Do you know great recessed lighting can turn your basement from a dreary and dark place to a cheery place? For instance, it can increase your basement usability. Also, it results in expanding your storage area as well as minimizing clutter in your entire house.
So, if you want to enhance your basement lighting, this review can help you greatly. We will discuss the vital factors to consider about this specialized lighting. In addition, you will get to know some of the best-recessed lighting options for your basement that are available today. Our top pick is the TORCHSTAR Basic Series 12 Pack 12W 6″ LED light. We also reviewed other excellent recessed lightings below.
The TORCHSTAR Basic Series 12-Pack 12W 6” lights are the best indoor light that offers convenience. It is a low-profile LED ceiling light for maximum brightness with only 2′′ clearance. As a result, you can use it for a narrow ceiling that can’t fit any housing can.
TORCHSTAR offers wide applications and blends flawlessly with every of your home décor. It can expand space, set your mood, and deliver stunning effects. Its lighting is very outstanding with an Energy Star certification. Also, it has scratch-resistant and anti-glare frosted LED lenses. The power consumption is only 12 watts while delivering up to 850 lumens brightness equivalent to 100 watts incandescent lamp.
The installation of this light fixture is hassle-free and can be over in a few minutes. All you need to do is connect the light with the available junction box using the female/male cables. Then use the available spring clip to mount the light on your ceiling. You don’t have to worry about a housing can that may limit your options. This IC-rated recessed light may be in touch with the ceiling insulations.
It works well with most dimmers available in the market. Thus, you can dim this recessed downlight from 100 to 5% smoothly. So, it can fit into your kitchen, basement, closets, hallways, doorways, and many other places around your home.
The only downside is the 18 gauge wire nuts that seem not to twist securely.
Main Features
Sturdy springs
Ultra-slim body construction
Junction box
Heat sink
Compatible dimmers
PC and aluminum material
Pros
Ideal fitting for indoor areas
Corrosion-resistant and excellent heat dissipation
Hykolity 12 Pack 6” LED Recessed Lights are the ideal lighting remedy for your ceiling with a surface plenum. Its slim design enables installation in spaces or rooms where taller fixtures or recessed lighting can fit. For instance, you can install this light on your elevator, eaves, or balconies.
With the junction box, you no longer need any housing to install the lights. Instead, it consists of spring clips that you can use to secure firmly on your ceiling. It is also IC-rated to allow direct interaction with insulation.
It ensures consistent dimming down up to 5%. Thus, you can also use it in your living room and won’t have to worry about eye strain. Also, it comes with a quality 120V electronic low volts dimmer which is advisable for maximum performance.
This particular recessed lighting consists of 90 CRI high color output. With this result, you are sure of optimal illumination as well as making this fixture totally glare-free. Thus, it delivers greater natural lighting for your basement.
The major drawback to this lighting fixture is in the quality of its junction box. It seems to disintegrate very fast. In addition, its clips seem to twist and bend quickly.
Main Features
Triac Dimmable
1100 lumens
100W incandescent bulb equivalent
6” 14W
Spring clips
CRI 90
Pros
The design ensures safety
Great value for the price
Superior quality
Easy installation
Cons
Junction box and light get hot when used for a longer period.
Do you need the best light that can protect your eyes from glare? This Amico light is for you. It’s the best-recessed light with baffle trim for eye protection. The light offers a wide application for your office, basement, hallway, kitchen, bedrooms, and living rooms. Also, it suits damp locations such as the showers, bathrooms, and outside on your eaves or beneath a porch.
Unlike most lights in the market that offer only one color temperature of either daylight white or warm white, this LED light offers 3 color temperatures. You can get 3 selectable colors which are 3000k, 4000k, and 5000k, respectively. Also, it comes with the Amico benefits of UL certification that ensures its high standard. This recessed light fixture provides 50,000 hours of run time.
This product dims smoothly because it possesses smooth and seamless dimming capabilities. You can dim this light fixture from 10% – 100% to suit any mood swing or décor. Moreover, the light is compatible with most of the dimmers inside the market.
Furthermore, the fixture installation process is very easy. You don’t require extra accessories to install it. There are traditional springs, and the CAN can appropriately fit within 5-inch or 6-inch housings with a C clip. With the high-level E26 base mechanism, you can screw in the can effortlessly.
The major setback is the Amico light cannot remain flush with the ceiling. No matter what you do, they still hand down.
Main Features
3 adjustable color temperature
Compatible dimmer list
Snap spring
Baffle trim
Plastic material
Corded-electric power source
Modern design
Pros
Eye protection and anti-glare
Supper brightness
Wide application
Simplest improvement for your home lighting solution
If you love premium and superior quality lights with a perfectly functioning system, this Ensenior 12 Pack 6” is for you. It displays the 5 selectable temperature colors. As a result, you can set its light to either 2700k soft white, 3000k warm white, 3500k neutral white, 4000k cool white, 5000k daylight. All you need to do is click on the box’s side to select your best color option.
With its junction box, this ultra-thin recessed light is protected thermally. Also, it’s compatible with various dimmers in the market. Its ultra-thin structure is just 0.47′′ and only need 2′′ ceiling spaces. Therefore, it fits many ceilings as well as joists.
You can get 5% to 100% smooth dimming. Furthermore, the fixture has ratings for damp location. So you can conveniently fix it in your basement, kitchen, office, home, bathroom, bedroom, or living room.
Ensenior 12 Pack 6″ uses the new generation material to deliver the maximum user experience. The 80+CRI technology delivers true color brightness to your home. Due to the lower power and higher lumens, LED chips to deliver 1050lm by consuming only 12 watts. So, you can save about 88% on the cost of energy. Its frosted LED lens ensures anti-glare as well as makes it scratch-resistant.
This canless 12 Pack 6” light has energy star certification, ETL, IC rated, with UL-certified wire terminal. Thus, it can have contact with ceiling insulations without a fire outbreak. This shows that its junction box has thermal protection.
In addition, you can easily install this recessed light. All you need is to open a space in your ceiling with a 1.1 hole template. Next, link the junction box to the wires, then fix it on your ceiling with a spring clip.
The downside of this fixture is that its lights are yellowish instead of the pictured white.
If you don’t want to spend your energy changing light bulbs every time, this Sunlake light is for you. It comes with a 45 years lifespan and a 10-year warranty provision. Using this Sunlake 12 Pack light offers great relief from high electric bills. It features a 14 watts capacity that delivers up to 110 watts of lighting at a very low cost. The reduction in your power usage will be so huge that you will notice it immediately.
You can install the light in your creative retrofit, kitchen, or office, as its non-flickering attribute offers great illumination within any area. As a result, it delivers a sense of sophistication to your space. In addition, you can dim this light fixture to flatter any décor. It features multiple dimming choices. Thus, you can provide the theme for any occasion by creating your desired environment.
The only downside is the incorrect advert for this product. The advert shows that this light fixture is 1100 lumens, whereas the product is showing 850 lumens.
Celebrate the control of your house lighting from any corner through your smart home assistants. Feit Electric LEDR6/RGBW/AG is the ideal lighting solution for any room. You can savor different color lights or adjust the light mood from cool to warm, energizing lighting. All you need to do is customize your light with the intuitive Feit Electric app or use ordinary voice commands.
It features Smart WiFi LED light bulbs that are compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. As a result, you can switch it ON/OFF easily or even dim the lights. In addition, you can personalize the light color temperature or color and even set schedules or groups.
The light consists of a smart downlight which can work perfectly with Google Assistant or Alexa via voice commands. Its light can replace a spot incandescent or 75W equivalent floodlight by delivering 1000 lumens. This downlight kit is suitable for 5′′ to 6′′can housings and lasts up to 25,000 hours.
It produces tunable white and multicolor. In addition, its color temperature can adjust from 2700k to 6,500k for you to choose from the millions of colors available.
The light fixture has easy installation, wide application, and LED technology. You can set any color on your app for unique events in your living room, kitchen, room, and bedroom. Also, it has a high-quality base adapter.
Furthermore, this light is CEC TITLE 20 compliant, CUL and CL listed, ensuring optimal safety and performance. The only challenge to this lighting is the sync. It takes too much time to sync the bulbs.
This 8-inch light from the E-lite series is perfect for you if you are worried about high electricity bills and small ceiling space. Its LED ultra-thin design is your ideal solution to the small space on your ceiling. It only needs 2′′ of clearance height. It doesn’t require any housing, and it supports new constructions, remodel, and retrofit installation.
It is created with superior standards to ensure maximum safety. The fixture has a sturdy aluminum housing which ensures heat dissipation and resistance to corrosion. Also, it is IC rated, which allows it to have a direct touch with insulation.
In addition, you can install this light fixture safely and easily. It comes with a metal spring clamp, which you can attach to the ceiling.
It has the Energy Star and ETL certification. As a result, this ultra-thin panel light requires only 18W to generate 1250 lumens. Thus, you can save up to $1900 for each set within the period of its 40,000 hours lifespan.
Torchstar E-Lite Series offers a wide application. It can smoothly dim from 100% to 10%, which allows you to adjust the brightness to your desire. Moreover, this 8-inch light works well together with several dimmers in the market. With the 90 CRI and 100 degrees beam angle, this light is ideal for your basements, doorways, hallways, kitchen, and closets.
Its waterproofing is very reliable. Thus, it’s great for wet locations. In addition, its junction box provides thermal protection. Hence, there’s no fear of overheating or fire outbreak on an overhead joist space or roof.
The major challenge is the brightness and color of its bulb output. It’s a bit difficult to match them to other existing bulbs in light fixtures.
Main Features
Ultra-thin design
Sturdy metal springs
Unique waterproof
IC rated
Junction box
Compatible dimmers
Spring clips
Pros
No overheating
Long lifespan
Quality guaranteed with 5 years warranty
Very bright
Cons
Color output is difficult to match
It’s better for wide soffit applications
Too bright
Things to Consider Before Buying the Best Basement Recessed Lighting
Style
The style and finish of the light you place in your basement are very important. If you want a cottage-themed décor, select the exposed bulbs manufactured from copper or iron. If you prefer the modern aesthetics, choose the shiny metal finish as well as attractive decorative glass.
Color Temperature
The color temperature of a recessed light shows how cold or hot a light is in location. For residential lighting, a range of 2000k to 6500k is better. A 2000k color temperature generates soft yellow, warm light while 6500k generates bright, cold light. Choose the color temperature that is suitable for your needs.
Dimming
Checking out the dimming feature of any recessed light you want to buy is important. Most fixtures are dimmer compatible to enable the user to adjust the light output. In addition, you can choose either dark or bright settings.
FAQs
How many recessed lights do I need in my basement?
The number of recessed lights you will need in your basement depends on their shape and size. Each recessed light can cover up to 70 square feet. Before you decide on the number of lights you need, consider lighting capacity to brighten your basement.
Where should recessed lights be placed in the basement?
If the only source of light for your basement is recessed lights, you should set them up at every 4 – 5 feet. Ensure to keep them at least 3 feet from your walls.
How do you install recessed lights in the unfinished basement?
Get your material such as
4-in-1 screwdriver
Drywall saw
Electrical tape
Fish tape reel
Then you can
locate a circuit that can produce power
use the saw to create a slot in your ceiling for access
Scott is a very nice guy with an electric obsession. He is an electrical engineer and a workshop owner in Chicago downtown. He is also a father of 3 child. From childhood he has been an electronics friendly child and always loved to be busy with repairing something.
