How to Install Recessed Lights Without Attic Access

Hello Remodelaholics!  I am Tasha and I blog over at Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body about thrifty DIY projects and home renovations.  You may remember my first contributor post about how to transform an outdated, cultured marble vanity with concrete and my most recent contributor post about how to make a DIY wood bead chandelier.  Well, I am back again this month with something very different.  Today I am going to teach you how to install recessed lights when you don't have attic access.  This is a COMMON problem and believe it or not, there's a pretty easy solution.

There are lots of great ideas to make DIY lights that serve as accent lighting in a room, like these 14 DIY pendant lights.  There are also clever and cost effective ways to update existing light fixtures, like these two easy ways to update flush mount fixtures.  But what do you do when a room is so poorly lit that accent lighting just doesn't provide all the light you need?  Add some recessed lighting–you can do it!

Frankly, our entire home is poorly lit, but the lighting was particularly bad in our twin girls' playroom.  There was no overhead light and the two wall lamps that we were using to light the room weren't enough.  I was seriously concerned about how much our girls must be straining their eyes when they played in this room!

Their playroom is on the first floor of our two-story house, so we had no idea how to install recessed lighting without attic access.  We called in a professional for a quote, which was incredibly high (around $1,600.00).  That wasn't going to happen!  So, we did some research and figured out how to DIY it ourselves.  Read on to learn how you can do it, too!

How to Install Recessed Lighting (even without attic access)

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Materials needed:

• Remodeling recessed lights (also found on Amazon)


• Pencil


• Hand-held drywall saw


• Wire strippers


• Wire cutters


• Flat screwdriver

Steps:

NOTE: If you do not have any electrical experience, I HIGHLY recommend hiring an electrician to run electricity through your ceiling.  We did all electrical work ourselves because we have a fair amount of experience doing it.  If you do also, great!  But this tutorial will assume that you have existing wiring to work with or that you hire an electrician to run it for you so that you can then install the recessed lights yourself.  That will still save you a ton of money!

1) Determine where you want your lights installed and mark your ceiling accordingly.  Make sure there are no obstructions in your ceiling as you plan where your lights will be.  Use your stud finder to locate any joists that may be in the way.  You can also make a small hole in the ceiling and insert a bent coat hanger into the ceiling to feel for any obstructions.

2) Once you have settled on the location of your lives, move the paper template from the recessed can packaging.  Trace the circle onto the ceiling in every location that you will be installing a light.  We installed 6 lights in our room.

3) Cut around your pencil lines using a hand-held drywall saw.  Don't worry–this step is pretty easy and moves quickly!

4) Pull the wires that your electrician ran through the hole and get one of your recessed light fixtures.  Remove the cover from the junction box on the light fixture.  Follow the instructions that came with your particular light fixture to feed the wire from the ceiling into the junction box and make the necessary connections.  You will have to use wire strippers to strip about 3/4 of an inch from the end of the insulated wires, but I promise it's easy!  Just take care not to damage the copper wire inside the insulation.  Attaching your wires to the junction box is easy because of these awesome wire connectors.  Remember, white connects to white, black to black and bare to bare (or green).

6) Feed the junction box and the “arm” of the light fixture into the ceiling hole.  Then press the can up until it's flush with your ceiling.  Then press the four tabs through the light fixture until they sit flush against the can.  Make sure the tabs lock into place.

7) Insert your light bulbs, turn your power back on and turn those beauties on!

Time and Cost Involved:

The wiring took us longer than expected, but if you hire a professional to run your wiring, you should be able to complete the installation in 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of your room and how many lights you install.  We spent around $50 for the 6 remodeling recessed fixtures and $150 for the LED light bulbs that we opted for–the bulbs are expensive, but should last for a LONG time!

The effect of the lights is IMPRESSIVE in person.  We can finally see in this room after dark!  And you can see how nice and clean they look against our freshly painted ceiling.  What do you think?  Are you surprised that this is a doable DIY project?  I was pleasantly surprised!

Room Source List:

• Eric Carle prints above loveseat


• Ikea Ektorp loveseat


• Chevron rug from Rugs USA


• Wall lamps from Pottery Barn


• DIY industrial pipe bookshelves

I would love for you to head over to my blog, Designer Trapped in a Lawyer's Body, to check out our other DIY home improvement and thrifty home decor projects, like how we painted our kitchen cabinets without sanding or priming or how we created a STUNNING laundry room for only $71 out of pocket.  Our laundry room makeover includes painted vinyl floors {yep, you can PAINT vinyl floors!}.  And if you are looking for an easy and quick DIY, check out how to make your own bed skirt with no sewing and no cutting (no kidding).  I hope to see you over in my corner of blog land soon!

If you want to save this project to refer back to later, I would love for you to pin it and share it on Facebook!

 

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More DIY lighting:

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