False ceiling does enhance a living space effortlessly. The extra depth and right lighting creates a perfect ambiance. I am sure most home-owners would love to have the option of adding a false ceiling in their new home. Today I would like to share with you some advantages and disadvantages, also some things to note when comes to choosing lights with false ceiling setting.
Pros:
The most prominent pros is the look! With the extra drop, you can hide tube lighting in between the gap creating a floating effect. This helps to reduce the "heaviness" of the whole room, the glow from the light source separates the ceiling and the floor seamlessly, adding dimension to your space. It is a great feature if you have a room with a handful of carpentry or hoping to make your home look bigger than it is. It light up the room without giving you any uncomfortable glares as the light source is shining from the hidden gap, not directly above you.
Another perk is the limitless number of lights you can install if you choose to have false ceiling. Electrical wiring are easily hidden above the false ceiling, hence there is no restrictions on how many or where you prefer your lights to be. Finally yet importantly, with false ceiling, you have the freedom to pick everything available (from surface mounted lights, downlights to recessed spotlights). Most homes will use hidden tube lights(T5 or LED strips) as the general lighting and spotlights for ambiance.
Cons:
Saying so much good things about false ceiling, let's be fair and talk about the disadvantages too. To build a false ceiling, contractor requires to use gypsum boards and multiple workers. The cost of false ceiling does not come cheap, a 4-room BTO living room will cost at least $2000. For a newly-wed couple, that extra figure can be significant. Another issue is lower ceiling, the usual thickness of false ceiling is 4 inches or higher. Unless your home have higher ceiling, that 10cm lower can be a no-go for some home owners.
To install any kind spotlights/downlights, your electrician will need to cut out a hole to fit the light individually. As mentioned earlier, false ceiling is made from gypsum boards and once the hole is being cut out, it will be a hassle to fill it back. Different brands of spotlights and downlights comes in various sizes, hence it can be quite challenging to find the identical size if you wish to change them in the future. Most home-owners will look for the same size or bigger lights as electrician will need to patch the false ceiling if you intend to switch to a smaller light.
Point to note:
If you have decided to opt for false ceiling, a point to note is the false ceiling's depth. It is crucial to decide on a practical depth. Many may think the shorter false ceiling the better but if the false ceiling is too shallow, there will be limited design of spotlights to choose from. The shortest spotlights we have is 7cm in height, the anti-glare versions will be from 10cm and above.
I hope you find this article useful! Chinese New Year is driving near, my team and I wish you abundance and good fortune in 2020!
Comments