Why Should You Consider Recessed Lighting In Your Home

A recessed light is a fixture that’s embedded into the ceiling (or sometimes in the wall). When setup properly, it looks as if there is a hole in the ceiling that’s emitting beautiful floodlight downwards onto a specific area. It resembles a “pot” or a “can” when you look up into the fixture and that is why it is also known as pot lights or can lights. Since the light socket and its cabling is concealed within the ceiling itself, there aren’t any exposed surfaces to dust. Other than an occasional change of bulbs, recessed lighting is pretty much maintenance free. It is also quite unintrusive. Your guests may not even know it is there until you switch it on!

More importantly, recessed light is great for creating a seamless, uncluttered feel. This additional douse of lighting can provide a focused effect so, if you have a wonderful piece of fine art that you will like to showcase, recessed lighting is the answer. You can also use recessed lights as your only source of lighting in the room. In fact, some people have also used it in their dining room with dramatic effect – one of the main reasons popularizing the widespread use of it. But don’t forget to space them at least 25 – 30 square feet apart. Otherwise you may end up having an airport runway in your house!

Not all homes are suitable for recessed lighting though. If your ceiling is made up of largely concrete, contains ornamented plastering or intricate designs, you may want to consider alternatives such as a chandelier or table lamp instead.

Tips When Selecting Recessed Lighting Fixtures

The recessed light fixture is separated into 2 parts. The housing and the trim. The trim is the ring that lays flat onto the ceiling and visible to onlookers. You may want to go for those fixtures with trims that blend in with the ceiling for a less intrusive feel. Or try those decorative ones that comes with its own distinctive designed trims for a bolder look. Some trims are also incorporated into baffles and hence great in controlling the intensity of the light emitted.

The light socket can be found in the housing, the part that is subsequently embedded into the ceiling during installation. Don’t be surprised to find reflectors in some housings as they can be used effectively to direct light beams (to where it is most required) without adding to the size of your electricity bill! At the end of the day, how the recessed light fixture creates its lighting effect will depend on the type of housing, trim and bulbs used.

As a general rule of thumb, if the price is a concern for you, go for halogen or incandescent fixtures. Incandescent bulbs costs relatively less and when combined with the use of reflectors are good for general lighting. They can also be connected to a dimmer for greater brightness variety. If you have a high ceiling, you may want to consider fluorescent fixtures. They look great and have the additional benefit of conserving energy. Use special low voltage housings with halogen bulbs if you’re going for an accent, focused feel.

Insulation Contact Housings

If your ceilings are insulated, remember to get fixtures that have housings that are Insulation contact rated (”IC rated”). These special housings prevents any flammable substances such as the insulation from touching the hot lighting fixture. For better energy conservation, get IC housings that are air tight. You must make sure that there is at least half an inch of distance between any flammable substance and a 3 inch distance from the insulation if you want to use non IC rated housings in a insulated ceiling. For a peace of mind, going for the former may be a much safer solution.

Retrofits

In the past, it’s often a messy and tedious affair to remodel an existing ceiling. It can also be pretty expensive if you factor in costs to engage a professional contractor for the job. It just isn’t practical. With the introduction of the retrofits, manufacturers are making it easier for home dwellers like us.

Such retrofit units even come with detailed instructions and even stenciling templates that allow you to outline and cut out the the exact size of the opening for the installation. Some wiring knowledge may be required in this case so if you are not sure how to handle that, paying a professional can save you some hassle.

If you plan to convert your house’s existing recessed lights to lower voltage, get those retrofits that comes with transformers to lower the standard current to 12 volt power source. They are more expensive but bear in mind that these will be more or less made up for from your energy consumption.

Well, as the name suggests, square recessed lighting essentially refers to those units that are of a slightly unique shape. Other than providing an additional design option over their rounder cousins, such fixtures don’t really differ much in terms of functionality. Perhaps the only marginal difference is that it’s relatively easier to cut out square than round holes during the installation process! There’s also an interesting observation though. Manufacturers tend to prefer a particular shape for certain types of recessed lights. For example, troffers, which are essentially fittings installed into suspended tiled ceilings tend to be of a squarer angular shape. In this case, its design could be due to installation concerns since squarer fixtures will fit in easily with a tiled surface.

That said, you can literally find the round or square recessed lighting styles in almost all types of recessed lighting fixtures. For example, with a trip down the lightings store, one can find round or square down lights easily. So in what situations will your decision on the use of square, round or other shapes of recessed lightings matter?

One of the main considerations mentioned is the nature of the ceilling’s surface. Like the example stated above, if you’re working with a tiled ceiling and considering recessed lighting, square recessed lighting fixtures will fit in much easily than a round design. The latter probably means you need to cut up the tiled ceiling in an much awkward manner that may ruin the existing design of your room or space. However, finding the exact size to fit the tile’s size can prove to be daunting.

Fortunately many manufacturers have recognized this need and came up with a wider variety of sizes. You can easily browse some of their catalogues online or even at Home Depot! In the event you can’t find anything suitable, you always have the option of going for custom made ones. Though that may require deeper pockets. Nowadays however, lighting and fixtures retailers have expanded their spectrum of services in order to stay above the competition. Even if you’ve decided to go the custom route, some specialized retailers may even offer discounts and services which will way surpass your expectations. In fact, some might even work directly with your architect, interior designer or builder, to make the whole integration process seamless. You may end up getting more value for the same buck!

Another other consideration that’s pretty much obvious is the design you’re achieving for. Some of the square recessed lighting comes in beautiful structure dimensions which make them awesome additions to your interior. It gives interior designers or even DIY home dwellers an additional option when it comes to mixing and matching the different lighting accessories to spruce up your room or space.

Remember, even if you can’t find the square recessed lighting fixtures you’re looking, there’s always the customized solution.

Can You Really DIY?

For a brand new construction, installing recessed lighting isn’t much of an issue. You just need to locate the ceiling joists, screw or nail in the brackets where you would like to position your light fixtures and affix the physical metal housings to the bracket. Place the dry wall (with the openings for the housings cut out) over and viola, it’s done. The same ease applies if you’re able to access the ceiling via the attic.

Installing recessed lighting is slightly more complicated if you’re remodeling your house. Luckily, manufacturers have came up with retrofits kits that comes complete with detailed recessed lighting installation instructions and even stenciling templates for outlining and cutting out of dry wall openings. These products tend to be insulation contact (”IC”) proof and you can install them from the bottom of the ceiling without worrying if there is insulation above. If you choose to use non IC rated fixtures in this case, you need to make sure there is at least 3 inches away from the insulation wiring.

An area that you probably need professional help is the wiring. If there is no available power source nearby, engaging a certified electrician to setup a wire connection to the fixture can help you save loads of time and hassle. But in the event that there is already ceiling box around the installation area and your local codes permit, you can still do-it-yourself by detaching the wires from it and reconnect to them to the retrofit.

Things You Need

• Recessed Lights Fixtures
• Stud Finder
• Drill
• Dry wall saw
• Utility knife
• Wire connectors
• Wire strippers
• Pliers
• Screwdrivers

Step by Step Recessed Lighting Installation Instructions

(1) Cut the Opening

Turn off the power and use the stud finder to locate the ceiling joists. With the stenciling template provided in your retrofit kit, outline the opening in between the joists. Use the utility knife to mark out the line and once that’s done, cut the opening with a drywall saw. Make sure the hole’s is just right to hold the fixture’s housing.

(2) Run the Wiring

Draw the cable from the ceiling box or other applicable power source to the opening. It’s recommended to have excess inches of cable to make

(3) Connect to the Fixture’s Junction Box

Insert the wire into the junction box and hold it with a clamp. Strip off the wire’s insulation and connect it based on the matching wire colours. The fixture’s black wire has to go with the black house wiring. The white goes with the white house wire while the green or bare ground fixture wire matches with the ground wire. You can use wire connectors if you like. Once that’s done, close up the junction box.

(4) Install the Housing

Insert the junction box into the hole and position the housing inside the opening. Make sure it’s tight. Use a screwdriver to push in the mounting clips until they secure the fixture against the ceiling.

(5) Affix the Trim

Position the trim. Depending on the design you’ve selected, just follow the manufacturer’s instructions and you will be able to get this done in a breeze. Attach the light bulbs provided and turn on the power. Viola, your recessed lighting’s up!

Some Notes & Precautions

• It’s important to check if your local regulations allow you to do your own wiring. Some local codes prohibit this or required any do-it-yourself wiring to be certified by an licensed electrician. Do ensure that you comply with this.
• Installing recessed lighting fixtures that are non IC in an insulated ceiling can be dangerous as the heat generated may result in a fire. If you’ve chosen to do so, make sure your non IC fixture is at least 3 inches away from the insulation or any combustible substances.
• Use only bulbs of the right voltage. In the event of a converting your existing recessed lights to a lower voltage, make sure you select a retrofit kit that pre-installed with transformers.
• All power should be shut off while installing recessed lighting fixtures.