Recessed lighitng remodel

Hey gang,

I am looking for insights, experience, and/or advice on installing recessed lighting in my kitchen. I understand that anything you offer is not to be taken as professional or "legal" advice - and other disclaimers.

I removed the soffits and have to drywall the ceiling sections uncovered by the soffit removal. There is standard (for 1992 construction) paper-backed insulation in between the rafters. I am planning on installing IC-rated (insulation contact)LED fixtures. The question is this: Do I remove the staples and push the insulation up and restaple so that the fixtures do not tear the backing? Or do I have to do some other "reconfiguring"?

Thanks for any and all insights, comments, and advice.

MoBOB

I've put a couple different ones in and it depends in the make/model of the light, they will list on the instructions if they can touch the insulation or if they need a gap around them.

Personally, I would be inclined to move it if possible. I have seen brown paper backing that's bonded to fiberglass insulation. It's pretty hard to remove or cut the paper without thinning the actual insulation layer. If it's an internal insulation layer, that may not matter much. If it's part of the outer building envelope, that's more of a problem. Also, the paper may be acting as a vapor barrier of sorts. Does the paper seem dense, plasticized, or chemically coated?

[Note: free advice from the Internet is often worth considerably less than what you paid for it. ]

The paper has the color of paper grocery bags. But, it seems more easily penetrated. It tore very easily with incidental contact when I was removing the soffits. It looks like it is "waxed". As a side note, it is a poor vapor barrier. It is not a very good job of it being installed - gaps, seams not taped, or in the case of above the sink window - just the pink stuff - no paper backing at all. Real amateur, cheap job.

I thought the idea was to cut a light fixure sized hole in the insulation - not to crush the insulation.

-john

It has been a while since I posted to this. Here is an update. First, thank you to all for your comments. They are greatly appreciated. Second, the insulation is supposed to be creating the vapor barrier (external envelope) of the house since it is in the attic/crawlspace between the kitchen and the roof. Last, I am going ahead with the install by cutting the paper. Since the house is not at all sealed or efficient due to the amateurish job of insulation, I figure what's a few more dollars in energy costs. The difference is between sucks bad or really sucks.

Now, I have a question regarding tiling the backsplash and installing a range hood. I am using some spendy ($20 sq. ft.; the most extravagant thing in the renovation) metal tile from the Blue Store as my backsplash. Would I tile first and then mount the range hood? That would necessitate drilling holes in the tile and covering up a few square feet of it in the process. Or do I make a template of the range hood, mount the range hood and then tile using the template for a cutting guide?

Thanks for the help.

I've seen it done both ways; in most circumstances I would choose to put up the range hood and then tile.

Thanks JohnN. I never thought about it that way. As I have never done this before, it didn't even dawn on me. I will store the information away. Again, thanks for the help.

See for example the ceiling question:
http://www.handymanusa.com/articles/moisture.html

Anything you install should be on the warm side which means you should life the insulation up over your fixture rather then cut a hole in the face (vapor barrier) of the insulation.
However you need to check the lighting instructions, some may get too warm to directly touch the insulation or the face of the insulation so you will need to frame around it by however much space they require. So if the light required 4" you would build a frame 4" around and 4" above then cover with plywood or chipboard and then the insulation over that.

Eugene, thank you for the suggestion/info. I haven't been on here in a while. I have been getting worn out (mostly mentally) from doing the renovation. It is a one-man show and it takes its toll. I had a revelation. I figured out that I spent way too much time on worrying about the lighting. The lighting will be the last thing I do since I adequate lighting. I did run all the wires (labeled, of course) to prepare for the lighting. It is all about the drywall, painting, flooring, and cabinetry now. Thanks to all.