Recessed lighting hanger bars

[Andrew]

I'm installing recessed lighting fixtures in the ceiling of my second floor (below the third floor--hence no insulation) in an old Philadelphia house. The problem I've run into is that the hanger bars for the fixtures collapse to 14 inches, but the beams are only 12 inches apart. This is essentially "new construction" because I've removed all of the old plaster ceiling and will be replacing it with sheet rock. I can see a few possible solutions. One is that I create new beams by installing 2x4s between the beams at 14-16 inches apart and then hanging the fixtures as I would if I were working with modern beams on 16 inch centers. Another option would be to modify the hanger bars with a hacksaw to make them collapse to 12 inches. Or, I could look out for some specialty fixtures that would fit. Finally, I could take the Home Depot attendant's advice and "just let 'em sit on top of the sheetrock" (which I'm extremely disinclined to do for a number of reasons). I would appreciate any guidance. Thanks,

Andrew

[Michael Daly]

Easy and not expensive. Provides overkill bracing for the joists too. :-)

If the bars are like the ones I've used, this is even easier and cheaper.

And look and look... I never find these sorts of things until after I've tried something else.

Noooo! Never do the cheap and dirty solution. I wouldn't be surprised if there's a code violation here.

If the bars are the relatively beefy, telescoping type, I'd do the hacksaw thing. Otherwise, 2x4s.

Mike

[HA HA Budys Here]

Usually those telescoping bars have notches to snap them off shorter. Look at them closely.

[PAUL100]

Another solution that would make cutting the drywall opening easier is to just run the wires to the locations you want the lights. Then hang the sheetrock. Then cut the opening for the lights and use the recessed lights that are for old work.

[AJScott]

Mine do. But if they don't, a hacksaw isn't even necessary. Those bars are so thin and bendy that a decent pair of tin snips will do.

AJS

[Daniel L. Belton]

The best option would be to place the 2x4's between the joists and mount the fixtures to them. I wouldn't let the fixtures just sit on top of the sheetrock like the HD guy said...

[AJScott]

Unless maybe you're talking about screwing 2x4s along the length of the joists and attaching the hangars length-wise. But that would be kinda silly, seeing as how the cans fit pretty nicely that way without 2x4s. But if someone was intent on hanging something inside those joists and mounting the cans sideways, you'd get by far less expensively by hanging

1-bys -- but then, the cans wouldn't fit.

AJS