Recessed Lighting

Your Guide to Recessed Lighting

Recessed lights are essentially made of 2 components which are sold separately : The trim and the housing, show at right.

There are 2 distinct types of housings : New Construction and Remodel housings -

New construction housings are preferred when a new ceiling has not yet been installed or when access to the current ceiling is available through an attic space. These housings are supported by being nailed into the framing of the ceiling.

Remodel housings are used when there is already an existing ceiling in place. A hole is cut and the unit is simply slid through, sitting on the drywall or plaster of the ceiling as support using metal clips.

There are 2 standard size housings/trim sizes available. These are 6” and 4” wide housings/trims. (There are other manufacturers which use 5” and 3” housings, but we will not discuss them as they are not readily used)

So when do we use 6" versus 4" recessed lights?

TTo help you decide, consider how far the ceiling is from where you want the light, and how big an area you want to light.

• In an 8' ceiling, a 4" light makes a nice kitchen counter work light. A 6" downlight at that height will illuminate a breakfast table nicely.

• In a 10' ceiling, you might want 4" fixtures for area lighting, since the light will spread out more (less beam projection means a more concentrated light hitting the ground from a taller ceiling)

Next : Sloped and Insulated Housings Explained