The time to think about lighting fixtures for your built-ins is during the initial planning stage. Install lighting fixtures, additional wiring and electrical outlets before covering walls and ceilings with panels. If you don't, you'll have to tear out panels, fish wires through walls, or tack them along the outer surface, detracting measurably from the attractiveness of your work.

Draw a diagram of your wiring installations and follow it as closely as possible. After your project is finished, keep the diagram in a safe place so you'll be able to tell, perhaps years later, the exact location of wires under the panels.
 
For maximum safety, ceiling and wall flush light fixtures should be enclosed in asbestos-lined boxes, as described in the instructions that follow. A warning here about doing your own electrical work. Wiring of this type is not difficult but does require specific knowledge of certain techniques and the electrical code. If you're not thoroughly familiar with these, call in a qualified electrician to do the wiring, or obtain a wiring manual and familiarize yourself with the techniques involved.

The following instructions point out important factors to remember when installing indirect lighting fixtures and adding finishing touches around them.

To place small flush light over basement built-ins, a "high-hat" fixture, which holds regular household light bulb, can be obtained at household supply outlets. The fixture is enclosed in an asbestos-lined box and the unit is attached between ceiling beams.

 Make the box of 3/4" plywood.  It should be large enough to hold the high-hat fixture, a 4" floating round box, and the incoming wires so cable won't be cramped. The box should not be higher than depth of ceiling beam, so its bottom can be set flush with bottom of ceiling beam.

Box is fireproofed by lining insides with fa" asbestos sheeting. Asbestos can be attached with staples or small head nails.

Cut notches for incoming wires. Also, from ¾” plywood, make a bottom, or "face" plate, for the box, and cut out a hole with diameter same as that of high-hat fixture. Faceplate is not attached to box until box is mounted to ceiling beam.

Mount box to ceiling beam with screws, making sure face plate, when in place, will be flush with bottom of ceiling beam. Box is now ready for wiring. If you're not thoroughly familiar with wiring techniques, have a qualified electrician do the wiring. After fixture is connected, light box is ready for ceiling covering, shown below.

To install indirect fluorescent lighting fixture, make a box to house the fixture out of 3/4" plywood or solid wood. Box should be at least 1/4" larger than fixture dimensions and allow ample room at top for several feet of extra cable (see step No. 12). Cut notches in box for incoming cable and attach box between ceiling beams.

Cover entire inside of box with Ma" asbestos sheeting, using a stapler or hammer and small head nails. Fluorescent fixture is not installed in box until entire ceiling is covered as shown in following steps.

Cover ceiling with 5/16 -thick fir plywood sheeting, driving nails through sheeting into ceiling beams. Where sheeting covers fluorescent fixture opening, mark sheeting and make cutout so edges are even with edges of opening.

After ceiling is covered with plywood sheeting, acoustic tiles are applied. Author used Armstrong Cushion tone tiles here, with accompanying Acoustic Cement. Smear cement on bottoms of tiles, then set tiles in

As each tile is set in place make sure it is straight and flush against previous tile before stapling Where tiles cover fluorescent light fixture opening   lay tie over edge of opening, mark with pencil, and cutble with fine-toothed saw. Mark tile which covers opening of high-hat fixture and cut with keyhole saw.

Tiles can be attached with high-pressure staple gun, driving 1/2" staples into lip of tile.

After all tiles are in place and openings have been cut for fixtures, mount fluorescent light fixture, driving screws through elongated holes, shown above, into sides of fixture box. Note excess cable lying on top of fixture. This allows fixture to be removed from ceiling without straining wires.

High-hat fixture is mounted much like the fluorescent fixture, except screws are driven up through lip of fixture, through acoustic tiles and into plywood sheeting.

To provide indirect lighting over partition  built-ins, such as the three-in-one wall unit or hideaway bar described in this book, cut 2"-by-3" strips of fir lengthwise at a 45-degree angle. Mount fir strips on top pieces of partition built -ins, 3" in from front edge, with angled side toward front, as shown. Attach 1" solid wood strips in front of angled fir strips.

Attach fluorescent lighting casing to angled fir strips with screws. Make sure all casings are mounted straight and in line with previous casings.

Fixture should now be wired and placed into casings. If you're not familiar with this type of wiring, have a qualified electrician do it for you.

When wiring is finished, attach strips of 3/4"-by-21/2" solid wood to front edges of partition built-in top pieces. Mount 3" cove moulding to solid wood front strips. If there is little space between moulding and ceiling, attach moulding with roundhead brass screws, not nails, so moulding can be removed to allow access to fluorescent lamps. When mounting moulding at corner, miter the two moulding pieces that meet at 45-degree angle and attach so they fit snugly at corner,  For more details and drawing of moulding assembly, see chapter titled three-in-one wall unit, step No. 25.

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