Work Safely
If you are not sure you can manage the job, hire an electrician to run the cable. Be sure power is shut off at the service panel before you work with existing wiring. Once electrical cable is run, it will take an hour or two to install a fixture.
Plan the Locations
For task and accent lighting, simply look at your space and decide where you need more light. Flooding a room with consistent overall light calls for evenly spaced downlights across the ceiling. Place them approximately 6 to 8 feet apart and 3 feet in from wall; adjust this spacing so they fit between two joists (use a stud finder to locate the joists). Better yet, have a lighting showroom design the layout. Most provide free design service if you buy the light fixtures there.
Types of Cans
You need a housing, called a "can," for each light, plus the trim and bulb to go with it. Most dealers have good displays that show what each style of trim and bulb does best. Buy a housing rated for use in remodeling. Several methods of attaching to the ceiling are available; be sure you understand how you will install your fixture before you buy it. Check to see that the can will take bulbs you want to use â some take only 60-watt bulbs. If your ceiling joists are smaller than 2x8s, you will need a special small-space can.
Various types of trims are available for different looks. Cans that are black on the inside will throw a more subtle light. Eyeball-type fixtures can be swiveled to focus on a particular spot. There are two types:
Thermal cutout (top) and Insulated ceiling (bottom).
- T.C. (thermal cutout), or non-I.C. housing: This can is intended for uninsulated areas. If it's installed where insulation is present, the insulation must be kept at least 3 inches away from all sides of the can, and none should be installed over the top. Otherwise, the can will overheat, and a thermal switch will deaden the fixture or cause it to blink.
- I.C. (insulated ceiling) housing: This indicates a can that can be installed in insulated areas. Insulation can touch the sides and top of the can.
Step-by-Step
1. Prepare the Opening
Before you begin, check your local electrical code requirements. If you are unsure of your ability to install a downlight, hire a licensed electrician to do the job.
Be sure that the hole will fall between joists. The fixture will come with a circular template; use it as a guide for drawing a circle on the ceiling. If you have a series of lights to install, draw all the circles before you begin cutting. Cut out the opening with a keyhole saw. Work carefully, so you won't have to patch your ceiling afterward.
Shut off the electrical power at the service panel. The can must be connected with supply wire rated at 90 degree C. (The supply wire in most houses built before 1985 is rated 60 degree C.) Replace the supply wire, if necessary. Make the correct connections in an existing junction box or switch box, taking care not to overload a box with too many wires; install a new junction box, if needed.
Find a way to fish electrical cable from an existing switch up through the walls into the ceiling and down to the hole. If you have access to an unfinished attic floor above the ceiling, that will make your work easier. Running cable parallel to the joists is fairly easy. But if you need to run across the joists, you may have to cut a small hole in the ceiling at each joist, then notch the joist to make a path for the cable. Install a protective metal plate wherever the cable is in danger of having a nail poked into it. Leave at least a foot of extra cable hanging down through the hole to make it easy to hook to the fixtures.
For more than one downlight, you may need to install a readily accessible junction box in the ceiling and run the cable to it. Then pull a cable from the junction box down through each hole. Or you may be able to use the fixtures themselves as junction boxes and run cable from fixture to fixture. In that case, leave a series of cables running from hole to hole.
2. Make the Electrical Connection
Black wire to black wire, white to white, and ground to ground.
Wire each outlet box by connecting the wires (black to black, white to white) with twist-type wire connectors. Connect the green ground wire to the ground wire in the power source. Tuck the wires into the box and close.
3. Install Can and Trim
After connecting the wires, carefully push the can into the opening and secure the clips.
There are several ways to install the cans, depending on the type. For some, install a mounting frame before you hook the wiring, then slide the can into the mounting frame and secure it with a screw. Others use clips that simply push up to secure the can to wallboard or plaster. Follow the manufacturer's directions to install the trim. Some types use a reflector as well.
Install the correct bulb: Using higher wattage than recommended will dangerously heat your wiring. Often a higher-wattage floodlight can be used instead of a lower-wattage standard bulb.
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