Adding Recessed Lights To My Walk-In Closet (Plus, My Workaround For My Phobia)

Right here’s the one single gentle on the ceiling fan that I’ve been working with till now…

Not solely is the lighting inadequate, but it surely’s additionally a yellow gentle, so it makes the cupboard a wallpaper colours look dingy. I can’t stand yellow lighting for that very motive. I like coloration, and I don’t like my colours to look washed out, so I want white lighting.

My workday began off easily. I had all the holes reduce for the lights by lunchtime.

This was fairly simple to do with this Mikwaukee adjustable gap cutter (affiliate hyperlink). It adjusts to chop holes from 2″ to 7″, and it comes with this plastic defend that catches the mud as you chop.

It positively made the method sooner and simpler, but when I’m being trustworthy, I’d fee it 4 out of 5 stars. Whereas the plastic defend caught about 95% of the mud, it positively didn’t catch all of it.

Additionally, these blades appeared to boring pretty rapidly. I used to be in a position to reduce all the holes I wanted, however after about 4 holes, the cuts appeared to start out getting rougher and rougher with every further gap. And the blades stored coming unfastened, so I’d have to make use of an Allen wrench to tighten the blades after I reduce every gap.

I feel the software might use some enchancment, but it surely did the job. And it did it a lot sooner and simpler than another software or course of I’ve used previously to chop holes for lights.

I ended up slicing holes for 2 lights on all sides by the cupboards, and one gap over every equipment.

I had somebody ask me why I didn’t plan on including three lights to every facet within the cupboard space. The reason being due to this air conditioner vent on the left facet which is true the place I would want to place a light-weight if I had added three to every facet. And I didn’t need to transfer a vent.

However I did add one further gentle centered on the doorway. So the closet cupboard space could have 5 further lights plus the middle chandelier when all is alleged and finished. That shall be loads of gentle.

Issues have been going so easily at this level that I anticipated to interrupt for lunch, after which come again and take about quarter-hour to climb up into the attic and run the wiring from every gap to the following. In concept, this step ought to have been extremely easy. What I hadn’t realized is that all the space from the pink line to the window wall was in that space that juts out from the entrance of the home, and the roof over that space is extremely low.

I had three wires that I wanted so as to add in that part, however as soon as I acquired up into the attic, I noticed that it wasn’t going to be as simple as I believed. In truth, it took me some time to even discover these two holes over the washer and dryer. I couldn’t even see them till I used to be taking a look at that space head on. After which I noticed that with a purpose to get to them, I’d should lie on my abdomen, shimmy into that space below the tremendous low roof about 10 toes, hoping that I might get all the best way to the tip whereas dragging three wires in my hand, after which shimmying again with out with the ability to flip round. And, in fact, I’d should do all of that with out placing a foot or knee by the drywall.

So I ended up reassessing the scenario to determine the best way to get the wires from gap to gap, round and above all the ceiling joists and different framing. I lastly ended up having to chop three further holes that should be patched.

The excellent news is that patching these holes shall be fairly easy as a result of I’ve all of those excellent little circles of drywall that I can use to fill them.

Anyway, these are the lights that I’m going to make use of. They’re not technically recessed lights. They sit flush to the ceiling.

And since they’re just one/2-inch thick, they usually’re LED so that they don’t get scorching, you’ll be able to put them nearly anyplace, even instantly below a ceiling joist.

That is the model I take advantage of. They’ve 5 totally different temperature settings, and I at all times set mine to the 5000K (daylight) setting.

So by the point I acquired all of that finished, I used to be just about worn out each bodily and mentally. You’ll be able to see the holes that must be patched right here.

Additionally, by the point I acquired all of that finished, I nearly talked myself into leaving the middle gentle proper the place it’s. The problem right here is that the wire that comes from the change is simply too brief to maneuver that junction field again six inches.

I attempted to make myself be okay with it, however about an hour later, after my nerves had calmed a bit, I made a decision that I’m simply not okay with it. You’ll be able to see how off-center it’s with the middle sections on the facet partitions.

So I went forward and eliminated the junction field. I believed that may be fairly easy, but it surely was a little bit of a problem getting it off because it had these facet areas that jut out with the nails.

I mangled the drywall a bit getting these out of there.

Thankfully, I’ll have the ability to reduce a six-inch gap after which use one of many circles of drywall that I’ve to patch that space.

So ultimately, I’ll have 4 holes that I have to patched.

However patching 4 holes in drywall is a small value to pay for avoiding getting caught on my stomach in my attic in a full-blown panic because the low roof closes in on me and having to name 911 to rescue me. 😀

It’s not how I had hoped this venture would go, however at the very least the wires are in place. And I ought to have all the lighting put in by the tip of the day. It’ll be good to see what this room appears like with correct lighting.