Installing recessed lights in a plaster ceiling in one room

[Anonymous]

How expensive and intensive to do? I would hire an electrician as well as a painter - not a DIY. Just looking for a rough cost estimate for project.

[Anonymous]

Hmmm, no idea. But,trying to cut into a plaster wall or ceiling, and then repairing it after is a big pain. Why not just tear the ceiling down, toss up sheet rock instead? It would be easier for the contractor.

[Anonymous]

WE did this in our living room for about $1000. The electrician did a great job and there was no need for a painter and we certainly didn't need to tear the whole ceiling down.

[Anonymous]

We did this in our living room-- six lights on two switches. We had them put up drywall over the exisitng plaster since the plaster was in bad condition. The drywall needs to be screwed in to the joists. Painting included, we paid about $1300, but hired some friends of a friend, who did the job well, but were a PITA to work with and not terribly professional. The quotes we got from proper contractors were twice the price. I imagine that if you plaster is in good condition it would cost less, as noted by the PP who paid $1000. All the quotes we received were based on the number of lights we wanted and if you want 3,4,5,or 6 inch lights.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for prompt responses! Plaster appears to be in good condition. Ceilings are a good height and would prefer not to sacrifice even an inch of them.

[Anonymous]

Looking to do same.

[Anonymous]

We did this in 2015 using a handyman. For us it was easier than going the electrician route because the handyman could do the job start to finish rather than piecemeal. They patched the extra holes with drywall and then painted the entire ceiling. Unless you look closely you can't see any non-uniformity in my ceiling. However cracks that were there originally have returned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hmmm, no idea. But,trying to cut into a plaster wall or ceiling, and then repairing it after is a big pain. Why not just tear the ceiling down, toss up sheet rock instead? It would be easier for the contractor.

Um, because it is a terrible, dusty mess to tear down a whole plaster ceiling?

[Anonymous]

The price depends quite a bit on the number of fixtures, type of fixtures and whether there is already power easily accessible, from say, an overhead light. Ball park is 1-2k.

The bigger issue is the mess and potential lead paint dust. If the house is old enough to have plaster ceilings, it's almost certain that the electrician will be cutting through layers of lead paint to put the lights in.

[Anonymous]

General rule of thumb for recessed lighting is 100$ a can, and then additional paint/patch fee depending on the number/size of area.