Tools and Materials

Tools

Materials

Note

Product costs, availability and item numbers may vary online or by market.

Planning Your Recessed Lighting

An image of a coffered ceiling with recessed lights.

Before you begin installing recessed lighting, think about the effect you want to achieve and how to best obtain it. Then ask yourself the following questions:

What Type of Light Do I Want?

Recessed can lights with baffle trim provide a full, wide beam of light. Recessed lights with eyeball trim allow the light to rotate so you can focus it on a specific area.

What’s Above the Ceiling?

Measure the ceiling hole to determine the housing size and trim you need. If an attic is above the ceiling, the project is pretty straightforward, as you’re working with an existing light fixture. You’ll need a remodel housing. If the housing will be surrounded by insulation, however, you’ll need one that’s insulation rated. Look out for products labeled IC or IC-rated, which stands for Insulation Contact.

Installing can lights is more involved if there’s another floor above. You may need a shallow ceiling housing, and the wire may have to be fished through the ceiling frame.

What Kind of Wiring Do I Have?

Is the existing wiring aluminum or copper? Use wiring that’s the same material and gauge (thickness) as the existing wire. If the existing wiring is fabric insulated or has no ground wire, have a qualified electrician inspect it to determine if the wiring should be replaced.

How Many Lights Do I Want to Add?

You can add lights that draw as many watts as the existing fixture can accommodate without overloading the circuit.

For example: The existing fixture uses four 100-watt bulbs, so the total capacity is 4 x 100 = 400 watts. You can safely install up to 400 watts of lighting on the circuit.

Keep in mind your option to go with LED recessed lighting. Recessed light kits will specify on their product page if they are LED compatible.

If you plan to use more watts than the existing fixture can handle, have an electrician determine what the circuit can carry.

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Caution

If you aren’t comfortable doing electrical work, contact a qualified electrician.

Installing Recessed Lighting

Four images showing the steps to install recessed lighting.

When working with electricity, always:

Turn off the electricity at the main fuse box (or the circuit breaker box) that controls the power to the fixture or the room you’re working on.
Test the wires to ensure the power is off.
Place the wall switch in the off position.
All electrical connections must be in agreement with local codes. Check with local authorities to see if a permit is required.
If in doubt, consult a qualified electrician.
Don’t use bulbs with wattage greater than specified for this fixture.

Instructions

Pull the cable from the power source to the first recessed light and leave approximately 18 inches of wire hanging from the ceiling. Repeat this for each light fixture.

The excess wire gives you enough slack to wire the new fixtures. If an attic is above the ceiling, run the wire from the attic. If a finished area is above the ceiling, use a long flexible drill bit to drill through the joists and fish the wire through the framing.

Recessed Lighting Cost

So how much to install recessed lighting? The total price can vary greatly depending on several factors. Here are some of the main points to consider:

The price of materials can affect the overall cost of the project. Recessed lighting costs vary greatly according to the manufacturer and the type. For example, traditional recessed lights often cost more than canless LED recessed lights. Other popular types such as 3-inch LED recessed lighting and low-profile LED recessed lighting come at their own price point as well.
The number of lights you need to purchase will also affect the total cost of installation. Each room will require a particular number of recessed lights spaced at a certain distance apart to provide the desired lighting affect. Of course, the more lights you need to purchase to achieve this affect, the greater the overall cost.
You’ll also need to factor in the cost of a retrofit LED recessed lighting installation versus installing them as part of a new construction. It is cheaper in the long run to incorporate recessed lights when building a structure from scratch rather than cutting into and rewiring an existing ceiling.
If you have the know-how and are familiar with electrical safety protocols, you can save money by installing the lights yourself. If you hire a professional electrician, you’ll obviously have to factor in labor costs as well as any overhead they may charge on lighting fixtures plus other materials. However, if you choose the DIY approach, you may need to purchase tools in order to complete the job.
Be sure to include the price of lightbulbs in your estimate. LED recessed light bulbs are a highly economical choice for most fixtures and provide a lot of options.