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- Project Guide: Recessed Lighting
Installing Recessed Lighting
Recessed lights fill a wide range of needs and work out of sight. They discreetly become part of the ceiling while contributing a major and necessary element to the room. This simple, functional elegance makes recessed ceiling lighting a popular choice.
Before you select lights, decide the part they will play in the room. General lighting provides diffused light to a broad area of a room. Task lighting is directed at an area where defined tasks are performed: for example, cooking, reading or using a computer. Accent lighting is focused on a specific object, such as artwork or a bookcase. "Wall washers" do just what their name implies: they wash a wall with light. They're usually grouped and arranged to create patterns on the wall. If your lighting needs are complex in a given room, consider combinations of any of the above.
Once you determine the part each light will play, read the boxes in which it's packed to see what kind of trim piece the light has. The trim piece helps determine the type of light provided by the fixture. Trim options include baffles (to minimize glare), reflectors (to maximize light output) and eyeballs (to direct light toward a specific point).
When purchasing lights, note that there are two distinct types: new construction (when you have access to the open ceiling) and remodeling (when you must install fixtures through a finished ceiling). Both types come in diameters of 4", 5" and 6" (four, five and six inches) and can be installed in either suspended or drywall ceilings.
Steps
Step One
Option A:
Cut the hole. Lightly mark all light
locations. Use a stud finder to make sure they do not overlap a joist. Or,
drill a hole and poke a bent wire up into it to make sure the hole is entirely
between joists. Use the template provided with the light to draw a circle on
the ceiling. Draw and cut each hole precisely. If it is even a little too big,
the can may not clamp tightly. Wearing safety glasses, cut the line lightly
with a utility knife; then cut along the inside of the knife line with a
drywall saw. Take care not to snag any wires that may be in the ceiling cavity.
Step Two
Option B:
Use a Hole-Cutting Saw. This tool saves time
and cuts holes precisely. You don't have to draw the outline of the hole on
the ceiling; just mark the center point. Check to see that you will not run
into a joist. Check that the lights fit snugly without having to be forced
into place. Note: This tool is costly (the saw and the arbor are sold
separately), but it's worth the price if you have more than six holes to cut
through plaster. A less-expensive tool (inset) is available for cutting
through drywall only.
Step Three
Rough-In the Wiring
Run cable from a power source to a
switch box and then to the first hole, allowing at least 16 inches of extra
cable to make wiring easy. Work carefully, and use a drill with a long bit to
avoid cutting additional access holes that will need patching later.
Step Four
Wire the Light
Open the light's junction box. Usually,
there's a plate that pops off. Run cable into the box, and clamp it. Strip
insulation, and make wire splices-black to black, white to white, and ground
to ground. Fold the wires into the box, and replace the cover.
Step Five
Mount the Light
Most remodel cans have four clips that
clamp the can to the ceiling by pushing down on the top of the drywall or
plaster. Pull the clips in so they do not protrude outside the can. Slip the
can's box into the hole; then push the can body up into the hole until its
flange is tight to the ceiling. With your thumb or a screwdriver, push each
clip up and outward until it clicks and clamps the fixture.
Step Six
Add the Trim
Most trims are mounted with coil springs
or squeezable rod springs (as shown). If you have coil springs, hook each
spring to its assigned hole inside the can (if it is not already there). Pull
out each spring, and hook it to the trim; then carefully guide the trim into
position. If you have rod springs, squeeze and insert both ends of each spring
into their assigned holes. Push the trim up.
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