Kitchen spotlights are installed inside the ceiling.
Recessed spotlights in kitchens and other areas update the look of a home, creating aesthetic appeal through the vertical downward direction of the light source. With the fixtures themselves in the ceiling, nothing is hung from the ceiling that might create a cluttered feel. Choosing the position of a spotlight is important, and depends on the area of the kitchen that will be illuminated. Spotlight kits are readily available from most DIY or electrical stores.
Instructions
1. Mark the area on the kitchen ceiling where the spotlight will be installed, using a pencil. Run a stud finder across the ceiling's surface to ensure that no joists run above the marking. Position the spotlight kit's template on the ceiling at the mark, and run a pencil around the template to create a circle on the ceiling. Cut around the pencilled circle with a drywall saw or utility knife. Remove the circular section of ceiling drywall.
2. Run 14/2 electrical cable from a power source-usually an existing light switch unless you are installing a dedicated switch for the spotlight-through the ceiling to the location of the hole, pulling 16 inches of cable through the hole. Do not connect the wire to the power source. This process can be done with a fish wire, or directly if the attic lies above the kitchen. Strip off 8 inches of outer sheathing from the 14/2 cable using a utility knife. Cut off the loose sheathing with the knife. Strip off 3/8 inch of plastic coating from the ends of both the black and white wires, using wire strippers.
3. Unscrew and remove the cover on the spotlight's junction box, using a screwdriver. Insert the 8 inches of wire from the end of the into the access hole in the side of the junction box. Tighten the clamp surrounding the access hole with the screwdriver to keep the wires in place. Hold the end of the spotlight's black wire to the incoming black wire, and screw on a wire nut. Do the same with the spotlight's white and ground wires, attaching them to the corresponding incoming white and ground wires. Replace the cover on the junction box.
4. Push the spotlight body up unto the ceiling hole so it is flush with the ceiling. Push out the four clips on the inside of the spotlight to secure the spotlight in place to the inside of the drywall.
5. Position the circular trim to the bottom of the spotlight so it rests against the ceiling. Pull each of the circular trim's coiled springs and attach them to the corresponding hooks on the inside of the spotlight. Screw a light bulb into the spotlight.
6. Call an electrician to hook up the end of the 14/2 cable to the existing power source, or to install and connect a dedicated switch for the spotlight.
Tags: access hole, , black wire, circular trim, dedicated switch, electrical cable, ground wires