Hang Dining Room Light Fixtures

Dress up the look of your dining room with a new light fixture.

One decorating item that should not be overlooked when you want a significant change in your dining room décor---at a reasonable cost---is a new chandelier over the table. Chandeliers impart more style to a dining room than might be imagined: because they are hanging from the ceiling and dangling over the heads of your guests, light fixtures are very noticeable. You can freshen a room significantly, and in just a few minutes, by hanging a new chandelier fixture.

Instructions

1. Set up a floor lamp with an adjustable neck and lamp in the middle of the dining room. Run a long extension cord from the lamp to another room on the opposite side of your home. Plug this lamp in and turn it on. Turn on the current ceiling fixture in the dining room. Place an assistant in your dining room.

2. Switch off electrical circuits at the home's main electrical circuit box until the dining room ceiling light fixture goes out, but the "work light" remains on. Call to your assistant for confirmation that the power to the fixture is out. A work light is much more convenient than trying to use a flashlight.

3. Remove the cover plate to the current fixture so that the wires are exposed.

4. Untwist and free any white, black, green (and possibly red) wires connected to the current fixture. Take note of which colored wires are in use. If a red wire coming out of the ceiling is connected to a wire on the fixture, note the color of wire on the fixture.

5. Remove the current fixture base from any center post or other mounting brackets. Post your helper underneath the fixture to help hold it when the base is freed. Carry the old fixture away.

6. Measure any chains, posts, or other connectors that determine the length of the fixture. A fixture should be hung 30 inches over the center of the dining room table---if the ceiling is 8 feet tall or less. If the ceiling is taller than 8 feet, hang the fixture 34 inches above the table. Adjust these lengthening devices to achieve the ideal 30 inches or 34 inches.

7. Hold the fixture up in place, having your assistant handle this, while you connect the wires. Connect the wires according to the instructions--and according to what you saw working in the old fixture wiring. Make sure you connect the ground wire properly.

8. Attach the fixture to the ceiling mount box as instructed. When the assistant lets go of the fixture, the fixture should hang securely and should not "twist" in the air for more than a second. If the fixture seems to sag at the mounts, or twists a lot, troubleshoot your mounting or wiring.