Getting the correct lighting in the kitchen is very important so that you can see well enough to prepare food safely, especially when working with knives and other dangerous implements.
Quite often, when working in a kitchen you will have your body positioned between the light and where you’re working and this blocks it. This issue is made even worse when there are wall units also creating shadows and shade.
To this end we have designed a light box that can be fixed to your kitchen ceiling that produces enough light to fill your kitchen completely and also looks the part to.
What to Think About for Kitchen Lighting
Before building your own kitchen light box there are a few things to think about.
As we have stated, when fitting new lights in the kitchen or looking in to generally improving your kitchen lighting its important to think about the shadows they will cast over the cooking and preparation areas.
Cooking under a shadow is not ideal as this can be dangerous, so it is important that you have good visibility and are able to spot these potential dangers which is why most kitchens are lit by fluorescent tube lights as they do not direct a beam in any one place and due to this they provide a good overall even lighting level.
Fluorescent tube lights are a little restrictive from a design point of view, so a more modern alternative is to use spot lights as these can be positioned in order to provide light in any shaded areas.
Another consideration is where the power is going to come from. The most straight forward thing to do is to place any new lighting or your light box over where any lighting was situated so you can use the existing power and switch.
Options for Kitchen Lighting
There are quite a few different types of kitchen lighting available today but on the whole they generally fall into one of the 3 following categories:
- Fluorescent tube
- Down lighters
- Spot lights – either single or on a bar
As said, despite the fact that fluorescent tubes do provide a good spread of light around most kitchens, they are fairly dated and the traditional tubes aren’t very efficient. Fortunately this is resolved today by swapping the old fluorescent tube for a newer LED tube. These both provide good lighting levels and are cheap to run. See more in our LED lighting project here.
Down lighters are in most cases the modern replacement for tube fluorescent lights and, as long as enough are used so that there are no dark, shaded areas, they provide a great solution for kitchens and also many other rooms. Although many are fixed and just project light downwards, some are adjustable so you angle and direct light.
Spot lights, like down lights are another fantastic option for kitchen lighting. Like the down light they can be used individually or 3 or more can feature on a bar, where each can be adjusted to direct light where required.
When fitting any of these from scratch, in most situations at least some of the ceiling or floor will have to be removed or lifted to access existing power supplies, fit switches, run cables etc., but, as we suggest, by simply replacing an existing kitchen light with your light of choice, you won’t have to worry about any of that.
A Note About Electrical Regulations
When dealing with any form of electrics, it is essential that you know exactly what you are doing, to ensure that any work is carried out to the required level and that it’s down safely without any chance of injury.
For this reason, any work carried out in the home must be done by a professional Part P registered electrician. If it isn’t you could be breaking the law and your home insurance may not be valid.
Despite this, there are however a few jobs that can be done on a DIY basis and one of those is replacing an existing light fitting with a new one.
So, for example, if you wanted to replace an old strip light with a new modern spot light bar, you can do this, but if any of the work involves altering, adding, modifying existing wiring, this can only be done by a Part P electrician.
As the light box we constructed below involved new wiring, all the electrical work was carried out by a professional electrician, but in order to save a little time and money, we ran the new wires around our light box and left him to add the lights and connect it up when the time was right.
Warning: To complete electrical works you must comply with Electrical Regulations – Click here for more information.
How to Build a Kitchen Light Box
We have come up with a kitchen light box which adds a feature to your ceiling and provides diffused light which will not cast shadows and does not involve the removal of flooring or ceiling sections.
We are deliberately not mentioning the bulbs, wattage, voltage or wiring in this project simply because every room is different, your lighting needs will be different and wiring in the kitchen, as mentioned above, crosses over the Part P regulations more often than not. We suggest very strongly that you design and build your box and let a qualified electrician handle the electrical side.
If you would like to construct your own kitchen light box, work through the steps below:
Step 1 – Clear Area
Before working on or around any electric, the very first job is to isolate the circuit you’re working on or near by turning off the MCB in the consumer unit or pulling out the fuse.
Once the circuit is isolated, the next job then is to remove the old light fitting. Simply remove the cover of the ceiling rose to expose the fixings or unscrew the screws holding the unit in place. Keep hold of it so it doesn’t drop.
Finally, loosen the terminal screws holding the live, neutral and any earth’s in place and remove and then remove the old light fixture.
Step 2 – Mark Out Your Frame
The next job is to mark out the dimensions of your light box on the ceiling in the exact spot and position you want it to be. In most cases it will be either square or rectangular, but you can opt for a different shape if you wish. Just remember that it will need to be plaster boarded and this can be tricky with awkward shapes.
As we were working in a rectangular kitchen, 4m x 3m, we kept things simple and stuck with this shape for our light box. We measured in from the perimeter of the room 1m all round and marked the ceiling with a rectangle 2m x 1m wide in the centre. The light itself travels outward so 1m away from the wall is plenty to get a well lit ceiling and plenty of light in the room.
Due to the fact that we have not specified what bulbs, wattage or individual products you should use in order to complete this project this will leave you free of any design restrictions and enable you fully explore your own creativity in respect to the types, designs and styles you should be using.
If you need any advice on this then your electrician will be able to assist you in exactly what type of lights and how many will provide all the light you need.
Step 3 – Building Your Frame and Fix in Place
Once marked out the next job is to get on with construction. To build our box, we used 2 x 2 inch sawn timber.
Using 2 x 2 inch timbers to make up the frame is preferable to using 4 inch timbers even though the frame then has to be built in two "layers". Using the smaller section allows easier access for the electrician and also allows air to move freely around the electrical components stopping them from overheating.
To start with, 3 timbers were cut to length and then screwed up to eth ceiling a log the existing ceiling joists. Before fixing we made sure they were all even at the ends and also square.
Timbers were then cut to length to fit across each end at 90° to the joists.
A second identical frame was then constructed and screwed up to the first to create a frame 4 inches or 100mm deep.
The bottom frame timbers should be fixed at centres no wider than 500mm and the top timbers are fixed at 400mm centres.
![Kitchen Lighting Box Frame fixed to kitchen ceiling](https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_images/kitchenlights/frame2.jpg)
Kitchen Lighting Box Frame fixed to kitchen ceiling
Step 4 – Run any Cables
As commented, to save a little time and money on the electrician, we then ran any new cables that needed installing from the source of what will be our power supply out to any locations where lights will be located.
A 4 inch loop was created where each light was going to be placed so that it could be pulled through the hole and then left ready for the electrician.
Step 5 – Cut Plasterboard to Shape
The next job then was to clad the frame with plasterboard and cover over all the gaps.
Cut plasterboard to the required sizes and fix to the timber using suitable plasterboard or drywall screws.
Cover each open side, making sure each end overlaps the depth of each side section of plasterboard.
Finally, measure and cut a piece large enough to cover the open base, again ensuring it overlaps the width of each of the sides, but don’t fix it in place just yet.
Step 6 – Cut Holes for Your Lights
The size of the holes required for your chosen kitchen lighting solution will be dictated by the manufacturer and the size of each light. As we are fitting down lights, in the instructions the manufacturer should state the exact hole size needed for each light.
Measure and mark the exact position of each light along both the longest sides, making sure it’s identical on either side and central to the depth of the box.
The holes for our lights needed to be 38mm in diameter so a 38mm hole saw was used to drill a hole at each of our marks.
Once done, each cable loop or tail as it’s known was pulled through each hole ready for the electrician to wire each light.
![Kitchen Lighting Box Cover with plasterboard](https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_images/kitchenlights/frame6.jpg)
Kitchen Lighting Box Cover with plasterboard
Step 7 – Wire up Lighting
As our frame was centred over an existing light which was removed, the power source was all ready to go so our electrician first installed each light where required.
Finally, our electrician used a junction box to connect the new supply cable to the existing power source, first making sure that the supply was isolated but checking that the MCB/fuse was still isolated in the consumer unit/fuse box.
Once all the wiring was complete the final piece of plasterboard was screwed in place, covering the light box fully.
Step 8 – Add Skrim, Angle Beads and Plaster
Once totally covered and all the lights installed, the joints in the plasterboard were covered with self adhesive scrim tape. Scrim stops the plaster cracking over a joint.
Finally, top coat angle bead was fixed to all external corners. Angle bead is galvanised so it will not rust and allows it to complete a plastering job with very neat, sharp edges.
In the first image below the scrim is clearly visible over the vertical joint and the others show how the angle bead was fixed over all the edges.
![Bead and scrim tape added to joints and corner of lighting box](https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_images/kitchenlights/anglebead1.jpg)
Bead and scrim tape added to joints and corner of lighting box
![Completed beads and scrim added to lighting box ready for plastering](https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_images/kitchenlights/anglebead2.jpg)
Completed beads and scrim added to lighting box ready for plastering
![Close-up of corner beads on kitchen lighting box](https://www.diydoctor.org.uk/project_images/kitchenlights/anglebead3.jpg)
Close-up of corner beads on kitchen lighting box
The final job once all the angle beads are in place is to then get the structure plastered. This can be a tricky job for anyone that’s never done it before so if you are tackling this for the first time, check out our project on skim plastering for how to do it.
Step 9 – Complete any Painting
Once the plaster has fully dried, which may take up to 3 or 4 weeks depending on the environment you’re working in, the entire structure can then be painted.
In most cases this will be the same colour as the ceiling but if you want to make a feature of it, consider other colours to make it stand out.
Kitchen Light Box completed job with lights on
Kitchen Light Box showing illumination effect on room
Building a kitchen light box can is a fairly straight forward job and as it’s bespoke it can be built to any size and style you wish, however just ensure that whatever design you settle on will provide enough light to fill your whole kitchen.