I am putting can lights in the basement. I can't decied whether or not to put drywall on the ceiling or this new drop ceiling its made of pvc it attaches right to the floor joists and the tiles clip in. you lose 1 inch. The confusing part is how do I put the can in to make up that inch or will the insert on the light cover it. If I go with drywall would I be better off instaling the lights for new construction or the ones for remodeling. If one goes bad I don't want to tear down the drywall I appreciate all of your help. Many thanks to all of you who have responded in the past

Most recess fixture housings allow for adjustments to raise or lower the can to match different ceiling thickness. Depends on the brand, but most cans have screws through the can into the frame, and loosening the screws allow the can to slide up or down.

Others have flat frames that do not adjust, but the trim allows for different thickness.

As long as the new construction housings will adjust for the ceiling, use them.

All recess fixtures, esp. the new construction frames, are made to be removed if there is a problem in the fixture. This is to comply with code, as the junction box that contains the splices for the fixture must be accesible, without removing any ceiling materials.

So permenently affixed drywall should never be a problem. However, when ever possible, I suggest to anyone finishing a basement to try to install some ceiling that is removable, such as a suspended ceiling, as there are many other mechanical items that may get closed up and inaccessible with a drywall ceiling in a basement. Plumbing, heating, CATV,telephone, etc are the important systems that will become unreachable once covered with drywall.

Permanent ceilings also make for obstacles if any additions need to happen later on. When a client asks me to price a new outlet on the first floor, the first thing I look at is the basement ceiling. When I see sheetrock ceiling, the price goes up dramatically.

I hope this answer your question.

The new ceiling system you mention is new to me, can you tell me who makes it? I like to look at it, try to get familiar with it before I run into it in the field.

The product is called ceiling max. It is sold al Lowe's The website is called http://www.acpideas.com. They say it won't scratch or rust because it is all pvc. Halo makes a nice light for about $7. should I go more expensive? You have helped a lot, thank you.

I have one other question I rewired my lights in the unfinished area to a switch. At the light that is a basic fixture with a bulb hanging down. The fixture has no ground so I wrapped it around a screw on the box. However the box is plastic. Should I buy a light with a ground?

The basic fixture you mention is probably the typical simple lampholder that is made of porcelain or plastic, and does not need a ground. Just fold up the bare gound into the box, no need to connect to anything, esp. the plastic box.

Reminds me of an electrical inpector that wanted me to drive ground rods and connect to wooden tent posts for a festival. Lot of good that did.

Any metal fixture will need to be grounded, so leave the ground there should you install a metal fixture in the future.

Thanks for the ceiling info. Similar to standard ceiling systems, just made from plastic instead of wood or paper materials. I don't care for the EZ track system, that the tiles clip into the track mounted to the bottom of the joists. Only reason id the plastic track and ceiling tiles will bend and otherwise reflect any subtle changes in the level of the joists. Not a bid deal, just if the joists are not all at same plane, it may seem that the ceiling is waving at you after it is all installed.