It all starts in my Garage

Where can you find 3 recessed halogen lights for under $20?  Ikea of course.  These little lights (they are about 3″ across) come 3 to a pack and require a bit more assembly work than the usual Ikea project.

But I’ve put a lot of Ikea stuff together – bookcases, TV consoles, Dining room tables, and even beds, and bathroom vanities.  So I consider myself an advanced Ikea user.

This is part one of the project.  I wanted to get it done in one day, but because people kept calling me, I had to split the project into two days.  So, this is also going to be a 2-part blog entry.  The first part (the one you are reading right now), will be more about the carpentry – locating the lights, cutting the holes in the ceiling, and installing the fixtures.  Part 2 – will be about doing the electrical wiring, connecting the switch, and insulating the attic after the lights are installed.

Now for the disclaimer.  I’m not a carpenter, or an electrician.  Do not consider these instructions as the way to do this job.  This is a personal project in my own house, and not a guide on how to install Blixt recessed lights.  If you are installing recessed lights, please consult a licensed electrician with any questions.  Working with electricity is DANGEROUS, and all safety precautions and local building codes need to be followed.  You have been warned.

Now that I’ve successfully scared you, it’s time to get to business.  If your garage is like mine, its’ pretty dark.  And if you have done any research, you know how hard it is to find modern lighting designs for a garage.  It seems like everybody just throws up some 4-foot fluorescent fixtures, and moves on  to the next job.  But I HATE fluorescent lights.  Especially in the garage.  When it’s cold outside the lights flicker, and I get these weird headaches from the cool color temperature.  So I had to find an alternative.  And it had to be modern.

What’s more modern than recessed lights?  Ikea recessed lights?  Ok, so not everybody puts them in a garage, but as you know my garage is my testing ground for all my home projects.  The area above my workbench is a dark.  There are no windows or natural light near it, so I needed to do something to brighten the area.  First I put a coat of paint against the wall, and while that helped, it wasn’t enough.

My workbench area is dark. I don't have an windows or natural light near it.

So I turned to the Internet (just like you) to get inspiration, and find some resources. I began to look for modern light fixtures, and found tons of very very cool stuff. Stainless steel lights, halogen lights, and unique designs. But there was one problem. They all were expensive. Crazy expensive. Ferrari expensive. I don’t understand why everyone bumps up the price 200% more when the words modern design is used. This is the 21st century – modern should be affordable.

That’s when I learned about the Ikea recessed lights. They are called Blixt, and as soon as I did, I jumped in my car and headed to my local Ikea to bet some.  At only $19.95 for 3 they are a great deal, but as usual, a LOT of assembly is required.  I consider myself a good DIYer, so I was up for the challenge.  This project by far has been the most involved, and used the most tools.  But I did it in a weekend.  It wasn’t too hard.

The Ikea Blixt lights look a bit different in real life than they do on the Ikea website

This is what the actual Blixt light looks like, and the box that it comes in.  They are a little different than the picture on the Ikea website – I’m guessing because the Ikea photos are of the European models, and in America, there are different Electrical codes. The ones I bought have the UL certification sticker, so I’m pretty sure they are safe to use in America. But they also need to be hard wired, and while this is a bit scary to do, I’ve installed lights before and am familiar with my local codes and safe work practices.

I wanted lights to be centered on the workbench, so I measured the center, and 1/4 and 3/4 areas, and marked them with blue painter's tape

Using a nail to mark the ceiling above the workbench. Click the photo to make bigger.

Once I had the lights, I wanted to make sure they shone on the center of the workbench. I brought out my trusty measuring kit, and found the 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 areas on my workbench. I then used some blue painter’s tape to X marks the spot on the bench. Blue tape is easily removable, that’s why I used it. Now I had to transfer the marks on the bench to the ceiling. This was done with a plumb-bob. No, that’s not my tall friend Robert. A plumb bob is just a weight on a string. Climbing up on my ladder, I held the string against the ceiling and let the weighted end hang down over the workbench. (It was impossible to take a picture of this process by myself.) I moved the string against the ceiling until it stopped swinging and was centered directly over the x-marks the spot. Then I hammered a nail into the ceiling right above the mark. This was the center. Now I had to check the attic to make sure there was a clear spot for the fixture.

Up in the attic I find the nail poking through (hard to see in this photo)

Now I had to climb into the attic. If you think my garage is dark, it’s even darker up there. I carefully crawled around until I was in the general area above my workbench. I didn’t want to step through the ceiling, or fall. Once I was in the right spot, I used my flashlight to search for the tiny nail poking through the ceiling. I had to push away the blown paper insulation, but was eventually able to find the tiny spike. Amazingly it was almost perfectly centered between the studs in the ceiling. There are several warnings on-line, as well as on the packaging about safe distances for the ikea fixture. I didn’t want any fire hazard, so I measured twice, and made sure that I was clear on all sides.

I needed to drill a 72 mm hole for the lights - that's 2.83 inches for you nerds. But Home depot doesn't sell a 72mm bit. I used a 3 inch hole saw instead.

After checking all three nails for clearance, I climbed down from the attic and up on my ladder to cut the holes. According to the packaging, I needed to drill a 72mm hole. Too small, and the electrical box wouldn’t slide up into the ceiling. Too big, and the hole would be bigger than the flange on the recessed lights, and they wouldn’t sit right. But I’m in America, and it’s not easy to find metric hole saws. 72mm is equal to 2.83 inches. And Home Depot only sells 2 3/4″ and 3″ drill bits. I decided that 3″ wasn’t too big, and would work. And it did.

If you have never cut through a ceiling, it is a messy job. Gypsum board, spray on popcorn, and insulation fly everywhere. Thankfully I was in the garage, so the mess was easy to clean up. But if I install these in the living room or kitchen, I’ll put down plastic drop cloths everywhere to collect all the dust.

Once the holes were cut, I simply inserted the recessed lighting fixtures into the ceiling

I decided to do most of the work from the garage, instead of in dark attic.

Before inserting the lights into the ceiling, I decided to pull the wire through the holes. You have two choices when wiring the lights. You can choose to work in the attic, or you can stand on a ladder and work in the room. Since my attic is so dark, and cramped, I opted to stand on a ladder, and do the wiring from inside the garage. I grabbed a roll of ROMEX 14 gauge 2x lighting wire and pulled the cable through each cut out carefully. I didn’t want to tear the drywall. And I was sure to pull enough wire through for some extra, too. I hate having to work with short wires. Up until now, I didn’t have to turn off the power. The only time I did was when I was making the final connections to the new light-switch Stay tuned! I’ll talk about that in Part 2.

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