Many people are surprised when they hear about the importance of checking the quality of your lighting fixtures. Granted, this isn’t a tricky thing to do, but many people aren’t sure how to go about it and, before you know it, the lighting fixture that you have in your home is not working properly.
This could be due to the poor quality of materials, poor installation, or a combination of both. To ensure that you have the best lighting for your home, you can rely on services from reputable providers like Touchstone Lighting or your local lighting stores and contractors to provide you with both quality lights and quality installation.
However, if you’re the DIY type or looking to save money on installation costs, here are some tips to help you maintain your home’s lighting, inside and out.
Compare Products
If you are unsure of the quality of your light fixtures, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look online and read some reviews. These reviews can be of the company that made your fixtures, or of a few of their products. These will likely shed light on whether you are looking at a quality product, or whether you could do with an upgrade.
One of the easiest things you can do is go online and do some comparisons between different types of lights available. One of the most important things you will want to look at is how well the lights work.
Look at how bright they are, what kind of bulb they use, how many bulbs there are in the system, and what the warranty and return policy are.
By doing these comparisons, you will be able to get the best overall value for your money, especially if you end up needing to replace any of your lights.
Correct Installation
When you check your light fixtures, you need to make sure that the fixture is securely attached to the wall. This will not only ensure that the fixture is working properly, but it will also allow you to easily change the light fixtures on a regular basis.
If the fixture does not have an attachment strap, then you need to replace it immediately. You will also want to look at the screws that are on the bottom of the fixture. If the screws are worn down or rusty, then you should have the fixture replaced immediately.
Energy Efficiency
You may want to check if you are using energy-efficient bulbs. Energy-efficient bulbs are great because they help to conserve energy and help lower your electric bill.
You also need to make sure that the power source for your lighting fixtures is safe and that it meets federal safety standards. If you’re not comfortable assessing that on your own, then you can always choose to hire someone who will check them out for you, or at least give you more information.
Check around online or in your local area to see who is offering the best prices for this service. Naturally, if you are looking to get into more energy-efficient fixtures and bulbs, there are a number of different resources you can access online that will help you choose the right lighting for your home.
Fixture Materials
There are a lot of materials used to create light fixtures, but the base is typically some kind of metal.
You could of course choose to go for more contemporary design and so use high-quality materials such as stainless steel or gold-plated fittings, but if you prefer the old-fashioned look then it might be worth looking at the less expensive alternatives like brass or aluminum.
However, it’s not just the materials used which matter but rather their color. We have put together some guidelines for you to take into consideration when you’re looking to replace your old lighting fixtures with something different.
Aluminum is one of the most popular bases for lights. They’re typically made of virgin aluminum which is the lowest grade of aluminum available.
When you’re choosing a light fixture, it will do better than the average cast aluminum fixture because it is made from one solid sheet of aluminum and it shouldn’t lose its shine over time as the sheet gets older.
Next, we have copper light fixtures, which are often used in smaller commercial and home environments. Copper is a good choice because the color looks great and the material is durable.
They are often found in the kitchen and bathroom areas because they’re light-weight, which makes them easy to move around. Although they’re generally considered to be low maintenance, copper does corrode, so you might want to check the quality of the copper before you start to replace your light fixtures with them.
Conclusion
Whether you’re checking the quality of your light fixtures to see if they add value to your home or you are fixing for an upgrade, checking the quality of your light fixtures does not require a lot of time – you just need to know what to look for.
There are a number of resources available online to help you with the lighting in your home and how to check the quality of your fixtures.
