Although it is possible to paint the ceiling following the installation of recessed lighting fixtures is finished, the painting will move faster and easily if it is done prior to the installation of their fittings. The paint job will also be neater and much more professional-looking if it is done ahead. Some work needs to be performed before painting, however, to avoid sullying a brand new paint job.
Make the Cutouts from the Ceiling
Turn off the breaker to the lighting circuit you’ll be joining the new lights to, and check with a noncontact voltage tester to be sure you switched off the right rims. Painting the ceiling prior to installing recessed lighting fittings is the preferred plan because you would need to remove the fittings complete trim to paint right up to the ceiling opening. Preparing the ceiling for painting begins with locating where the lights are to be set up and cutting the gaps in the ceiling’s finish. The recessed lighting kits that you buy will include a template that makes outlining the area to be cutout a snap. Running cable through a ceiling may also be dirty work, so run the new cable between lighting locations and in the lighting places to the switch before painting to keep from getting fingerprints in your freshly painted ceiling.
Paint the Ceiling
Apply two coats of latex paint on the ground. Latex paint dries in four hours, which means you need to be able to cut the holes, then run the cable and implement the two coats of paint to the initial day of the two-day project. Of course, the period you may need depends on your expertise, the size of this room as well as the amount of lights you are installing.
Installing the Lights
Combine all the lighting fixtures in parallel by attaching all the black and white fixture wires to the black and white wires in the newly installed cables using plastic wire nuts. Use a cable ripper or utility knife to remove the cables’ outer coats and subsequently strip 3/4 inch of insulation in the sealed wires. After you have put the covers to the lighting fixtures’ junction boxes, then you are ready to put in them in the ceiling gaps. The method of securing them in the ceiling will be contingent on the fittings you buy, but generally they will snap into position.
Finishing Touches
Next, set up the lighting fixture’s trim and bulbs and flip the electricity on. The method used to secure the trim to the recessed fixture will vary slightly from one style of fixture to another, but this normally involves spring clips of some sort. Fortunately, all these lighting kits have detailed instructions about how to install them.