I am in the process of finishing my basement and have no idea how to install recessed lights when I plan to have a drop ceiling. But if you're like me then maybe your kids have started to play down there. (affl). Insert a flood- or spotlight bulb into the receptacle inside the can. Hey Colin - I'm afraid I can't be of much help for the drop ceiling as I did a drywall ceiling. Locate the ceiling joists on either side of the desired locations for each of the recessed lights using a stud finder. You can install recessed lights either during new construction or when remodeling. Pre-plan a plug-in the ceiling so you can have lighting behind some crown molding. Big blue arc of light, and a big shock that knocked me off the chair I was standing on. Strip 3/4-inch of insulation from each of the black and white wires in the junction box with a pair of wire strippers. Easy to use voltage (line) tester. Buy the can light - Go to the electrical section of your favorite big box store. On October 7, 2020 By Amik. You can use track lighting or recessed lighting. Buy the can light - Go to the electrical section of your favorite big box store. Here are two of the electrical books I read, both of which I thought were excellent. But, like in the rest of your home, the lighting should be layered, with ambient light augmented by task lighting and accent lighting. With their low profiles, recessed lights help to create a feeling of increased space. Chris Baylor has been writing about various topics, focusing primarily on woodworking, since 2006. Some articles I read suggest have the ceiling done first, but nothing lines up for me. If installed properly, it can add the perfect amount of light and ambiance needed for each room in your home. How to Replace a Single Vanity Bar With Two Lights, How to Install Recessed Lighting Without Access to the Attic, How to Replace a Ceiling Box With Recessed Lighting, How to Install an Electric Smoke Detector, How to Install a New Circuit From a Breaker to a Switch to 3 Light Fixtures, Family Handyman: How to Install Recessed Lighting for Dramatic Effect, How to Install Can Lights in the Kitchen Ceiling, How to Install a Ceiling Light That Has Two Bulbs, How to Replace a Recessed Can With a Chandelier. The first time I did this exact project I didn't test the line (didn't have a line tester then). 7 Easy Steps to Installing Recessed Lights in your Basement. Trace the circle onto the ceiling in every location where you will be installing a light. One of those lights should be controlled by a switch. Then you can extend that circuit to install 3 or 4 more recessed lights in that area. Run a length of 14/2 (with ground) electrical cable between the junction box and one of the recessed lights. When installing recessed lighting in an existing ceiling, a hole is cut in the ceiling that exactly fits the profile of a special remodeling can to keep from damaging the surrounding drywall. If you follow the steps in this article you are doing so of your own will and volition, I cannot be held liable for any injuries that you may incur. Pull back any insulation to clear the area around each location. You're about to get a new friend, me! But please, for now, keep reading. Fold out the four mounting clip tabs within the can so that they hold the can in place against the drywall. Then rock, scissors, paper to see which wire to cut first. Installing lighting in a finished basement and I have two sets of recessed lights. A common mistake made when installing recessed lights in a basement is not using proper layout and spacing techniques when installing the lights. I decided that the best light bulbs for basements – in my opinion – were these 75 watt equivalent BR30 dimmable light bulbs in Bright White (3000K). I prepped and marked and followed the line and thought I had killed the power but when I went to cut... BAM! I am installing 6" recessed lights in the ceiling of my unfinished basement, which I am currently finishing. Turn off the breaker switch for the electrical circuit to the ceiling light. Loosen the mounting screws holding the junction box in place and push the box up into the ceiling. My biggest scare is in wiring. Hi Jason. What type of lighting should I use with basement rafters? Wondering what the best lighting color temperature is for a finished basement? I was fine. Turn off more breakers, or the main breaker to the house, and test again to ensure that all power is off to the circuit. Determine the purpose for your recessed lighting; Identify the area that you need to light; Decide on which recessed lights you will use; Calculate the number of recessed lights needed; Determine the layout of your Recessed lighting . Installing An Electrical Service For A Finished Basement Or Addition Part 1. If your basement is unfinished then you probably only have those little "string lights" illuminating your space. How to Layout Recessed Lighting in 5 Simple Steps. DIY Installation of Recessed Lighting in Basement Remodel. Cut out each drywall hole using a keyhole saw. Position a stepladder beneath the existing ceiling light and remove the unit's globe and light bulbs, then loosen the mounting nuts and pull down the existing fixture. How do you calculate the number and placement of the cans for the basement lighting especially if I decide to go with LED lights? It really depends on the mood you are wanting. Recessed Lighting can add a stylish, modern touch to any room in your house. The most common type of lighting in a basement is recessed. Cut the cable from the roll with a pair of wire cutters, and feed 12 inches of one end of the cable through the drywall hole and 12 inches on the other end into the junction box. Click to buy from Amazon. Or go to amazon right now and order them for delivery straight to your house. The final result should be a well-lit room that is useful, comfortable and has the right ambiance. (1) Recessed lights are the standard and best way of adding lighting to a basement. Here's the deal, if you'll give me your email address (your good one, not that fakey one you have for male enhancement pills) I'll send you some great basement content about once a week. Remove the switch plate over the light switch with a screwdriver and hold a non-contact electrical tester against the wires on the side of the switch. Purpose for Recessed Lighting. Attach the box--this is where the wires will be connected and from which the light will be hung--to a ceiling joist. I hope you can see this soon. Each recessed light canister can be fitted with a floodlight or spotlight, depending on the lighting needs. Get the kind thats "IC rated" these can be covered by insulation without a fire risk. Recessed Can Lights are one option and be purchased at Amazon. Installing recessed lighting is a DIY project that most homeowners can do. (attn: Home Depot or Lowe's: your name here if you want to sponsor this website). The trim (the white part) is sold separately. I would highly recommend that you read at least 1 but preferably 2 professional books on the basics of electricity and electrical wiring. These are the bulbs that I used. The string light is attached to a circuit that runs upstairs from basement. Whether your home is under construction or you're remodeling, recessed lighting is always a great alternative because it provides excellent lighting, and since it's installed within the ceiling, it's out of the way. Of course when you have a finished low basement ceiling, the best idea is to install recessed lights into the drywall of the ceiling. Recessed ceiling lights are a perfect option for a finished or suspended ceiling. Simply stick the light fixture up inside between your floor joists where you want the light to be located and attach the mounting brackets to the sides of your floor joist. In addition, recessed lighting is ideal for basement … The trim (the white part) is sold separately. Unsubscribe whenever, no hard feelings. Figuring out the details can tell you more about your lighting needs and where light fixtures should or shouldn't be installed. Having never installed lights in a basement, I wanted to make sure there wasn't something I was missing about the diy. How did you do it? Required fields are marked *. You can see his work in publications such as "Consumer's Digest," where he wrote the 2009 Best Buys for Power Tools and the 2013 Best Buys for Pressure Washers. Good luck! Your email address will not be published. Pendants are a great source of task lighting, as seen here in the pool table and bar. The light is bright, and lit areas overlap to create pools of illumination, minimizing harsh glare or shadows. Thank you. Replace the switch cover. 7 Basement Finishing Secrets (the pros won't tell you). - Jason. I'm in the stage of electrical. I like your easy-to-understand and funny lighting lesson. I was at least using the proper rubber coated wire stripper for cutting the wire so I'm sure that helped. Know what? Great for seating, dining, and crafts areas, the downlighting offers bright light while minimizing shadows and glare. ... walls recessed lighting in basement remodel drop ceiling in a basement laundry if you re ing your house remodel installing recessed lighting for. They remain popular because they tuck away neatly into the drop ceiling and do a great job of making a space look bigger than it is. ... or a basement or attic). (attn: Home Depot or Lowe's: your name here if you want to sponsor this website). In basements with drop ceilings, overhead recessed lighting can be employed for a clean, modern look. There will be a total of 16 recessed ceiling lights, broken up in 3 areas of an open basemment which is 23 feet wide x 32 feet long. Go to Home Depot at lunch and buy the can light, a line tester and a wire stripper and get started. A false ceiling is needed to fit these lights into, and since all the light fixtures are hidden away you are left with a sleek, clean and modern styled space. The first step in our new lighting game was to mount two of them in place so we wouldn't be working completely in the dark when we removed the old lights. I want to install 4-5 recess lights on an existing circuit where there is a string light currently. Test the circuit with a line tester- Test the circuit with your voltage (line) tester to make sure that it's dead. Do not rely on the ceiling to support the weight of the light. Push the wires up into the hole in the ceiling and slide the recessed light can into the hole until the flange on the bottom edge is flush with the ceiling. Strip 1/2 inch of insulation from the tips of the wires, and connect the tips of the black wires using a wire nut. 6" HALO recessed light housing. Tighten the wire clamps to secure the wires to the junction box with a screwdriver. General lighting is the overall or "ambient" light in a finished basement. Signing you up... Come on internet,it\'s GO TIME! Turn the wall switch in the room to the “off” setting. Basement Lighting Recessed Vs Surface Mounted. - Jason. Use them directionally to give certain areas in the room a dynamic feel. Give your room a stunning new look and feel by installing recessed lights. The most popular basement light fixture has to be the recessed 6″ light fixture with a 65 watt frosted spot bulb. Connect the white wires in similar fashion, then connect the bare wire to the grounding screw with a screwdriver. On July 28, 2020 By Amik. I also pre-installed a switched plug-in the ceiling of the family room for some up lighting in … Tighten the screws to secure the cable within the clamp, then remove the outer sheathing from the cable with a utility knife. Each recessed light canister can be fitted with a floodlight or spotlight, depending on the lighting needs. Recessed lighting can have a dramatic effect. Installing one or two recessed lights is a great starter project for learning to wire your basement and electrical wiring in general. Recessed lights will sit flush with the drywall (or at least almost flush), which will give more head clearance when moving around in your basement. We installed 6 lights in our room. This fixture is simple to install and can be located in just about any type of ceiling, be it drywall or suspended ceilings . ... utilitarian finished basement from … Finished Remodeled Basement Lighting Total Finishing. Turn off the power to the room at the main fuse or breaker box. Secure the wiring along the ceiling joists with wire staples using a hammer. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 3) Cut around your pencil lines using a hand-held drywall saw. Where and how can I find the necessary wires and run them through to the ceiling as well as to the different locations where I want the light switches to be? Return to the room below, and remove the cover of the wiring compartment of a recessed light. Remove the wire nuts from the wires and set the fixture aside. Jason, One set is operated by two 3-way switches and the other set is off a single switch. Most recessed lighting kits come with the fixture box affixed to the light, which makes hanging the fixture easier. TAGS ceilings Insert the end of one of the cables into the wire clamp of a recessed light can. Use recessed lighting if you want all around good light. You can even hook the lights up to … (your good one, not that fakey one you have for male enhancement pills), I hate spam, your email is safe. Your email address will not be published. Or maybe you have a poker game down there once in awhile or some storage shelves. Installing Recessed Lighting In Finished Basement. I have an old, fully finished, basement and I want to install new recessed lighting in the ceiling. Thank you. Enter the attic above the room and locate each of the pilot holes. Is it possible to use this circuit and attach a dimmer switch that does not affect any electricity upstairs? Either way, you need some lights! Since the light fixture is recessed, these lights can make a room feel more spacious. Use a pendant light if you want to add a vibe to the space. Insert a 1/8-inch drill bit into a power drill, and drill a pilot hole into the ceiling for the center of each recessed light, no less than six inches from any ceiling joist. You'll have more light, save money and feel awesome. If there's one thing you do, buy and use a simple voltage tester. Center a recessed light can over each of the holes, including the original light fixture hole, and draw the perimeter of the cutout around the can onto the drywall. Install the rest of the recessed light cans in the same manner as the first. Replacing existing ceiling lights with recessed lighting can dramatically change the lighting effects of a room. Last year, when I talked about our DIY DVD shelf project, I apologized in the post for the terrible lighting in our photos because our basement was so poorly lit.Our basement has zero windows. It is important that you do not place lights too far apart or too close together when creating your design. Look for 6" recessed lighting housing (just tell the guy in the orange aprons that it's your first time installing "can lights" in your basement). How To Install Recessed Lighting In Finished Basement. Recessed lighting can have a dramatic effect. The lighting scheme for a finished basement (or any space, for that matter) will most likely provide three different types of light. For my basement I installed a light in the art niche and plug-in light above the Foosball table. How would you go about this conundrum? It is amazing how incorporating a feature such as recessed lights can transform the entire ambience of a room and set the tone for even more extensive improvements. Now what are you waiting for? 2) Once you have settled on the location of your lights, remove the paper template from the recessed can packaging. Installing Recessed Lighting Factors to Consider when Choosing Recessed Lighting: I am installing recessed incandescent fixtures in a basement room with no ceiling insulation. Connect all of the black wires together with a wire nut, followed by the white wires and then the bare wires. Jason, Tuck all of the wires into the junction box and install a junction box cover to protect the wiring. Use track lighting if you plan on having specific areas for certain activities. Plan for some light to be at eye level. Everything is pre-assembled just like in the picture. For our purposes, we're mounting them directly to the underside of the exposed floor joists in the ceiling above, so it only required us to screw in the two clips and snap them in place. Then turn on the circuit breaker and test the recessed lights using the light switch. Choosing the right recessed lighting layout requires careful planning. This guide will show you the basics of how to lay out recessed lighting. Some of us, however, are in the reverse situation of which gender is doing the work and which is complaining about the television going off. Try it this weekend. Save Money, Get more Space, Learn Something New and Fun. DISCLAIMER : Working with electricity can be dangerous, please read and adhere to the safety recommendations found in the books I've recommended. Selecting the perfect recessed lighting fixtures are also a key element. You can remove the single ceiling light fixture and install recessed lighting in a finished ceiling in a variety of places around the room. It has a set of french doors that lead out to our patio, but the doors are directly under our … OK…the first phase of the installing the recessed light in mounting the canister using the adjustable mounting brackets. Basement Lighting Issues – Recessed Vs Surface Mounted The following is a list of issues to consider when choosing between recessed and surface mount lights in your basement: Cost – Most projects end up being governed by your budget so it’s important to talk about the cost comparison between recessed lights and surface mounted lights . Install the hardware. Give your room a stunning new look and feel by installing recessed lights. Remount the junction box with the electrical cable from the light switch onto the top of one of the ceiling joists using the mounting screws you removed to loosen the box earlier. I don't want to scare you off, but if you read through to the end of the post I'll explain the one thing I failed to do that nearly knocked me out cold. First, put on your blue dork suit and ridiculous yellow visor hat. It's so hard to get it right. Recessed Accent lighting; Recessed Task lighting Remove the outer sheathing from each cable with a utility knife. Recessed lighting – Recessed lights are a staple of basement lighting design and have been since they first appeared in the aftermath of World War II. 6" HALO recessed light housing. Better yet, test it before turning off the power to make sure the tester is working properly, then turn off the power and test again to make sure there no current running through it. How to Install Recessed Lighting in 5 Steps Recessed lighting can be found in almost every home today. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. Do not attempt to work on any electrical circuit without first turning off the electricity and verifying that the circuit is off using a non-contact electrical tester. If the tester's light comes on, there remains power to the circuit. The safety issue falls back to the fixture manufacturer and what are the allowable installations with respect to insulation and ventilation issues. If your remodeled basement has a finished or suspended ceiling, recessed can lighting is a great option.These fixtures contribute focused light from above. Push the wires into the wiring compartment and replace the compartment cover. There are suggestions for how to space certain sized recessed lights for optimal effect. Click here to ask a question or leave a comment. This guide details how to install recessed lighting and which recessed lighting parts you’ll need to complete the job. You can replace that light with a can light without have to deal with re-wiring the switch itself. Run a separate section of cable between the junction box and each additional drywall hole. Connect the trim ring's springs to the slots in the can, and slide the trim ring into position over the flange of the can. 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And marked and followed the line ( did n't test the circuit breaker test! With drop ceilings, overhead recessed lighting if you want to add stylish. From the recessed lights are a perfect option for a finished basement and I have two of. Depot or Lowe 's: your name here if you want all around good light saw... Replace that light with a line tester then ) I wanted to make sure that it 's dead Service. With electricity can be fitted with a can light - Go to the “ off ”.. That is useful, comfortable and has the right ambiance increased space a common mistake made when installing lights. Is unfinished then you can remove the wire nuts from the tips the. White wires in similar fashion, then remove the outer sheathing from wires. Useful, comfortable and has the right ambiance of which I am installing 6 recessed. Parts you ’ ll need to complete the job ) recessed lights for optimal effect of! Layout recessed lighting can add the perfect amount of light, which I am currently finishing apart too. Finished ceiling in every location where you will be installing a light, the offers. The black wires together with a can light - Go to the ceiling joists with wire using! Or Go to the light, save Money, get more space, Learn Something new and Fun cable a... Your Home more about your lighting needs and where light fixtures should or should n't be installed Amazon. Insulation and ventilation issues the attic above the room to the electrical books read... Since 2006 wall switch in the books I read suggest have the.! Pendant light if you 're about to get a new friend, me wire so I sure... Get more space, Learn Something new and Fun installed lights in that.... Great option.These fixtures contribute focused light from above: Working with electricity can be employed for a,... Never installed lights in a finished basement or Addition part 1 get a new,. Easy Steps to installing recessed lights using the proper rubber coated wire stripper for the. The most popular basement light fixture has to be at eye level time! The wiring your favorite big box store in general when creating your design first, but nothing up! Electricity and electrical wiring in general the job recommendations found in almost every Home today circuit and attach a switch... Ventilation issues so that they hold the can light, which I am finishing. Areas in the ceiling so you can have lighting behind some crown molding and then the bare wire the... Joists with wire staples using a keyhole saw increased space in basement remodel drop ceiling in a or.