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How To Replace Can Lights: DIY or Call a Pro?
Let there be (LED) light
Get quotes from lighting pros near you
No obligation · 100% free
Get quotes from lighting pros near you
No obligation · 100% free
SKILL LEVEL
Simple
COMPLETION TIME
1 hour
COST
$25–$50
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What you'll need:
TOOLS
- Ladder
- Voltage tester
- Screwdriver
- Wrench
SUPPLIES
- LED recessed light conversion kit
The right type of lighting doesn’t just make your space immediately more inviting—swapping your incandescent can lights for LED lights comes with the benefits of better energy efficiency and more natural lighting. With a small chunk of time, you can convert your recessed lighting and retrofit it with LED lights. Check out these steps to learn how to replace can lights and get started.
Prepping To Replace Can Lights
Photo: BanksPhotos / E+ / Getty Images
Before replacing your can lights, consider which LED conversion kit works best with your space. For example, trims come in many styles and price points, and they can swivel, tilt, or rotate. Others, such as a baffle trim, can cast a wider but softer beam of light than other trim types.
There’s also the LED bulb itself—choose from warm white to cool white, or upgrade to a smart bulb, so you can control and automate your lights from your phone or tablet.
Disconnect the Power
As with pretty much any work on electrical fixtures or systems, the first step in replacing your can lights is to disconnect the lights from the power source. The easiest way to disconnect them is to turn off the lights from your breaker box.
Get a ladder, so you can reach your recessed lighting, and unscrew the light bulb from the housing. If you have a voltage tester handy, you can use it to double-check that the power is disconnected.
Check the Existing Lights
Before going ahead with the installation, check that your existing can lights can be converted to LED. Pull the trim down to examine how it’s attached to the housing—if it’s attached with V-shaped torsion mounting springs, also known as C-clips, it should be compatible with retrofitted LED lights. If you need to verify further, remove the trim completely to check for internal brackets that the torsion springs mount into.
Keep in mind that as long as there’s already wiring in place, you shouldn’t need to make any wiring changes. If you want to move or change the light switch, then you’ll likely need to do some rewiring.
Prepare the Housing
You can keep your current trim or, if your recessed LED light kit comes with different trim options, you can opt for another look. Squeeze the side spring clips to remove the old can lights, so you can see the light socket. If you find that you need slightly more space for your LED light to sit flush, you can adjust the housing’s rear plate by loosening the adjustment wing nut. Don’t over-loosen the housing as it can result in air and water leakage.
Connect the LED Light
As a best practice, make sure you have your LED recessed lighting conversion kit organized and accessible from your ladder. If it’s not already assembled, connect the bulb socket adapter to the existing light socket in the ceiling. Screw the LED light bulb into the socket adapter.
Install the LED Unit
Photo: Andrii Atanov / iStock / Getty ImagesWith your LED socket adaptor and bulb in place, you’re ready to install the LED unit. Gently push upward so that the spring arms on either side of the LED unit click into place in the housing. The trim should sit flush with the ceiling—if it doesn’t, go back to the preparation step to adjust the housing’s rear plate, create more room, and try fitting the LED unit in again.
If you’re replacing more than one recessed can light, repeat these steps until they’re all converted. Once they’ve all been properly installed, you can turn the power back on at the breaker.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro
As long as you’re capable of using a ladder and comfortable working with basic electrical fixtures, replacing your can lights with LEDs is a relatively easy DIY task. You’ll not only benefit from the cost savings of doing it yourself, but you can also do it on your own time rather than working around your local electrician’s availability.
The cost of hiring an electrician depends on your area, but you can generally expect to pay about $85 to $105 per hour for the cost to install recessed lighting, not including the $25 to $50 for a recessed lighting kit. If they take between 60 minutes per replacement, you can expect to pay anywhere from $155 per light in total on the high end of the spectrum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lighting services reviews from real Angi homeowners in Columbus, OH
4.5★ avg. • 13 total reviews
- Ronald A.
Custom Paint Jobs LLC gave our office a fresh new look. Clients love it!
Custom Paint Jobs, LLC - John S.
Best painters in the Greater Columbus, Ohio area. Quality of work second to none and customer service is head above shoulders than everyone else. I cant wait to work on another project with Silvio and Team!
- Lauren R.
The Mosby team went above and beyond for my project. They not only installed my light fixture; they also worked through an old, wonky, and as it turns out incorrect wiring issue from the work of prior contractors. Professional, thorough, conscientious, and kind. Five star experience. Thank you!
Mosby Electric - Locke M.
We had a 20+ year old landscape lighting system that needed replacement. Midwest Lightscapes worked with us to design a much improved lighting system, lighting the exterior of the house and the back yard. Installation of the 45 light system took one and one-half days, and went very smoothly....
Midwest Lightscapes - Stephen D.
Jeff was a consummate professional. Responsive, courteous, and focused on meeting our needs. I had a small project of installing and replacing two ceiling light fixtures. He responded to my Home Advisory inquiry within 24 hours and in a span of two weeks our light fixtures were installed. ...
- Stephanie S.
For several months I was looking for somebody to tile a wall in my master bath and move lighting fixtures, and could not find anybody who was responsive. I contacted Rowe through Home Advisor and within days they came by to assess the job and provide an estimate. The cost was very...
Rowe House Development - John E.
A team of 2 spent 5 hours, cleaning top to bottom (removed all light fixture and cleaned.... impressive!!!)
Luzia's Cleaning - Jessica E.
It went very well. I was able to select the color blocks I wanted and where they would be placed in the window. All of the employees were very pleasant and patient. The guys who installed the window arrived promptly, did their job, and there was nothing for me to clean up. The window looks...
Innovate Home Org - Columbus Glass Block - Sarah C.
The initial quoted price from a walk-through seemed high, but we discussed that the quote represented worst case scenario (re-wiring to two floors) and we were excited about the opportunity to have the work done in a timely manner with closing for fire safety reasons, etc. When the job was...
- Robb B.
Charlie recommended a separate fan with new lighting to clear steam from the room better. Several weeks ago I contacted Charlie via email to ask about pricing and scheduling, after one follow up he did reply with cost and said it would be about two weeks before he could do the work. I replied...
Settle Muter Electric
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