Basics of Kitchen Track Lighting
Track Lighting In a Modern Kitchen.
Updated January 28, 2015.
Kitchen track lighting is no longer stuck in the Dark Ages. Time was, if you wanted to install it in your kitchen, you were relegated to the world of bulky tracks and ugly light fixtures. Imagine the kind of lighting you d find in a Wendy s or McDonald s and you get the picture.
But around 2000, lighting manufacturers began stepping up their game. Sleek, curving tracks emerged on the market, with high-intensity halogens that really did manage to illuminate kitchen work areas.
Before we look at a few representative products, let s review some of the key points of track lighting for your kitchen:
- Flexible. Where track lighting really excels is in flexibility. Tracks can be mounted virtually anywhere you need light.
- Energy-Saving. Track lighting can actually be an energy saver. How? You only need to install as many lights on the tracks as you need. Also, tracks can be wired independently, so that one track can be left off or dimmed, while another one picks up the lighting duties.
- Choose Kit or Pack. Unless you specify kit or pack when looking for track lighting, you won t get all the components you need to install it.
- Can Go On Drywall. Tracks are generally not so heavy that they need to be screwed into joists (wood). They can be mounted on a hollow surface with molly bolts.
- Beware Of Your Power Draw. You ll need to be aware of your power draw when adding lights to the tracks. The tracks are not infinitely scalable. Carefully read product instructions to see how many lights you can add.
- Halogens? Factor the cost of expensive halogen bulbs into your purchase. They can often rival the cost of the track lighting kit itself.
