Recessed / Can lights

[racerboy832]

I'm working on finishing a very small attic space. One of the projects on the list before the garage. The walls and ceiling are bare. I want to install 3 recessed lights. I'd like to be able to aim one down and the other 2 towards the wall. My questions is, they sell the new construction ones and the retro. The retro look easier to work with cause I assume they go in after the sheet rock. Which ones would you use? When I go to HD I see the New Contructions base are $8 dollars but the stupid covers are $12.

 

[DURAMAT]

Go for the frame in! Life will be so much easier. You don't want to cut Sheetrock and get all dusty and itchy and fight insulation coming down making a mess did ya? I didn't think so

framed cans hold up much better to

$11 x 3 isnt bad

 

[MrMark]

That's good advice.

I am about to go thru this very issue with putting in some new lights.

In a different area I just put in a remodel can and I can tell you that they are total pieces of junk. Pure ****.

Now, the new construction cans are junk too, but they are just a little less junk than the remodel cans. The problem with the new construction cans is that they go in before the sheetrock goes in and therefore they must be cut around during sheetrock installation. Tough to do and never done right. If you have backside access you can install the new construction cans even AFTER sheetrock goes in. I might actually do this because of the cutting around them problem.

If anyone has a great way to cut around the cans while putting up the sheetrock I would like to hear about it. Measuring is not a good enough method for me. I would use a rotozip on cutouts on the walls like electrical boxes but doing that on the ceiling would be a challenge I am guessing.

 

[DURAMAT]

LOL

Funny story I got back home from my hitch up in Alaska to discover my awesome inlaws came over and insulated, drywalled, taped, mudded, sanded and textured the ceiling for my boys room! "Damn Matt, I want you to know that there wasn't a single piece of drywall that didn't involve cutting out what you roughed in!" they did it all with a hand saw, cursing that they didn't have a roto zip. I asked why they didn't just use my roto zip that was in the case by the drywall stack. ROTF! Needless to say they cut a little to much around the cans and I had to use 2 trims per can to make it work.

Roto zip all the way and another tool for the collection! Inlaws now know as well LOL

 

[MrMark]

So how do you manage to nail up the sheet just enough to hold it in place with .5 inch flanges from the cans extending past the joists and then rotozip around the flanges.

It's relatively easy to do with a vertical panel where you put a couple nails in away from the protruding box so that the panel is canted away from the wall slightly until you make the cut out, but on a ceiling I wonder if it is doable?

I imagine you would need a lot of strong and patient help.

 

[mpraddict]

So how do you manage to nail up the sheet just enough to hold it in place with .5 inch flanges from the cans extending past the joists and then rotozip around the flanges.

It's relatively easy to do with a vertical panel where you put a couple nails in away from the protruding box so that the panel is canted away from the wall slightly until you make the cut out, but on a ceiling I wonder if it is doable?

I imagine you would need a lot of strong and patient help.

The adjustable can brackets have enough flex in them to allow the light to push up and allow the gyp. bd to be attached.

 

[MrMark]

thank you.

No worries then. Just screw it up and rotozip around.

 

[Kevin54]

I'm working on finishing a very small attic space. One of the projects on the list before the garage. The walls and ceiling are bare. I want to install 3 recessed lights. I'd like to be able to aim one down and the other 2 towards the wall. My questions is, they sell the new construction ones and the retro. The retro look easier to work with cause I assume they go in after the sheet rock. Which ones would you use? When I go to HD I see the New Contructions base are $8 dollars but the stupid covers are $12.

That's where they nail you is on the covers. Most of the time I see them on sale for $7-$8 but the bezels run $!2 on up.
Also when picking out your lights make sure you gets the ones rated for direct contact with insulation. If not then they have to be boxed around for air space due to heat buildup.