Install pot lights drop ceiling

A drop ceiling is a very common feature in offices, basements, theaters, and schools. It's made from a metal grid and "tiles" or "panels" hung below the structural ceiling.

Also known as a secondary ceiling, suspended ceiling, T-bar ceiling, or false ceiling, it most often conceals air ducts or pipes for a clean look in a previously unfinished area. Often, these ceilings feature recessed can lights - a sleek option to illuminate a space without diminishing any headroom. Whether you're building a brand new drop ceiling complete with recessed cans, or adding them to an existing ceiling, you'll need to accommodate some special electrical and structural needs with your installation.

Heat is your biggest concern when choosing recessed lights for your ceiling. If a light generates too much heat, especially around plastic surfaced or fiberglass panels, it can create a fire hazard. LED recessed light fixtures run cooler than other light sources, so they're generally your best option.

You should also choose lights with adjustable mounting arms, or heavy duty clips that can attach to support wires or bars above the ceiling.

Some canless LED fixtures have separate mounting plates available to purchase separately to help install into drop ceilings. Use graph paper to make a scale drawing of your room, so you can plan where each light should go. You should space them out according to your ceiling height, any focal points that you want to add, and how bright you want your room's ambient light to be. For more detailed advice on how to layout your recessed lights, check out this article: How To Layout Recessed Lighting in 4 Easy Steps.

Drop ceilings are too delicate to support the weight of recessed lights on their own. Also, as your structure settles and shifts, the drop ceiling will move. It might be for lighting the basement, or as task lighting in the kitchen or bathroom. Warning: Installing pot lights requires special electrical permits and should be done by a professional and licensed electrician. Kitchens, bathrooms and even walk-in closets are being lit with pot lights installed in the ceiling.

These downward pointing lights are practical for providing ample task lighting on counter work spaces and in shower enclosures. Here are the most common places homeowners are installing pot lights:. Home theatre rooms. Recessed lighting can provide that authentic movie theatre style lighting. Task lighting in kitchens. Pot lights can provide directional light over countertops.

Since many finished basements might have a drop ceiling or a lower ceiling, they are commonly found in basements.

Shower enclosures. While these are the most popular spaces for recessed lighting, you could install pot lights in any room of the house. You just need the light. The ability to hide a pot light right in the ceiling is the main benefit of this lighting type. They remain hidden, while performing their main function: lighting the room. This is why many homeowners choose to install pot lights in the basement.

It might stand out too much and make the space feel cramped. Recessed lights help those rooms with lower ceilings feel more open, without taking up valuable head space. Sealed recessed light fixtures are one of the only waterproof options on the market. This makes them the best and sometimes the only choice for your shower lighting.

Generally, ambient lighting comes from a central mounted light fixture. This provides illumination from the middle of the room outward. With pot lights, you can have even ambient lighting throughout the entire space. Unlike some trendy light fixtures that can go out of style, pot lights can pass the test of time. Pot lights provide directional lighting, which means they only light in one, very pointed area.

The light shines directly below, or wherever they are pointing. That means you need lots of them to completely illuminate a room. For a large room, you might need up to 12 pot lights to cover the ceiling and provide proper lighting. Because they are directional, they can be easily shadowed. For example, someone who walks in front of your recessed task lighting in the kitchen can cast a shadow over your work area.

The lights are in the ceiling and will make holes that need to be sealed to maintain energy efficiency. There are ways to fill these gaps, but you cannot cover them with insulation. This is because the lights generate heat and if the fixture is touching insulation it could be a fire hazard. To work around this, you can get a sealed pot light or a light that is rated properly for nearby insulation.

Read more about purchasing IC rated pot lights. Note that these instructions are for installing pot lights where there were already pot light fixtures before. You can pick up a circuit tester at the hardware store to test that the power is off before you handle electrical wiring. There are typically two types of housing. To install pot lights or recessed lighting you need to locate your beams.

Do this before cutting the holes for your pot lights, downlight, or can lights canister light. You can buy them on Amazon on the links posted above. Also, as your structure settles and shifts, the drop ceiling will move. Install extra wire supports over the tile to help hold the lights — one wire for each of the four corners of the tile. Using support bars or blocks with an additional frame that rests on the ceiling grid will work too.