Most people will not see or appreciate all the hard work that went into your project, but they will see the fixture you top it off with. It�s the final touch and the crowning achievement of your installation. Most people choose the fixture solely based on looks, and while it is very important, I mean after all you have to look at it every day, it�s not the only thing to consider. Let�s take a look at some of the other things to consider when purchasing a light fixture.

The first thing to look at is if the fixture is meant for the intended use, some examples would be sloped ceilings, indoor/outdoor use, how far the fixture will hang from the ceiling, is there enough head room? Also how much light the fixture provides, is it enough with the wattage rating for the sockets, or will it be too bright for the installation you intend it for?

Next would be the type of lamp the fixture requires, Some of the new fixtures require a CFL lamp with two pins on the bottom of it instead of the normal medium base type, this means you will need to buy special lamps for this fixture that typically cost a lot more than a regular lamp. Medium base is your normal light bulb, there is also candelabra and intermediate base, these also tend to be more expensive and may limit the type of lamp you can purchase. The standard medium base is my preference, it leaves option wide open and the lamps are cheaper. The prices of LED lamps are coming down and are far cheaper in medium base and offer a reduction in the electric bill. I�ve been testing some LED�s in my own home, and so far I really like them, there is no warm up time like CFL�s and mine only use 9 watts of power for 60 watts of light. But only time will tell if they last as long as they claim.

The weight of the fixture is also a very important thing to consider. The majority of fixtures will be fine to install in the average electrical box, but if the fixture is heavy, is a chandelier of ceiling fan changing the box may be necessary to support the weight, depending on what type of box is currently installed. I can�t tell you how many times people want to have a ceiling fan installed only to find out there is much more work to do then just installing the fan.

Bottom line is to make sure you choose the right fixture, and that it is installed safely.

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