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Rosemary
True Blue Farmgirl
1825 Posts
Virginia
USA
1825 Posts |
 Posted - Dec 04 2013 : 3:34:42 PM
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Long-life, low-energy LED lights are expensive to buy, but last for 20 years or more and use little electrify, so they can be real thrifty. I have them in recessed ceiling lights at my place. The light is really harsh, though, so the other day, I tapped my theatre memories for a fix involving colored gel, the same stuff used to tint lighting for various dramatic effects on stage. Happily, there is a nice theatre/TV lighting company kind of near me in Alexandria, VA (www.barbizon.com) where I found just what I wanted. It's super-cheap :)
You'll need a small-size sheet of Roscolux gel for every 6 fixtures, in a shade that will give you the ambience you want, plus a frost that will soften the overhead look of the installation. You'll find all the colors on the Barbizon site. (Roscolux is industry standard, so any lighting place will carry it. See if there's one you can patronize in your neck of the woods). I chose #05 Rose Tint and Opal Frost. They give a lovely light, similar to the old-fashioned "soft pink" incandescent bulbs.
You'll need something to hold the gels over your recessed lights. Earlier today, I saw some metal collars made for ceiling lights. The center circles too small and they cost almost $12 each! Being thrifty, I got some plain white paper plates instead -- the heavy, molded kind, perfectly plain -- and cut holes into the center of each plate a tiny bit smaller than the diameter of the ceiling lights' openings. Jo-Ann Fabrics had an adjustable circle cutter on sale right now at 60% off (making it about $8.00). That's what I used, but if you have a stead hand, you could use an X-Acto knife.
Cut pieces of gel a bit larger than the holes to give you room to tape down the edges on the concave "food side" of the plates. Tape the frost down first, then the colored gel. Flip the whole thing over and attach the plate's edge to the ceiling with #8541;" double-stick foam tape. You can get three lengthwise strips out of one piece. (You'll need about 23" long.) Strips that thin are easy to curve all the way around the plate without tearing. If you tear, no biggie; just be sure you fill in so light won't leak out at that spot.
Here's one of mine, inside and out. Feelin' pretty smug here, sisters :)
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Soften harsh LED lighting
