Replacing and updating lights is a great project. Here is our adventure in finding the perfect modern lighting solution for our kitchen. It is a project that is possible to take on yourself. If you aren’t comfortable around electricity, then you should check with an electrician. For most replacement projects, it’s a matter of swapping out the fixture as the existing ceiling box should work.
First Things First – Power Off and Check your Product
Updating lights could get complicated depending on how many switches control the lights and how it’s wired. Although the switch typically controls power to the light, I always make sure the wiring isn’t live in the ceiling. I turn off the breaker or pull the fuse rather than trust the switch.
Also, and we experienced this on this project (not the first time), the second light was damaged. It’s always good to check what you’re going to install prior to demo.
Remove the old light
Most light fixtures are attached by a screw collar, screw collar ring, or threaded nut. Some light canopies have a threaded screw that affixes the light to the canopy. The task at hand was removing our glass pendent lights. I removed the threaded nut, then the screw nut, and the two screws holding the fixture. I then pulled the wires out from the ceiling box and unhooked the wires. Because we were going from three to two lights there was some minor wiring work and patching. It took two different ceiling whites to find the right shade.
Prepare New Light for Attachment
Most pendant lights come with ample cord which may need to be trimmed. I had quite the shoulder workout holding the light at various lengths. After walking around the kitchen taking it in from lots of different angles, the wife settled on the perfect length.
Our new light had a braided woven outer shell, and insulated core, and three wires. This was not the most pleasant thing to deal with. A super sharp utility knife like an Olfa against the bent cord made tedious work of exposing the three main wires. A good set of wire strippers will deal with the other wires.
Installing New Lights
With the light housing attached to the shade of our particular light, it was time to attach. The mounting bracket was quick to put on with the previous screws as was connecting the wires. The canopy was connected by a set screw which was a first for me on these types of lights. Here’s the final result with the new Feiss lights.
The lights were modern and provided much needed light to our kitchen. Being dimmable was a plus as well. The wife even pulled out her cloth tape to get our lights level. Not too shabby, eh!?
Tools I Used
- Drill (this set has ample room to carry tools for the job)
- Wire cutters (I love these ones – see on Amazon)
- Utility knife (I use an OLFA like this)
- Ladder and eye protection
- Blue tape, DryDex Joint Compound (I was lazy and didn’t mix my own) and a good sized putty knife.
- Project containment – it’s dusty if you are closing a hole
- Tape measure
Happy light updating!
