Lighting, Light Fixtures, Ceiling and Exhaust Fans - ambient lighting for bathroom

my bathroom is 7x5. I have a vanity light over the mirror with three 60-watt incandescent bulbs but still feel the rest of the bathroom (as small as it is) is too dark. I want to install a ceiling fixture but cannot find any information as to how many watts this fixture should ideally be able to handle. The gentleman at Home Depot said a 60-watt fixture should be fine but I thought I'd ask the experts on this forum as well. Thank you for your help!

The simplest solution would be to replace the 3-light fixture with a longer fixture with more lights. Every fixture has instructions identifying the maximum wattage bulbs that can be safely used (usually on a sticker on the fixture itself). Never, ever exceed these maximums. Houses have burned down for no greater sin than this.

actually, the three-light fixture I have fits perfectly over the mirror and a longer one is not an option. And when I put the maximum watt bulbs in (100) the area above the sink gets really hot and bright, but the rest of the bathroom still seems dark. So now I have 3 60-watt bulbs in the fixture which is great to light the sink/mirror but I feel the bathroom needs some light from the ceiling. Ideally I'd like a recessed light but don't know if there is such a thing as an incandescent recessed light. Do you think that's a good idea? Thank you for posting back!

I don't quite understand why a 5x7 room would not be well illuminated by these lights unless the walls are a dark color. In any case, you can certainly install a recessed light, and most recessed lights use incandescent bulbs. The details of how to do it depend on whether there is an accessible attic above the room, whether the power comes first to the switch or to the fixture, whether you want a separate switch for the new light or whether you want it controlled by the existing switch, and what the relationship is between the location of the new light and the tub and/or shower. If you plan to do this yourself, I suggest you start by picking up a few book on home wiring.

If the walls are dark, some white paint would be a simpler solution.

the walls are tiled floor to ceiling and they're a beige color but it seems the vanity light (in which the bulbs point down, which is the way I want them) illuminates the mirror area just fine but doesn't light up the whole room (even though it's only 5x7. ) I wanted additional overall lighting but am really nervous about installing the incorrect type. I think I'm going to go with a recessed fixture (it's a co-op, so no attic) and install a 100-watt incandescent bulb. Thank you for all your help.

Many recessed fixtures are limited to 75-watt bulbs, so follow the directions carefully.

Do you have a bathroom fan? If so you could upgrade it from just a fan to a fan/light combo.

Or you may want to consider Track lighting as the recessed fixture requires gap spacing from insulation and since you say 'no attic' it may not even be an option.

The high heat can be solved by purchasing the slightly higher low heat soft whits bulbs at 100 watts.

Whatever route you take, be sure you do not tap into the GFCI outlet in the bathroom as the NEC codes forbid these outlets from being joined into any other circuit. The lighting wiring would be on a completely different breaker (or should be). When it comes to electricity, it's usually best to consult a pro as the circuits can be fairly complicated and there exists a strong possibility of causing major problems.
Keep us posted :thumbup:

You could also try replacing the glass globes over your light bulbs. A clear globe will allow more light into the rest of the room.