Ultimate Guide to LED Lights, Bulbs, and Accessories

for your Home Remodel

About LED Lights

What Is LED Lighting?

LED lights are a popular choice in home renovations due to increased efficiency, versatility, and longevity. LED stands for “light emitting diode”, the method the bulbs use to illuminate. Compared to incandescent bulbs, LED lighting is about 90% more efficient.

Why Should I Choose LED Lights?

There are several benefits of LED lighting when compared to standard lightbulbs. Here are some differences you may notice when using LED lights in your home renovation.

LED Lighting Lasts Longer

LED lighting has about 25 times the lifespan of its incandescent equivalent. Though each product will differ, some LED lights have a lifespan of up to 50,000 hours. They’ll often last 5-20 years, which will vary depending on the product and environment.

On top of their much longer lifespan, LED lighting won’t burn out the way you’re used to. Instead, they’ll slowly get dimmer as they age. An LED’s lifespan is considered to be over when it’s dimmed by 30%.

Improved Efficiency Saves Money & Energy

Compared to incandescent lighting, residential LED lighting usually uses at least 75% less energy. By switching out the lights in your home, you’ll secure monthly utility savings while reducing your carbon footprint. As LED lighting increases in popularity around the country, it’s expected to significantly reduce the energy we use at home.

Flexible Designs Can Suit Any Space

LED lighting is noted for being small and directional, making it easy to incorporate in any room. For example, under-cabinet LED lighting can modernize and brighten up a kitchen renovation, while recessed ceiling downlights can illuminate hallways and bathrooms without adding visual clutter. Incorporating long-lasting LED technology in hard-to-reach lighting fixtures can save you from annoying bulb changes for years. With a variety of color, style, and fixture options, you can incorporate energy-efficient LED lighting throughout your home remodel!

LED Lights Don’t Produce Heat or UV Emissions

Unlike standard lightbulbs, LED lights include their own heat sink that prevents them from emitting heat into your home. They also don’t produce UV light, which contributes to skin damage and sunburns. This makes LED lighting a perfect alternative to CFL (Compact Fluorescent Lamps) lights, which can allow some UV light out if their internal coating cracks.

Dimmable Options Let You Customize Your Lighting

Perhaps one of the best advantages of using LED lighting is that it’s dimmable! Dimmable lighting lets you adjust the brightness of your light source, completely changing the ambiance of a room. With LED lighting, you can set the table in a bright dining room and enjoy a relaxed, mood-lit meal moments later.

The Best LED Lights For Decorating Your Home Remodel

Kitchen LED Lights

When renovating your kitchen, make sure to modernize with LED lighting. With styles for every aesthetic, LED technology adds energy efficiency and longevity to your kitchen light fixtures.

Show off your aesthetic with a variety of quality LED lighting fixtures from Straight Line Construction. Use feature lighting on your walls or ceilings that perfectly fit your style and won’t require frequent bulb changes. For a modern look, use under-cabinet LED lighting strips that brightens the darker corners of your kitchen. To add illumination without the visual clutter, opt for recessed ceiling lighting that makes your kitchen feel more functional.

Bathroom LED Lights

Brighten up your daily routines with beautiful LED lighting to illuminate your bathroom. Dimmable LED lights can give you a relaxing spa-like space and an energizing place to start your day all in one place!

Add style and functionality to your bathroom with LED vanity lights, dimmable bathroom mirror lights, or a sleek backlit mirror. To add lights throughout your bathroom, choose from wall lights and ceiling lights that can add to your home design or barely-there recessed LED lights.

Bedroom LED Lights

Make your bedroom a space to get away and relax with LED lighting to suit your aesthetic. LED lighting can add style and functionality to your bedroom remodel, giving you the ideal place to unwind and recharge.

Decorative floor lamps and feature lighting on your walls and ceiling can incorporate LED lighting while helping define your home design. Enhance your bedroom renovation with a mixture of statement lighting and recessed ceiling lights for dimmable functionality throughout the room.

Living and Dining Room LED Lights

Add LED lighting to your living and dining room renovation for modern, beautiful spaces. With a variety of styles, you can incorporate energy-efficient LED lights throughout your home remodel.

LED chandeliers and feature ceiling lighting make a statement by adding visual interest. You can incorporate feature LED ceiling light fixtures, wall lights, and floor lamps to showcase your interior design style.

Outdoor LED Lights

Light up your outdoor spaces with bright, directional LED lights. LED bulbs are the modern choice for lighting up nighttime spaces. Use them in your renovation to create a backyard gathering space, illuminate porches, and more.

Porch and entryway outdoor LED lighting can improve nighttime visibility around your home, helping you feel more secure. Other outdoor LED options include string lights, path lighting, and other landscape lighting that can make your outdoor spaces more enjoyable. With outdoor LED options that match every function and style, it makes sense to incorporate these energy-efficient lights in any home renovation!

How Do I Choose The Right LED Light Bulb For My Home?

With several types of LED light bulbs to choose from, you might be wondering how you can pick the right kind for your home renovation. Which LED light bulb works best for your remodel depends on the desired functionality, environment, and personal preferences.

When choosing an LED light bulb, you’ll want to consider the shape, color temperature, brightness, and any additional features.

Choose By Shape

Growing in popularity, LED light bulbs now come in every shape you can imagine! Base your bulb shape on your fixture or placement, how visible your bulb will be, and your overall home design.

Standard LED Light Bulbs

LED bulbs come in the classic shape you’re used to, which is perfect for many floor lamps and ceiling light fixtures. If your bulb is going to be covered up anyway, you can’t go wrong with a standard bulb shape.

Can LED Light Bulbs

These LED bulbs have a tapered bottom and flatter, rounded tops. This bulb shape is perfect for recessed ceiling lighting throughout your home.

Flood LED Light Bulbs

Similar to the can shape, LED floodlights are flat-topped bulbs that bring lots of light into a space. LED floodlights can be used indoors and outdoors, so be sure to pick one that suits your usage.

Track LED Light Bulbs

Track lighting is ceiling mounted with adjustable, angled bulbs at regular intervals. LED track lights bulbs are a perfect partner for a track lighting fixture with their bright, directional light and long lifespan.

Tube LED Light Bulbs

Replace your fluorescent ceiling lights with LED tube lighting. This bright, rod-like LED light bulb easily improves spaces like garages, laundry rooms, and more.

Candelabra LED Light Bulbs

Perfect for chandeliers and feature ceiling lighting, candelabra LED light bulbs are tall and tapered for an elegant look. Some bulbs have a flourish on the end to give you the timeless look of a dancing flame.

Globe LED Light Bulbs

More rounded than the standard shape, globe LED light bulbs are ideal for bright bathroom vanities, outdoor lighting, and feature lighting that shows off your bulb shape.

Vintage/Edison LED Light Bulbs

You can get all the benefits of LED lighting with a classic aesthetic or modern industrial style. Vintage LED light bulbs or Edison LED bulbs show off their internal wiring to create comforting statement lighting in your home.

Choose By Color Temperature

The color temperature of your lighting determines the shade it casts on your surroundings. A cooler tone (tending toward blue) might evoke a sense of modern, clean space, while a warmer temperature (highlighting oranges) may feel more cozy and welcoming. We use Kelvin to measure the temperature of light bulbs, helping us find the perfect light bulb for every space.

Warm Glow: 2200k

Lighting from 2000k to 2200k is comparable to candlelight, ideal for decorative and secondary lighting. It can feel relaxing or romantic, especially when trying to unwind at night.

Soft White: 2700k

A balanced light temperature that may remind you of incandescent bulbs. LED bulbs at around 2700k are ideal for most fixtures around your home.

Bright White: 3000k

This light temperature trades a bit of warmth for better illumination. Often used in commercial settings where brightness matters, this lighting may be helpful in workspaces like your kitchen or garage.

Cool White: 4000k

A very bright, white light often used for outdoor security and large commercial spaces, this color temperature is sometimes used for homeowners who want brighter working areas at home.

Daylight: 5000k

With a temperature approaching the blue side, this light mimics natural daylight in intensity and color. It’s mostly used for indoor farming and greenhouses.

Choose By Brightness

The brightness of an LED bulb is measured in lumens, where traditional bulbs were categorized by their power usage in watts. LED lights produce the same amount of light as incandescent bulbs at the same wattage, making it more practical to measure their brightness rather than power consumption.

If you know your current bulb’s wattage, use the chart below to approximate an LED lumen equivalent. This will keep your space at roughly the same level of brightness while saving energy!

Incandescent Power Requirement

(In watts)

Approximate LED Light Output

(In lumens)

225
375
600
900
1125
1500

Choose By Features

Many LED bulbs have modern features that can give you more control and customization options. Deciding upfront what features will be useful to your lifestyle can help you coordinate your lighting throughout your home.

Smart LED Light Bulbs

LED smart bulbs can be turned on and off from an app, set to turn off at specific times, and more. They connect to WiFi to give you ultimate control of your lighting, even when you’re not at home.

Color-Changing LED Bulbs

Set the mood with color-changing LED bulbs in your favorite areas. Choose exactly the right color with full RGB customization for a fun game room, exciting children’s area, or dazzling light feature anywhere.

Dimmable Light Bulbs

Many LED bulbs are dimmable, letting you control just how bright you want your space to be. Dimmable LED lights are the perfect way to use a room for multiple functions, giving you the option for relaxed or functional lighting whenever you need it.

Full-Spectrum LEDs

Are you a gardener or houseplant connoisseur? Full-spectrum LED lights let you grow plants wherever you’d like with consistent UV light that gives them everything they need to thrive.

Three-Way LEDs

A three-way bulb provides three brightness settings that can be accessed by turning the switch multiple times. When you first turn your fixture on, it’ll be on the lowest setting, a second click will brighten it to the second setting, and a third will reach your highest brightness setting.

Dusk-to-Dawn LED Lights

An innovation in lighting technology, dusk-to-dawn LED lights measure the brightness of their surroundings and automatically adjust accordingly. This is ideal for outdoor lighting that keeps your home lit at night and turns itself off in the morning.

Motion Detection Lights

Enhance your home security with bright LED motion detection lights that alert you of suspicious activity. These lights will only turn on when their sensors are activated, both alerting you to nighttime movement and lighting your way when you’re outside.

Let us help you choose

Let Us Help You Choose

The lighting experts are Straight Line Construction specialize in finding the perfect LED options for your home renovation. We help guide you through all the options with a free design consultation whenever you visit our Gainesville / Alachua or Ocala showrooms. Stop by today to get advice from our friendly team of experts!

Where Should You Buy LED Lights?

For the best selection of LED bulbs, LED-ready fixtures, and other lighting supplies, look no further than Straight Line Construction! Our Gainesville / Alachua and Ocala showrooms let you browse a variety of LED lighting options in-person, helping you compare everything from style to color temperature. Plus, you’ll receive a free design consultation from our friendly team of renovation experts.

Make sure to visit one of our renovation supply showrooms before you start your remodel!

LED Lighting Inspiration Gallery

Browse the best in LED lighting for kitchens, bathrooms, and beyond! From timeless chandeliers to modern backlit mirrors, energy-efficient and adjustable LED bulbs elevate your interior design while limiting costs and maintenance.