Electrical Archives - Page 5 of 11

accessories, DIY, Do It Yourself, Electrical, Furniture, Giveaway, living room, Tutorial

Wall Mounted TV with Hidden Wires Tutorial

Installing a Wall Mount Flat Screen TV + Hiding Cords | PrettyHandyGirl

Do you have a flat screen TV? Do you have children? Wish you could mount your TV on the wall for space and safety? Or have you already mounted your TV, but the wires are visible and hang below your screen? GASP—not the dreaded visible wires syndrome!

Today I have a tutorial to show you How to Install a Wall Mount for your TV AND How to Hide those Unsightly Wires in a cable management system. SANUS sent me their Full-Motion TV Wall Mount and In-Wall Cable Management to use for this tutorial. Before you start thinking that you can’t do this, or that you have to hire an electrician to run power behind the TV, you don’t! And this is a very easy DIY project! The SANUS In-Wall Cable Management System is the coolest product. It allows you to hook up to an existing outlet elsewhere (within 60″ horizontally from your TV)! (Per FTC regulations, you should know that this is a sponsored post for SANUS, but I approached them after researching TV mounts and cable management systems. )

Genevieve Gorder has some good information about why you want to use a SANUS mount in this short video:

Why did I want to use the SANUS mount? Here’s just a few reasons:

You can pull your screen out from the wall or press it back to just a few inches away. (The arms extend a full 20″. Further than shown, because our cables are too short to fully extend.)

The power cord plugs into an ultra low profile in wall cable system. All wires are hidden behind the TV.

The TV can also extend and swivel from left to right. This allows us to be able to watch TV from the adjacent room! Which means the kids can eat pizza AND watch a movie because they can safely sit at the kitchen table and view the movie in the living room. Score one for Mom! No more pizza stains on the rug or sofa.

Ready to learn how you can easily mount your flat-screen TV on the wall AND hide the wires? Let’s get to it! Read more

June 22, 2015/59 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Build It, Decor Adventures, Electrical, Hot Glue, light fixture, nailgun

Make Your Own Light Fixture

Hello, it’s Jessica here from Decor Adventures. This month I have what came out to be one of my favorite projects to date. It’s how to make your own light fixture using just wood trim and wax paper, and I promise it will look great in any room in your house.

Everyone loves Pinterest for inspiration and ideas, and I’m no exception. I was looking through my pins the other day and saw this one of a stunning (and I’m sure expensive) light fixture. I instantly thought how easy it would be to DIY that light and set out getting my supplies ready.

Materials:
(contains affiliate links)

For Wood Frame

3/4″ x 1/2″ pine wood
Hand saw or Miter saw (or have it cut at the home improvement store)
9166 CORNER CLAMP
Nail gun and air compressor and nails
Spray paint
Old lamp shade or washer top of wire lamp shade frame
Hot glue gun and glue sticks
Gorilla tape
Lampshade Pendant Kit

For Capiz Shells

Wax paper
Iron
Circle Punch
Sewing machine and thread
Scissors

Instructions

For this tutorial, you’ll learn how to make and attach the black wood frame to a light pendant kit after you make and put on the faux (wax paper) capiz shells. For a step-by-step of how to make the shells, see my post on how to make a wax paper capiz shell chandelier and follow the instructions on how to iron together the wax paper and sew them together.

How to make the wood “frame” for your light fixture:

Cut your 3/4″ pine trim into 12 pieces. Eight of them will be the same (shorter) length and 4 of them will be the same (longer) length. My pieces are 9 1/2″ and 14 1/2″. Make sure your 8 smaller pieces are the exact same length and same goes for your longer ones. If they aren’t, your 3-D frame will not fit together perfectly.

To assemble your boxes perfect for easier nailing, use a miter corner clamp. These are available at the home improvement store for about $25 and can be used for a lot of different projects. Insert two of your smaller pieces into each side of the clamp, making sure the ends line up.

Using your nail gun, nail into the wood to secure a corner.

How to Install a Wall Sconce Light Fixture

How to Install a Wall Sconce | Pretty Handy Girl

Do your wall sconces annoy you? Are they stuck in the 90’s, 80’s, or worse yet the 70’s? When I picked out these sconces several years ago, they were the only ones I could find that I thought were okay. But, with a living room makeover in the works, I decided to upgrade them for a more modern pair.

It’s time to learn how to install a wall sconce. Of if you are like Pretty Handsome Guy, I’m going to teach you how to install new “light fixtures that hang on the walls” (lest you think I was talking about a breakfast treat.)

Whatever you call it, you can definitely do this. Ready?

Install a Wall Sconce Light Fixture Materials:

Screwdrivers (flat head and phillips head)
Light fixture

Optional: wire cutters/wire strippers

Install a Wall Sconce Light Fixture Instructions:

Turn on the lights you will be working on. Shut off the power to your light(s) at your circuit breaker. Check the lights to verify that the power has been turned off.

Removing the Current Light Fixture:

Remove the light bulb and glass shade. Unscrew the mounting nuts from the face of your light fixture.

Lift the light fixture off the mounting bracket and let it hang (or get a friend to help hold the fixture if it’s heavy.) Read more

April 17, 2015/26 Comments/by Brittany Bailey

Electrical, Home & Auto Maintenance, Home Safety, light fixture

How to Install an Exterior Motion Sensor Light

How to Install an Exterior Security Light | Pretty Handy Girl

Nothing deters a thief like a well lit area. But truth be told, I needed this light to illuminate the path when taking out the trash. There is nothing like walking out the door with the trash in your hands after dark and realizing that you forgot to turn on the exterior light. I should mention that our neighborhood is popular with the copperheads. Need I say more?

Installing any light fixture is a relatively easy DIY project, and installing an exterior light is no exception if you have a junction box or light already installed.

Materials:

Optional: Drill

Required Safety Instruction:
Turn off the power to the light fixture you are working on. I highly recommend turning on the light you will be working on, then shut off the circuit at your circuit breaker and check to see that the light has gone out. Also note that just because the light fixture power is turned off, it doesn’t necessarily mean that other outlets or lights in the same area are on the same circuit. Always check for the presence of power before you work on it.

If you have an existing light fixture remove it before installing the new fixture. For this tutorial, we’re starting with a bare junction box:

Test the black or hot wire with the voltage tester to be certain the power is turned off.

Remove the existing mounting bracket if there is one installed.

How to Make a Mosaic Tile Lamp Shade #Lowes Creator

Make Your Own Mosaic Tile Lampshade | Pretty Handy Girl

Want to make a lamp shade that will bring some style and bling to your home? All you need are a few mosaic tile sheets, a lamp shade top piece, and some thread. In no time you’ll have a beautiful Mosaic Tile Lamp Shade!

Materials:

(I’ve included affiliate links for your convenience. I earn a small percentage from a purchase using these links. There is no additional cost to you. You can read more about affiliate links here.)

Instructions:

Cut up the lamp shade to expose the top ring.

This is what you should be left with:

Lay out your mosaic tile sheets. Cut the mesh to the height you desire for your lamp shade. The lamp shade I created was small, therefore I only needed a 6 inch height to cover the lamp bulb.

Lay two sheets of the tiles side by side and stitch the two sheets together at the seam from the mesh side.

Wrap the tile sheet around the lamp shade top ring and trim the excess tiles off.

Stitch the open ends together. I found it easiest to slip a paper towel roll into the center to support all the tiles while stitching it.

Stitch the lamp shade ring to the top of the mosaic tile tube. Loop the thread through the tile mesh and the lamp shade ring around the entire circumference.

Your lamp shade should look something like this:

Attach your lamp shade to the lamp and admire!

Lights out…

…and lights on. I love the shadows cast by the tile lampshade.

Enjoy a unique and beautiful lamp shade in your home. The mosaic tile lamp shade adds a touch of class and bling to our mudroom.

Want more creative lighting ideas? Subscribe to the Lowe’s Creative Ideas magazine:

Or view more creative ideas from the Lowe’s Creative Idea bloggers !

There’s also a magazine app so you can have inspiration on the go! And, don’t forget to follow Lowe’s on Pinterest or on Instagram!

Disclosure: As a #LowesCreator, I was provided with a Lowe’s gift card to purchase supplies for this post. I was not told what to write. All ideas and words are my own.

November 3, 2014/21 Comments/by Brittany Bailey