How Many Can Lights Per Room? Your Guide to Recessed Lighting for Any Space

Also known as recessed lights, can lights are popular if your home decor tastes lean towards the modern, minimalistic look. With the right number and placement, recessed lighting will result in living spaces that are well-lit and decoratively ambient. But how do you know how many can lights you need per room? Follow this guide to find out. 

Calculating How Many Can Lights Per Room You Need

When it comes to figuring out how many can lights you need for each room in your house, it’s important to get an idea of where they’ll be placed. Most lighting and home decor experts recommend you map out a rough plan of the room taking into account its dimensions, existing lighting fixtures, and furniture placement. Remember that your recessed lighting should complement everything in your living space.

Measuring and Mapping

Once your room is mapped out, you can make your calculations to determine how many can lights you’ll need. 

1. Measure the length and width of your room in feet, and multiply the two numbers to get your area in square feet. For instance, a 12-by-20-foot room is 240 square feet.

2. Multiply the area by 1.5 to determine the wattage you need. So, 240 square feet times 1.5 equals 360 watts. If you have a tall ceiling, multiply the area by three.

3. Take the total wattage and divide it by the bulb wattage you plan to use in your recessed lighting (40w, 60w, 75w, 100w). This will give you the number of recessed lights you’ll need. For example, 360 watts divided by 60 watts equals six recessed lights, each using a 60w bulb.

Another good rule of thumb is that you’ll need one can light for every four to six square feet of space. 

How To Measure Spacing Between Can Lights

Once you’ve determined how many can lights you’ll need for your room, and you have an idea of where they’ll be placed, it’s time to measure their spacing. A general rule is to take the height of your ceiling and divide it by two—for an eight-foot-high ceiling, this means you’d need four feet between each light. This is a good calculation for general lighting. However, where you place your lights may differ from room to room. 

Take Note of Fixed Features and Work Around Them

Keep in mind that certain things may impact how many lights you can place in a room. You may not be able to fit your lights in a support beam, or your room may have columns in the way. This could lead to an interruption in spacing and could require a new calculation of how many recessed lights your living space can accommodate.  

For instance, if you’re determining where to place recessed lights in the kitchen, use them as task lighting to illuminate countertops, your stovetop, island, and sink for food preparation and cooking. A common kitchen layout is to put recessed lights around the perimeter of the room. If you have recessed downlights, space them 12 inches apart and 12 to 18 inches from the cabinets to light your work surfaces. 

If you’re using wall wash recessed lighting to highlight wall art, a good rule of thumb is to place your light one-and-a-half to three feet away from the wall. 

Additional Factors in Determining the Number of Can Lights 

Before you decide to install recessed lighting in your home, there are a few factors to consider when determining how many you need per room. 

Lighting Use

How you plan to use your recessed lighting will affect the number you need. For instance, you may want your recessed lights for task lighting, general lighting, or to highlight something special. Task lighting and highlight lighting might only require one or two lights, whereas general lighting could require more. 

Wattage 

For rooms with limited natural light, such as a basement rec room, you’ll likely need brighter lighting and, therefore, more can lights. For a softer, more subdued effect like in your bedroom, choose fewer lights.

Ceiling Color 

White and light-colored ceilings will reflect more light and may require fewer can lights. Rooms with dark-colored ceilings will absorb light and need more can lights for illumination.

Ceiling Height 

Generally, the taller your ceiling height, the more lights you’ll need to give your living space enough light. However, you can also use brighter lights such as LEDs with a narrow flood beam angle if your ceilings are taller than 16 feet.

Lighting Type

There are several types of recessed lighting to choose from, each with a different size, trim, or housing to suit your space. If you want to limit the number of can lights in your room, consider smart LED recessed lights or remote-controlled can lights. They’ll provide greater flexibility such as dimming capabilities to adjust the amount of light you need.

Cost 

A recessed light fixture costs from $30 to $230, depending on the type you choose. The cost to hire a light fixture installation professional near you to do the job is around $200 to $250 per fixture.

Safety

If your housing will come in direct contact with your ceiling’s insulation, you must use an IC-rated (insulated ceiling) housing. If your lighting is non-IC rated, the insulation must be at least three inches from all sides of the housing.