Ceiling Lights ?

[CyberHacker]

Hay, Guys

I am new to forum, So i had lot of questions i was hoping some one wood help me out

Alright, So the house i live got too old so we started remodeling the house

So i thought it wood be the good time to makes some modern changes

We never had ceiling lights, Always the old tube-lights on the wall so,

This time i wanted replace tube-lights with ceilings lights

I had no idea how this process was done, So i started researching and i found out i had a really big problem

Our ceiling is made of cement, There is no Drywall, So as i was looking for a ways to fix this problem

First i thought i should get a drywall but then i found out about, Ceiling Grid and Ceiling tiles

And i thought that wood be the best way to do it, Now i hardly know any of these stuff because i don't live The US

And where i live it's really uncommon to make changes like this

So here's what i had in mind

I was hoping to put Translucent ceiling tiles in the living room

And Recessed lights in the bed room

So where do i start, I am going to hire a builder but i need to know, The things we need to make this happen

I mean there are so many things

Ceiling Grid or wall angles, Ceiling Light fixture, Ceiling Light trim

It's really confusing me, So i know this first we need to get a Ceiling Grid, In place

Then what ?

[jadnashua]

Is the ceiling poured concrete or something like plaster? What's above it? How high is the ceiling? If you use a drop ceiling, will you like the look and can you stand the lower ceiling height? A lot of the dropped ceilings look very industrial or office building like. There are some that aren't too bad (IMHO), but not sure what's available where you live. If you want something like recessed can lights, they need at least 6" for a small one, and more for a larger one. If you go with flourescents, those again look more office building than home. The smaller cans would require more of them to get even lighting...larger ones spread the light out more so you can use fewer. All of these lights can add heat to the room, and with the lower ceiling might be an issue as well. High ceilings help in more ways than one.

If the ceiling is not monolithic, but just a covering, regardless of the material, you could cut an opening for a light assuming there's a hollow there between the ceiling and whatever's above. But if it is structural, obviously, it should not be cut into.

Whomever you have install the ceiling, the first step on a dropped one is to put up the grid, then, the panels just drop into place into the grid.

Another choice may be to build a structure and then use drywall on it for the ceiling. You'd need all of the wiring done before the drywall is installed. The drywall could be textured if you prefer and then painted any color you prefer. A nicer technique is to use blueboard, then skim coat it with plaster, either with a smooth coat or textured. I think this give a superior look, but takes skill to do well, especially on a ceiling. If the talent is available, it is nice, otherwise, plain drywall works as well. It's harder to hide the screwholes and seams, but a pro does it in his sleep.