While my Dad was in town this week, we tackled a project that’s been on my list for a while – replacing the fluorescent lights in the kitchen with recessed lights.
First, we removed the old light boxes and fluorescent fixtures.
We laid out the positions of the 7 new cans, drilled holes, and popped the new cans in. An adjustable hole saw with a dust shield made this real easy to do.
Up in the attic, we wired all the lights up, in the kitchen we replaced the toggle switch with a dimmer, added some full spectrum bulbs and the trim rings, and it’s like a whole new kitchen.
You can also see the under-counter Xenon lights and the above-counter rope lights that I added a few months ago.
Last step is to sand down the joint compound where we had to patch the drywall, and repaint that area where the old light boxes were.
I’m really happy with the result. More importantly, Elizabeth loves it!
June 8, 2008 at 11:26 pm |
I am changing my basement fluorescent tubes with canned lights. How did you wire the seven new cans? Also, how did you tap those into the existing switch for the tubes that are being replaced? Thanks.
June 15, 2008 at 9:39 am |
Karl,
I simply disconnected the fluorescent wiring, put in a new junction box, and ran a new wires from the junction box to the cans. I used the same switch that was already in place – just now instead of controlling the fluorescents, it now controls the cans. very simple.
July 8, 2008 at 4:19 pm |
Looks good! I want to do the same thing, but I wonder how many cans can I safely install on that circuit?
July 8, 2008 at 4:38 pm |
Steve – Thanks.
An electrician or even a helpful guy at Home Depot should be able to help you determine how many cans you can safely add to the circuit.
You may want to figure out what else is on that circuit already.