How to Install a Farmhouse Fixture

I took down a circa 1970’s track light, repaired the ceiling and decided to replace it with this darling (well, at least I think so) modern farmhouse fixture. Light fixtures are one of the easiest, quickest and inexpensive ways to update your house and this spot is no exception. The room still needs to be painted and the floor refinished, so don’t look at all that yet - we’re just doing the light because it’s been sitting on the floor and I can’t wait any longer to see what it looks like up!

Supplies:

• Fixture of choice (the one I installed is $123 from Overstock and can be found here)

• Drill or screwdriver (my favorite one with a light is here or I also debated on this one)

• T-stripper

• Voltage meter

• Stool/ladder

How to:

• In general, electrical diagrams and instructions were written by men and are terrible, so forget finding them helpful. Don’t throw them away; just let this serve a warning. You need to take everything out of the box, and I do mean everything - I can’t tell you how many times I think I have everything out and the box gets thrown out (all the way to the dump) before I realize I threw away a critical screw! Look at what you have and figure out exactly how the fixture attaches to the ceiling before you start and before you throw out the box.

• Turn off the power. Double check it’s off by touching the voltage meter to each of the wires. If it beeps like crazy at you, it’s not off. If there is just one beep or none, you’re good to go.

• There are generally three wires - a red or black which is “hot,” a white wire which is neutral (not hot) and then a ground. My house is old and there are really no ground wires, which is okay. You basically just pretend it’s not there. The black wire on the fixture connects to the black (or red) wire from the ceiling and the white goes to the white.

• See my video for at the top for a detailed “how to” of installing this particular fixture. They are all generally the same concept, but attach a bit differently. So as I said, figure out how it’s going to go up when you still have two feet on the floor.