recess lights install pain-how about a new (old) design

[GerryB]

So I am sure some of you have had this problem with new work recess cans. I think I've used most brands and they are all the same. I'm talking about the expandable hangers. It never fails there is a spot to narrow for the minimum length. Some are designed to cut, I've bent them sometimes, but this job the other day killed me. A large dining/living room where they took down the plaster ceiling because of a water leak and decided to do new lighting. The contractor left the slats up and made square hole where the lights are supposed to go. For whatever reason the stems were all to long and one side on some would fall under a joist so cutting it didn't help on that side. I told the contractor I might want to cut the last 10 in old work. But seems to me a good solution would be a design with just a flat expandable bar with holes in that you could screw under the joists instead of inside the joists. Then wherever the housing would fit you could easily mount it. Didn't they used to make them that way? I know I have seen those heavy metal bar boxes under the plaster and I thought I have seen old recess lights like that also.

 

[PetrosA]

I think it was Lightolier that made that design. It might be easy to put up, but when you go back to move lights after the drywall is up, they are a nightmare. You can't remove the metal without taking drywall down and doing major patching.

 

[Luketrician]

have you seen the 6" LED recessed lighting?

They install using old work round/octagon boxes.

Just leave your switch leg drops in the area where the holes need to be and let em hang the sheet rock.

Then just go back and cut out holes where you left the switch leg drops, install the old work octagon boxes and install light.


I was suprised at how much light they put out.