How to Build a Soffit Box with Lighting

Today I am sharing a step by step tutorial on how to build a drywall soffit box with LED spot lighting. The project you are about to see has been built in a kitchen with brick wall and a concrete ceiling. While you can use the same techniques for any other type of house framing, you should be aware that you need to make a few adjustments. This soffit box is built on a metal stud structure and it features 5 LED spot lights that are equally spaced.

Make sure you take a look over the rest of my drywall projects, so you can see simple techniques to help you cut and install drywall, as well as interesting ideas to freshen up your home. All my drywall projects can be seen HERE. If you worked with metal studs, I would be more than glad to read your feedback! More drywall projects to come!

Made from this plan

Materials

Laying-out-the-soffit-box

Start the drywall project by laying out the soffit box. We used a spirit level and a pencil and marked the lines on the walls. We will build a dropped section of the ceiling to add some kind of disrupture to the plain boring design of the boxy room. This will be a rectangular shaped soffit box, but if you want one with a light curve check out my other tutorial HERE.

Cutting-the-metal-studs

Use tin snips to cut the metal studs and tracks at the proper size.

Wall-tracksStart laying the tracks along the support walls and secure them into place with screws. My soffit is about 8″ high and 28″ wide, but you can make adjustments to suit your needs. You can even go for more complex L or U shapes. Make sure you plan that before so you can make an accurate estimate of materials. In addition, choose the lighting spots from the very beginning so you make sure they fit inside the soffit box.

Fitting-the-track-studs-to-the-wall

Fit the tracks to the side walls, as well.

Fitting-the-drywall-to-the-front-of-the-soffit-box

Next, cut the drywall pieces for the front of the ceiling soffit box. Attach the drywall to the ceiling track using screws.

Front-drywall—Ceiling-soffit-box

Attach the rest of the drywall pieces to the front of the soffit box.

Building-a-soffit-ceiling-box

Leave no gaps between the drywall pieces.

Fitting-the-metal-tracks-for-the-soffit-box

Mark on the wall the location for the metal studs (every 16″ on center).

Fitting-the-metal-studs—Soffit-ceiling-box

Cut the metal studs and fit them to the tracks.

Jonction-box—soffit-with-lighting

Next, you need to use a junction box for the electrical wires. My soffit box has 5 LED spot lights so there a few wires to be connected together. I will not get into details, as I don’t recommend anyone to tackle electrical projects as a DIY project.

Metal-stud-ceiling-soffit-box

Fitting-the-drywall-sheets-to-the-frame-of-the-soffit-box

How-to-build-a-ceiling-soffit-box

Fitting-the-corner-beads—ceiling-soffit-box

Fit the corner bead over the edges and lock it into place with mud.

Mesh-over-drywall-seams

Fit fiberglass mesh over the corner joint between the wall and the soffit box. Apply a few coats of mud.

Mudding-the-soffit-box

Fit the fiberglass mesh over the rest of the joints and apply a few coats of mud.

Cutting-out-the-holes-for-the-spot-lights

Use a drill and a hole saw drill bit to make the cut outs for the spot lights.

Building-a-soffit-box-with-lighting

After the mud dries, use sandpaper to smooth the surface. Afterwards, apply a few coats of paint and install the spot lights.

How-to-build-a-ceiling-soffit-box-with-lighting

This is how the soffit box looks after finishing the kitchen with tile and installing the cabinets. You can notice the spot lights doing their magic. I am super pleased with how the project came out

Thank you for reading our project about how to frame a metal stud beam and I recommend you to check out the rest of the projects. Don’t forget to LIKE and SHARE our projects with your friends, by using the social media widgets. SUBSCRIBE to be the first that gets our latest projects.

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