Going to replace the old low voltage halogen ceiling lights with LED replacements. Any suggestions as to what color temperature I should be looking at? 3500k-4000k looks like it would work well in a kitchen?

 

 

 

12000K. Higher is better right?

 

Do you want your Kitchen with Bleached white light!?!? if yes, get the "Daylight" or the higher Kelvin values.

I still enjoy the warmer colors in a house, so i use a warmer 2700 Kelvin LED

 

Personally, for bathrooms, I prefer Daylight (~4300-4500K color) Everywhere else in the house, I prefer the warmer (2700K light)..

 

2700K from the ceiling. You can do 4000K under the cabinets or for any down lights (oven hood/etc.). 4000K from the ceiling will look like florescent lighting.

 

3000k

 

If you're going for the fluorescent look that many kitchens have had for decades then 4000k is what you want. If you go to home depot and buy florescent labeled as for kitchens they are 4000K. Any higher than that and it'll start to look like a Target store. 3000k might be good too. When I got my LED tube replacements I got 4000k and I got an email from the company saying are you sure you want these tubes at that low a of a kelvin? I think most of their clients were commercial at that time, I couldn't find LED replacement tubes at Home Depot or Lowe's back then, so I don't think they were targeting the home market at that time.

 

I just picked up some T18 LED tube lamps to replace the old fluorescent in my kitchen. Went with 5K, "daylight". It was a little bit harsh at first with the old tubes being "warm" fluorescent and only have 3 (and then 2) of the tubes working. But after a while I've gotten used to it and like the brightness. In general, I've put Daylight bulbs in the places I want to be able to see well; kitchen, bathrooms, walk-in closet. And everywhere else is "warm" LED (rooms, vanities).

 

We went back and forth on this and ended up going 4000k in our house, starting with the kitchen. Like someone else said, at first it seemed harsh but now I like it and I'm currently converting our new house to the same.

That being said, we ended up doing 4000k outside at our old house to match our landscaping up lights and drove by yesterday, she had pulled all our bulbs and went with a soft light.

 

I'd stay within the 3000k range. I had 4000k for a short period but it was just too surgical for my tastes. I'd run 4000k in a garage in a heartbeat though.

 

You do surgery in the garage and not the kitchen?

 

It's easier to rinse out the blood.

 

For kitchen work spaces 4000 is good. It is good to see what you are doing when you are preparing food. Bathrooms and hobby / craft areas should be similar.

For the dining area of your kitchen generally something a less harsh for a more relaxing dining experience. There is a the reason the dining areas of most restaurants are not lit like that.

If your kitchen lighting covers both areas, then you sort of have to compromise or set up some new lighting.

 

^^^this...

i have this set up with the brighter lights in the kitchen, closets, all the bathrooms, basement and garage... at first it takes some getting used to especially if the room is right next to another room with warm light setting (like the dining room)... but you get used to it...