or square fixtures that fit inside grid drop ceilings. Though common, especially in commercial buildings, these lights aren’t known for their aesthetic appeal. They can be bulky, and most options don’t lay flush against the ceiling. They also typically use fluorescent lights that can be too bright and harsh for most rooms in the home. 

Best For: Offices or commercial buildings that need a lot of light for tasks or big spaces

6. Panel Lighting 

Similar to troffer lighting, panel lights fit within grid drop ceilings but are much thinner and less obtrusive. Though this type of drop ceiling lighting is most likely to appear in uninspiring office spaces, modern updates—like gold trims and matte-black finishes—are giving the retro favorite an exciting, new edge.

Best For: Industrial or commercial spaces that need a little more style in their fixtures

How To Choose the Best Lighting for a Drop Ceiling 

Before installing a new light fixture in your drop ceiling, it’s important to get to know the ceiling design you have and your lighting options. These factors can impact the installation process, your recommended fixture type, and overall vibe of the room.

Determine Your Drop Ceiling Type

Before you can choose the best lighting options for your setup, you have to figure out what kind of drop ceiling you’re working with. Drop ceilings are secondary ceilings installed below primary ceilings for several purposes, from improving acoustics and ventilation to hiding electrical wires and utilities. Though they go by many names—including t-bar, false, and suspended ceilings—there are two main types: grid and drywall ceilings. 

Grid ceilings consist of a grid-like arrangement of long, metal strips and square or rectangular ceiling panels. They’re most common in commercial buildings because they’re easy to remove for quick accessibility to wires and utilities. 

Drywall drop ceilings are more likely what you have (or might be inclined to build) in your own home. Rather than a metal frame, they rely on a wire to suspend drywall sheets below the primary ceiling. 

Decide if You Want LED Lights

From reducing energy costs to lasting more than 10 times as long as fluorescent or incandescent lights, there are many great reasons to switch to LED lights. With a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours, using them in your drop ceiling will reduce your need to change the bulbs. 

If you want to have more control over the light in each space and reduce your energy bills, look for drop ceiling fixtures that can incorporate LED bulbs. It’s not hard to find LED bulbs in a color temperature that fits almost any kind of mood, from warm and cozy to bright and energized.

Pick the Mood With Lighting Colors and Tones 

Most drop ceiling lighting fixtures can take light bulbs in a range of Kelvin scale ratings. The Kelvin scale lets you know whether the light produces a warm or cool tone. 

Warm lighting ranges from 1,900K to 3,000K. It features a red, orange, or yellow tone and provides a calming effect. It can help you feel relaxed and drowsy, so it’s best used in areas where you want to create a cozy vibe like bedrooms, living rooms, and dining rooms. 

Cool lighting ranges from 4,000K to 5,000K. It appears to have a white or blue tone, and promotes alertness, focus, and attention. It’s best used for rooms like an office, kitchen, or bathroom, where you want to feel alert and focused on the task at hand.

Once you decide what type of color and mood you want to create with your lighting, you can see which drop light fixtures accommodate that type of bulb. 

Contact a Pro

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by all the choices, consider contacting a light fixture technician near you to help you pick the right lighting option and complete the installation. They’ll be able to answer any questions you have, install your new light in whichever type of drop ceiling you have, and make sure everything is working correctly.

Audrey Bruno contributed to this piece.