Recessed Lighting: Properly Spaced, Cleanly Installed

Good Recessed Lighting Is A Layout Problem Before It Is A Wiring Problem

Most of the recessed lighting we get called to fix was installed by someone who started cutting holes before they planned where the light needed to land. The result is a ceiling with hot spots under each can and shadows in between, or cans crowded near the walls washing light up the drywall instead of down onto the room. Spacing, beam angle, and the distance from the wall are decisions that have to be made on paper first, because once the holes are cut, the layout is permanent. We plan the grid before a single hole opens up.

Spacing And Layout

The rule of thumb most people have heard is to divide the ceiling height in half and use that as the spacing between fixtures, but a real layout accounts for what the room is used for. A kitchen wants task light over the counters and the island, not an even wash across the whole ceiling. A living room wants a softer, evener spread. We walk the room, ask what each area is for, and lay out the cans so the light works for the way the space is actually lived in, then keep the fixtures off the walls far enough that they light the floor and furniture rather than the drywall.

IC-Rated Versus Non-IC Housings

The single most common code mistake in recessed lighting is the wrong housing in an insulated ceiling. An IC-rated housing, the letters stand for insulation contact, is built to sit safely buried in attic insulation. A non-IC housing has to keep an air gap around it, and when insulation gets packed against one anyway, the fixture runs hot enough to be a genuine fire risk. Before we specify anything, we look at what is above the ceiling. If insulation is in contact or will be, the housing is IC-rated and often airtight as well, so the can does not leak conditioned air into the attic.

Retrofit Versus New Construction

New construction is the easy case: the framing is open, the housings mount to the joists, and the wiring runs before the drywall goes up. Retrofit into a finished ceiling is the work that separates a clean install from a patched one. Remodel-style housings are designed to clamp into a single cut hole from below, and the wiring gets fished through the existing ceiling cavity, which on a single-story home with attic access is straightforward and on a two-story or vaulted ceiling takes more planning. We size the hole to the housing, fish the runs cleanly, and leave the ceiling looking like the lights were always there instead of like a repair.

Dimmer Compatibility And Ceiling Coordination

LED fixtures do not dim the way the old incandescent cans did, and dropping new LEDs onto an existing dimmer is the fastest way to end up with flicker, buzz, or a dimming range that quits halfway down. We match the dimmer to the specific fixture instead of mixing whatever is on the wall with whatever is in the can. When the recessed work is part of a remodel, we coordinate the cutting and any patching with the drywall and paint schedule so the trades are not stepping on each other, and so the room is finished once rather than opened up twice. Every install is backed by CA Lic. 847255 and a lifetime warranty on the labor.