When finishing a basement, should you install your recessed lights/speakers first or the ceiling?
Our basement is not currently finished and we are currently looking into finishing it. Should we put recessed lights in before or after we put up a dry wall ceiling?
Filed under: ceiling lights
Rough it in before the ceiling goes up. Make sure you have everything you want in place before slapping the sheetrock up!
they have to go in b 4 you dry wall !!! I finished my basement
year’s ago, you might want to install a exhaust fan also, i wish i would have
When you do your electrical that is when you put the lights and speakers in. Your speakers come with the outer screen and the lights come with the outer componets that all go on after your sheetrocked is all finished. Your speakers and light come with cans that get attached to the joists in the ceiling. When you put the sheetrock up you just cut the holes out where the cans are. Good Luck.
Give the ten to Steve. Hopefully you realize the roughing in is the most logical, intial step; ESPECIALLY since you state Drywall, and not Drp Ceiling.
Certainly some of the effort might depend on the TYPE of hardware you intend; which we can’t know. The fact that you may have to "Anchor" the specific hardware to the rafters, and measure and CUT holes; etc. in the drywall before install; is an inevitability.
Steven Wolf
before and cut the drywall, but a drop ceiling is better to use in a basement.
Install lights and speakers before finishing–it will save time and besides you will be able to see what you’re doing and listen to music why you work! But for heavens sake, use screws to install these and extra wire so you can move them a little bit in case one is too low or too high or whatever. Suspended ceilings (steel framework and plaster-looking tiles) is what I would use in a basement. Drywall might look better, but if there is ever a leak you will have to replace a big mess. Tiles can be easily removed and replaced for unexpected things like new speakers, new lights, leaks from plumbing, and perhaps most importantly, creaking floors overhead. Tiles look nice–put each speaker in the middle along with the lights and it will look nice–that is why it is necessary to install with screws right now and leave a few extra feet of wire to allow for positioning–always looks bad to see things that look unplanned. Oh!–tiles also mean no drywall dust to get everywhere and into your electronics! Have fun!
After the framing. Before the drywall.