How to Install Low-Profile LED Lights in Your Kitchen

Transform your kitchen into a place you lot'll love to be with this innovative lighting project.

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Fourth dimension

A half twenty-four hour period

Complexity

Intermediate

Cost

$150 - $400

Introduction

Transform your kitchen into a place you'll love to be with this innovative lighting projection.

Tools Required

I've tackled several kitchen projects over the years, simply I've never made such a major improvement with so little time and money. I spent less than $350 and simply 4 hours brightening our kitchen. My original intent was strictly practical: I merely wanted ameliorate light to brand nutrient prep and cleanup easier. But replacing the single fixture with bright LEDs transformed the room, surprising me and amazing our guests.

Low-PROFILE LEDs MADE IT Piece of cake

Initially, I thought I'd install recessed can lights for a sleek wait and lots of low-cal. So, I ran across these ultra-slim Halo LEDs past Eaton. These LED lights are super bright (900 lumens) and accept such a depression profile (less than 1/two in.) that y'all can even locate them straight under a joist if needed. They're rated for insulation contact and moisture locations, then y'all can apply them in a shower or even outdoors. A switch on the side of the box lets you adjust the colour temperature. They're besides dimmable.

All yous demand is a power supply, a ways to cutting round holes, xiv-2 NM-B cable, bones electrical tools and a drill. The transformer box converts 120V to low voltage, and it's UL-listed as a junction box with room for ability in and ability out. That lets you accept power from the outset box and string together as many lights as you want. Yous might demand to fish wire, but bated from that, installation is easy. Several companies brand a similar production, just this was in stock at the local home centre.

PLANNING THE JOB

If you take an attic above, y'all tin can access the joists from there instead of working from below as I did. That simplifies fishing wires, but you lot'll still take to dig through insulation. Before starting the chore, remove the ceiling fixture and await within the junction box. My box had just one incoming cablevision. If your box contains more than cables, wiring will exist a bit more complicated. Yous may need to install a 2nd junction box considering the box for these LED fixtures tin can business firm only two 14-2 cables. I replaced the existing fixture with an LED like all the others.

If you desire a standard fixture in the eye of your ceiling, yous'll nonetheless have to remove the existing junction box (Photo ii) to access the joists. Then, subsequently installing the new lights, install a remodeling box in the aforementioned hole. I found everything I needed at a home center. Two special tools fabricated the project much easier: an adaptable drywall circle cutter and a 54-in. flexible drill bit.

Projection stride-by-step (12)

Step 1

Lay out the new low-cal locations

Mark

Mark all the joists involved in the installation using strips of record. Then mark the location for each new light with tape. The lights tin can go anywhere, but I kept them close to the joists to go better access for attaching the transformer boxes to the joists.

Pace 2

Remove the former ceiling box

Remove

Shut off ability to the fixture at the breaker panel. Apply a noncontact voltage detector to verify that in that location's no current, and and so pull out the quondam ceiling box. Depending on how the box is attached and what it's fabricated of, this may entail different methods. For instance, you could break a fiberglass box to remove it. Ours was a plastic box, nailed to the joists, then I was able to pry it out.

Pace 3

Cut new holes

holes

Cut all the holes for the new lights. This adjustable drywall circle cutter (in a higher place) slices out perfect holes, saving lots of time. It includes a pan to catch the dust. Only it can't exist used to enlarge the existing hole that held the old box. For that, trace the provided template and cut it out using a manual drywall saw. Now it's time to fish wires.

Step 4

Drill through the starting time joist

Drill

Drill through the joist at least 2 in. from its bottom edge. I drilled a 
1-in.-diameter hole hither to make information technology easier to maneuver the long, flexible bit in the next step. If you're just going through 1 joist, y'all won't need the flexible flake.

Step v

Drill through the adjacent joist

joist

Laissez passer a flexible bit through the hole you simply drilled until information technology hits the adjacent joist. Flex the bit downward to get close to the center of the joist. Unless you have admission from in a higher place, this is guesswork. Drill through the joist, and so loosen the drill'south chuck and fix the drill bated, leaving the bit in the hole.

Footstep 6

Fasten cablevision 
to the drill bit

cable

Run one of the wires from a new cable through the hole in the bit's tip and bend information technology over. Twist the other wires together and wrap everything with electrical tape.

Pace 7

Pull in the new cable

Pull

Pull the scrap back through the hole along with your new cablevision, then unwrap the tape. Each light cutout (except the last i in the chain) requires 2 cables: power in and power out. As you're running wire from hole to hole, go out enough of extra length. It'll exist much easier to make the connections.

Step viii

Connect power to the transformer

Connect

Connect the ability source to the first transformer box. Connect your "downstream" cable to ability the next box in line. These lights are outfitted with push connectors, which are far simpler to utilize than wire nuts and take up less space. Secure the cables using cable clamps in the knockouts or the born cable traps. In this state of affairs, lawmaking doesn't crave the cable to exist secured to the joists.

Step 9

Hang the transformer

Hang

Hold the transformer box confronting the joist and mark the keyholes. Set the box aside and install the two screws. Hang the box, and and so tighten the screws with a screwdriver. Working space is limited, so hang the box direct above the hole.

Footstep 10

Connect 
all the transformers

Connect

Connect power to each box and hang all the transformers. Each box has power in and power out except for the last one.

Stride 11

Connect 
the lights

Plug

Plug the depression-voltage cables from the lights into the cables from each transformer box. Set the desired color temperature using the switch on the side of each transformer box.

Stride 12

Snap in 
the lights

Snap

Printing the retaining springs upwardly and pop each light into place, and and so switch the ability back on at the breaker console. If yous desire to alter the color temperature after the lights are installed, carefully pull down on the light's flange to remove it, keeping your fingers clear of the mousetrap-like 
retaining springs!

Originally Published: February 22, 2022