Replacing a bunch of pot lights in ceiling?

[paredown]

Doing some energy testing and sealing in our '60s modern, and decided that the can lights have to go. They are leaking air, and have no insulation around or above them.

These are the old cans very tall for the long neck bulbs, and with gyroscopic adjustments inside the cans to set the light angle, so they are pretty huge, with oversize 'flying saucer' trims.

They are set into a ceiling that is old style drywall planks covered with a skin coat of hard plaster, so cutting and patching is a bit of a *****.

I wondered if anyone has done what I'm thinking of doing--cut out a square piece around each light, remove the cans, nail in place new IC airtight cans, insulate around and above each can, then patch each square with 5/8" Type X. cut back an edge on the plaster, tape the seam and trowel coat the squares to (sort of) match the rough texture and paint.

I count 21 lights in the main 'great room' (kitchen, LR, DR) plus a few extras in the hall leading into the room and a couple more in a small vestibule off the kitchen.

All efficient alternatives considered.

For starters though let me say I'm not that keen on remodel cans because the existing cut outs are too large, and the edges of the plaster coat/base board is too thick for the remodel can clips...

 

[Bert_]

Attic access?

I would go to great lengths to seal the existing before I cut them all out.

 

[paredown]

Attic access?

I would go to great lengths to seal the existing before I cut them all out.

Sorry--forgot that detail--post and beam with vaulted ceiling, so no attic or access from the top. The energy company will be sealing everything else, all seams etc, and the gable windows and such.

 

[The Cobbler]

....cut out a square piece around each light, remove the cans, nail in place new IC airtight cans, insulate around and above each can, then patch each square with 5/8" Type X. cut back an edge on the plaster, tape the seam and trowel coat the squares to (sort of) match the rough texture and paint.

...

shoot some pics.
it seems plausible solution, depending on how good you are with mud & tape etc. it's very likely going to show different.
can you gut the old fixture and rig up some sort of trim ring to cover the larger original opening and set your new fixtures inside ? even if you make some sort of a ring with quicksep or something

 

[BPJOOP93]

If I’m hearing this right why not just patch the holes figure where you need new lights Ron LED flat style lights? That’s what I have in my house and they’re awesome

 

[Bert_]

If I’m hearing this right why not just patch the holes figure where you need new lights Ron LED flat style lights? That’s what I have in my house and they’re awesome

Hard to say without seeing the original cans but most of those flat wafer lights are a huge downgrade from an actual recessed can. How can the light be recessed if it's completely flat?.

This is coming from a guy who does not like cans. When I redid ceilings in my house I removed the ones that were there in favor of a center light.

 

[Milton Shaw]

Check Halo style LED conversion units and see if you can get something that will work. Stuff the old cans with insulation. The Halo conversion units are about $25 and use about 9 watts. Those Halo units do a good job of sealing the air leaks so this should be about the easiest thing to do if they can be made to fit.

 

[klassenl]

What not turn the "patch" into a feature. Cut a piece of MDF to cover the hole and paint it a color, or something like that.

 

[paredown]

Attic access?

I would go to great lengths to seal the existing before I cut them all out.

Check Halo style LED conversion units and see if you can get something that will work. Stuff the old cans with insulation. The Halo conversion units are about $25 and use about 9 watts. Those Halo units do a good job of sealing the air leaks so this should be about the easiest thing to do if they can be made to fit.

Interesting--although it might be a bit of a bear to get anything around the outside of the can. I'll get on a ladder and see if I can see any way to do that.

The other thing about the project--these cans must be made out of 16ga galvanized at least--not like the light metal of current cans--so trying to modify them in place would be pretty difficult!

I had already swapped the bulbs with LED replacement trims, and laid them inside the original trims, but they still don't seal very well.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[metschers]

Google LED “wafer” style lights. I’ve been using them all throughout my home renovation projects. They’re super easy to install. I’ve been buying ten packs from Amazon.

 

[metschers]

I installed these with out having attic access. They’re available in multiple lumens, round or spare, and dimmable or non-dimmable.

 

[nadogail]

The cans in my home were converted to LED'S by a specialty contractor out of Orange County, CA. He used LED fixtures from HD, they are about an inch thick and fit into the old holes in the ceilings.

The specialty contractor did everything but paint.

 

[strutaeng]

Yeah, I thought that with LED being so low-profile and compact nowadays, recessed "can" lights are basically obsolete. I've personally never been a fan of them, they were just a mess with the whole IC/non-IC rating, messing with the trims, getting really hot and they just plain **** as getting them air-tight/energy efficient.

I mean, they well cool when architects started using them back in the 60s or 70s but that's when all we had was incandescent and halogen; but lighting technology has come a long ways since then.

I've talked to some homeowners that want to put them in their house, thinking they are the best thing since sliced bread, LOL. You know, like the folks doing popcorn ceilings to their houses in the late 90s/early '00s?

 

[walta]

From an energy point of view with a vaulted ceiling you have very little room for insulation it would be worth the effort to get all that steel out and as much insulation as possible in.


Generally I do not like spray foam insulation but a vaulted ceiling is one of the few places it is worth the risk and cost. Consider pulling the ceiling and cans rewire with standard boxes and filling the bays with foam with surface mount led like this that fit in a standard box.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Project-So...y-LED-Flush-Mount-Light-ENERGY-STAR/999918952


Walta

 

[Backroad Joe]

Oh, when I read the thread title I was thinking this was about something else.

 

[Git]

I posted this in another thread - Home Depot has these 8" LED wafer lights currently on sale at a great price. They seal really well to the drywall and are very easy to install. Some people don't like the look of these types of lights, but I don't have a problem with them. These type of lights are only about 5/8" thick and can be literally installed directly under a floor joist, attic truss, etc - as long as you have enough room to shove the metal box up in there