Installing a Recessed Compact Fluorescent Fixture

A recessed fluorescent fixture is a modern way to provide subtle and room-enhancing lighting. You can choose from many types of recessed fluorescent lights and trim, but they are all easy to install into a drywall ceiling with only a few common tools.

Fluorescent lighting is a cheaper option than incandescent bulbs, as far as the amount of energy they consume. Try to get a fluorescent fixture that is rated IC so you don't lose any heat through the fixture.

Step 1 – Decide Where the Light Will Go

Cut the power to the house. Decide the area where the light will go and, with the stud finder, find the nearest studs. You should install your fluorescent fixture between the studs. Mark the spot with your pencil. 

Step 2 – Cut the Hole

Using the fluorescent fixture as a template, draw around it with the pencil; then cut out the hole with the saw. Wear the goggles because cutting drywall causes lots of fine dust. Take care to avoid wires behind where you are cutting. If the fluorescent fixture is too awkward to hold up while you draw around it, use a piece of paper as the template. 

Step 3 – Run a Wire to the Fluorescent Fixture

Get into the ceiling and drill a hole through the nearest joist to the hole. You will be drawing the wire through this drilled hole. You can complete this step before you cut the power, but in that case, turn off the power again before you start working with the wiring.

Find a lighting wire to tap into and, making sure again that the power is off, run your new wire off it to the hole you have cut. Make sure you are using the correct wiring according to your building codes. Poke the wire through the joist hole and about 16 inches down the hole in the ceiling. If you are in any way unsure about running a wire from a suitable existing light, get a registered electrician to do this step.

Step 4 – Connect the Wires

Take off the cover of the junction box of the fixture and clamp the cable inside. Strip the wire ends and connect the wires color to color. Use wire nuts to connect them. 

Step 5 – Install the Fluorescent Fixture

Push the mounting clips of the fixture inside the can until it is flush with the ceiling. Push the mounting clips with the screwdriver clamping the can to the ceiling. Some lights have spring clips to secure them.

Install the trim and then the bulb. 

Step 6 – Turn the Power On

Turn on the power and check that the light is working.