Usually, showers are in dark rooms. Though most showers only require a little lighting, certain wet-rated shower lights may significantly illuminate the area and make it easier to see what you’re doing, whether you’re shaving, cleaning, or applying soap.
To further aid shine into the shower enclosure, there are a few ways to increase the basic bathroom lighting’s intensity.
Good Shower Lighting Features
- Placed in the Shower: The shower enclosure itself has the greatest kind of illumination for the shower. While general room illumination is a useful addition, it is not able to fully illuminate the shower enclosure.
- Above the Ceiling: The shower enclosure’s ceiling is home to most shower lights. This shields the majority of the water from the light. Moreover, it is simpler to access power from the ceiling than from the shower surround.
- Wet-Rated Fixtures: Every light fixture installed in a shower enclosure needs to be damp- or wet-rated. Lights within showers that are eight vertical feet or higher “shall be marked suitable for damp locations or marked suitable for wet locations,” according to the National Electrical Code (NEC) 2020 410.10 (D).One
- Appropriately Placed: Since bathrooms are often compact, it is usually best to place them in the center. However, you might want two or three lights in the enclosure for larger showers.
Types of Shower Lights
1. Fixed Recessed Shower Light with Wet Ratio
For a long time, sealed recessed lights have been a common fixture in showers because they offer this shadowy space with consistent, safe lighting. The junction box and light housing, which are connected units, slide into a hole in the ceiling plenum. With a unique trim package, everything is waterproof.
2. Wet-rated Low-Profile Recessed Shower Light
Compared to the classic, deep ceiling recessed lights, thin, low-profile recessed shower lights—also referred to as can-less shower lights—are relatively new on the market.
Can-less shower lights, which are less than 1/4-inch thick, hug the ceiling. To allow for insulation contact, the top part of the light does extend into the ceiling plenum, but usually not by more than 1/2 inch.
Since low-profile wet-rated shower lights don’t have actual housing and their junction boxes rest loosely on top of the ceiling drywall, clustering multiple lights in a small ceiling is simple.
- Advice
LED light intensity can be moderately reduced by using a wall dimmer switch on low-profile lights.
3. Gimbal Recessed Shower Light with Wet Ratio
A gimbal light can tilt from 0 to 35–40 degrees and swivel 360 degrees. The lightbulb in a wet-rated recessed shower light is no longer protected by a watertight lens. Rather, the entire light fixture is watertight.
Recessed shower lights with gimbals allow the user to rotate the light in almost any direction. To create a gentle, washed-wall glow, you can even direct the light toward the shower wall. They come in particularly handy in cases where the shower ceiling is slanted.
4. Wet-Rated Surface-Mount Shower Light for the Ceiling
Because most shower ceilings are not very high, a recess is usually preferred when installing shower lights. However, some users might prefer surface-mount shower lights, particularly if the ceiling height allows for additional protrusion.
Surface-mount shower lights illuminate the entire shower, not just the areas that are in use. But options are limited. Style options are restricted to simple white units with square or circular shapes.
- Advice
There is some surface-mounting involved in surface-mount shower lights. There needs to be an electrical box in the plenum of the ceiling.
How to Make a Shower More Vibrant
Increasing the general area lighting in your bathroom is an alternative to adding a light for the shower. You may still wish to upgrade the general lighting in the space even after installing a wet-rated shower light.
- Install a glass shower enclosure rather than a shower curtain for shower/tub combos.
- Install shower enclosures made of frameless glass, which allow more light to enter than those with frames made of glass.
- Lighter colors can be used to replace dark shower surrounds.
- In the main bathroom area, turn the gimbal recessed lights so they face the shower.
- Use a lighter paint color in the bathroom.
- Install a clear dome in place of the original ceiling light dome in the bathroom.
- or tidy the current dome
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