Buy Track Lighting

• No, not all track heads are compatible with every rail. There are three types of track lighting connections: J, L, and H. The rail and the track head must be the same type to be compatible. "}},"@type": "Question","name": "Are track lights hard to install?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "If there is an existing electrical box, the track lights can simply be connected like any other light fixture. However, if there is no electrical box, new wiring must be added. For this, it is best to hire a professional. ","@type": "Question","name": "How many lights can I put on a track?","acceptedAnswer": "@type": "Answer","text": "This depends on the voltage of your track lighting system. It is best to only use 80 percent of the available watts to avoid overloading the light fixture. You will need to determine what each track head requires and add up the total voltage. "]}]}] .icon-garden-review-1fill:#b1dede.icon-garden-review-2fill:none;stroke:#01727a;stroke-linecap:round;stroke-linejoin:round > buttonbuttonThe Spruce The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook NewslettersClose search formOpen search formSearch DecorRoom Design

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Get daily tips and tricks for making your best home.Subscribe The Spruce's Instagram The Spruce's TikTok The Spruce's Pinterest The Spruce's Facebook About UsNewsletterPress and MediaContact UsEditorial GuidelinesHome Design & DecoratingDecoratingHome AccessoriesHow to Choose Track Lighting for Your HomeByErica Puisis Erica Puisis LinkedIn Erica Puisis writes about home products for The Spruce and specializes in interior design and plant care. She's contributed to Forbes and smart home blogs like Smart Home Solver and TechDigg.Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial ProcessUpdated on 11/05/22Fact checked bySarah Scott Fact checked bySarah ScottSarah Scott is a fact-checker and researcher who has worked in the custom home building industry in sales, marketing, and design.Learn more about The Spruce'sEditorial Process denovo_agency / Unsplash

buy track lighting

A lighting fixture composed of a railing and moveable lights, also referred to as track heads, that attach to the railing. The track heads can be placed anywhere on the railing and are adjustable, making these light fixtures very versatile.

If there is an existing electrical box, the track lights can simply be connected like any other light fixture. However, if there is no electrical box, new wiring must be added. For this, it is best to hire a professional.

This depends on the voltage of your track lighting system. It is best to only use 80 percent of the available watts to avoid overloading the light fixture. You will need to determine what each track head requires and add up the total voltage.

In the vast world of lighting, there are a lot of shiny, sparkling pieces that exist only to light up a room. Some are intended to offer soft light, others bright light, and some are just there to add a little color. It's easy to get lost in the crowd, sorting through every type and design to find the one that suits your home best. The lighting should be bright enough to do the job, but also something that works with the design of the room, and those defining characteristics are not always clear when shopping online.

Track lighting is - as the name implies - any lighting feature that uses a ceiling mounted support track or a rail to provide the electricity to individual light fixtures. With any other lamp, (or luminary,) a light bulb twisted into a lamp socket creates the electric connection with the lamp in order to light up the bulb inside. Track lighting works much the same way, except the whole light fixture itself connects to the track to draw energy, rather than just the bulb.

Designed to be fully customizable, the different track systems sit close to the ceiling and out of the line of sight, while providing more directional light than a ceiling lamp can offer. They provide bright, clear illumination or soft dimmable lighting to accent the design of the room itself. The individual lighting fixtures can be fit with a variety of shapes and sizes to help them blend in, whether the look is traditional or contemporary.

While they are all considered a form of track lighting, monorail lighting and cable lighting are not the same as standard track lighting. They are each different lighting systems while offering similar characteristics, but they are in no way interchangeable. Track lighting, cable lighting, or rail lighting, are all very distinctive in their design and can fit easily into either your home or your business decor. They all allow you to design your own layout, creating a maze on the ceiling of straight lines, boxes, or curving and playful rails. They are useful in any space, from rooms with a high ceiling that require a brighter spread over a large area, to cramped hallways and closets, to kitchens. While track lighting blends in well to any modern design, cable lighting provides a very industrial, contemporary look, anchoring to walls as well as the ceiling to enable the light to reach otherwise difficult lighting spaces. The rails can be installed with gentle curves or full circular shapes to add interest, or they can follow the walls, even taking 90-degree turns to adjust to corners.

The defining characteristic of track lighting is that the light mounts on a support track in order to power the fixture. Over the years, the look of the track has evolved into different designs to allow you to configure the luminary to suit your space. These different styles all fall under the general umbrella of track lighting, however, they are all very different forms of lighting systems.

The tracks usually come in straight bars, ranging from 2-foot to 8-foot lengths. They can be run in straight lines parallel to the walls, or they can be connected in specific layouts, like a corner angle, or multiple pieces can be connected to create an X-shape. The tracks are powered by either line voltage or low voltage wiring running from the circuit to the end of the bar, in 2- or 3-wire configurations. Connectors are used to attach separate track pieces together and allow the live current to continue from track to track.

There are three standard types of tracks used in North America: H type, J type, and L type. The standards between the three types were developed by three different manufacturing companies, Halo, Juno, and Lightolier, which they are named for. There are additional types that can vary by manufacturer, such as the two-circuit J2 system, which is used to control two sets of lighting on a single track. The tracks are similar in features and options when it comes to performance, but they are not interchangeable. The individual light bases insert into the track and twist to lock in place, powering the lights through the connection to the conduit in the track, so the light and track pieces have to fit together smoothly.

The most obvious characteristic difference with monorail lighting is that it drops down from the ceiling. The rails are suspended from the ceiling by rods called standoffs. Unlike the square bar shape of standard tracks, monorails are flexible and narrow. The rail can be bent and curved as much as 30 degrees.

Though there are some line voltage monorail systems that rely on the standard 120 volt circuit, most monorail tracks are limited by design. For low voltage monorails, the rail can only support a maximum wattage based on the transformer used for any individual system. Given that each individual luminary requires a specific number of watts to power it, the maximum watts allowed on a rail should be less than the total voltage it can provide, which limits the number of lamps that can be used on the track.

With cable lighting, there are no bars or boxes. The trackheads are instead suspended from the ceiling by sturdy cable and supported by turnbuckles, or stretching screws. They have a uniquely industrial look because of the exposed cables and mounting hardware, and blend well in buildings designed with exposed ductwork or vaulted ceilings.

Another entry often found under track lighting are fixed rail lighting fixtures. While they are installed on a track, they are different from a track lighting system in that fixed rail lighting is usually mounted to the wall, rather than the ceiling. They are often found in bathroom lighting, over vanities. A fixed rail track lighting kit has the benefit of installing into a ceiling fixture the same way as a ceiling light or fan would be installed, with no extra track necessary. These offer lights that are fixed to a certain point along the track, with only the light head moveable. 041b061a72