I'll be installing 4 recessed lights into a room that has a finished popcorn-style ceiling. Cutting holes and pulling wire thru parallel joists should be fine. However, in order to daisy chain them to an existing set of lights (same wall dimmer switch), I'll need to run wires perpendicular to the joists.

Is my only option would be to cut holes at every joist in order to thread the wire from section to section?

Also, the current setup runs off of 2 3-way switches (one of them being a dimmer). The new set-up would be to disconnect one of the 3-ways (from the cans) and install 2 sconce lights to the other 3-way.

One other concern is how to pull wire from the ceiling down thru the wall for the sconces.

Any thoughts?

 

Yeah, pretty much. I find cutting a channel about 4-6" wide as long as you need to go works pretty well. Snap some chalk lines (blue chalk only!) to keep it straight so it will be fairly easy to repair. Sadly you will have to scrape the ceiling and respray to get it to look good again.
Please realize while you will be able to leave the switch boxes you will most likely have to pull another switch leg and rewire the current set up.
You are going to have to open the wall and drill through the top plate in order to get the wire down in the wall.

 

Examine the wiring at the switches before you even start this project. You probably won't have a power source at one of the switches to power the new sconces. You may need to run wiring to bring power over also along with the wiring to the fixtures.

 

Thank you to both replies....great ideas. I totally agreed about the cutting too. And I am also in agreement about inspecting both switches prior to beginning any work. I'll need to determine which switch has the power.

I'm also going to determine that installing more lights won't exceed the amperage capacity (80% of 15A).

As a side note, the room with the majority of the work has paneled walls. Worst case, I could always pull the paneling and drop the wire for the sconces and not worry about any (more) drilling. The room also has crown molding, which I could also pull, drill a couple holes and replace the crown...and hiding any drilling work.

I've tried to patch popcorn ceiling in the past with some of that spray that is found at Home Depot/Lowes, but it's never matched quite right. That'll be my biggest challenge.

I also have a call into the homeowner to see if there's an unfinished basement...I could always go down instead of up.


Thanks!

 

It's possible that neither one does. There are eight different ways to wire 3-way switches. Don't start until you are 100% sure exactly which way yours are wired.

Sometimes project such as this are the motivation to scrape it all off. Popcorn ceilings are no longer in vogue. Be careful--the popcorn may contain asbestos.

This comment raises a few red flags. Make sure you are allowed by the state to do this work.

 

That will raise red flag here pretty fast if you are not qualifed to work on someone else home and this is pretty serious matter here.

Merci,Marc