How to Replace a Light with a Pot Light

If you want to easily replace a light fixture with an LED pot light- in this tutorial we walk through how to install pot lights without going in the attic.

One of my favourite parts of home remodels is the design and getting to reveal that design and all the pretty parts of that to you guys. But part of the remodel that’s so important is a little bit less pretty and less fun and one of those things is installing pot lights. BUT I’ve had some questions about it as we have shared our updates over on Instagram stories so today I’m excited to be sharing the very, very simple NON electrician version of how to install pot lights where you previously had a light fixture… like a boob light. Because we have all had boob lights in our houses… right?

Since wiring talk is a little confusing, we filmed a video for this one to help make it more approachable. Please note… we’re not electricians- don’t let this *super* pro video fool you. Take on this project at your own risk or consult an electrician :) The lights we’re working with in this video are from Globe Electric. They sent them so we could make this video but they’re the same ones we purchased and used last year in our kitchen remodel. We really like how simple this system is to install. 

This video shows how to replace an existing light fixture. This is awesome because it gives you a potlight without going in the attic. If you wanted to add new pot lights to a finished ceiling, you totally can, but you will have drill holes in your ceiling for it (using a holesaw bit- your pot light box will have a template) AND you will have to go in the attic to run the wires there. This video also doesn’t cover making a daisy chain to connect multiple pot lights. These pot lights do have two spots for wires in each quick connect so they are made to accommodate this easily though! OKAY… so now that we’re clear about what this video covers… let’s watch it!

(psst! are you following me on YouTube yet?!)

Did I go overboard on the disclaimer here? Ha! I would never want to get someone into trouble with their wiring. If you’ve replaced a light before, this video should give you a really clear idea of how to put in this type of fixture. If you’ve never dabbled with wiring at all before… I would consult an electrician! 

Alright, so to replace a light, the first thing you’ll need to do is remove your light. You’ll see in my video that there was discolouration on the ceiling under my light. That’s normal if you have an older house and the ceiling has been painted around the light fixtures. Bummer… but normal. Once you have your light off, you’ll need to push your light box into your attic. Try this before you attach your wires in case it’s secured to something that you might need to unscrew. 

Then, it’s time to plug in your pot light! The pot lights come in two pieces. This little black box for all your wiring and then the disc light itself that plugs into that and clips in place. So take your black box and open it up. One at a time, pop your wires through the hole in the side of the box, pushing/clicking them into the quick connects. The wires in there are coloured as well so provided you have standard wiring, it should be easy to match up your ground, common, and hot wires. 

Once all three are clicked in, close the box and tuck it up into your attic, leaving the white cable hanging down. Then you can plug in your pot light and screw the protector for the connection on before tucking that cable up into the attic too. Push the spring loaded clips up and slip your pot light into place! That’s it.

Easy, right?! I love this system so much because I can do it myself. I struggle with the marettes for some reason so these connectors are a dream for me to work with. I hope that you found this helpful if you’re thinking about switching to pot lights! If you want to get the exact pot lights we used for this tutorial, these are them on Amazon!

Before you go… are there other home remodel type tutorials that you’d like to see? We’re working through our second entire home remodel so we’ve pretty much done it all at this point but don’t want to bore you with things you won’t find helpful! Let me know if you have specific requests! In the meantime… here’s some we’ve already done (I’m probably forgetting some!):

• How to hardwire a plug in light
• Caulking Baseboards Why & How
• Refinishing old thin hardwood floors
• Why we renovate in stages
• How to Make a Moulding Wall