Understanding Track Lighting

What Is Track Lighting?

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.

This allows flexibility in placement as the lights can be attached to the track anywhere they are needed, rather than at a particular fixture like a light bulb socket requires. Standard incandescent, low-voltage Halogen/Krypton, CFL, and energy-efficient LED track systems are all available, just like any other lighting solution. The luminary can be angled to cast light in all directions along the track, or can be moved to another spot along the track, and there’s no new wiring required or no new electrical plugs to be found. The track or rail is electrified at one end and can be extended or curved to reach out from the source.

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.