How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

How to Install a Chandelier

How to Install a Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Do you love all the light fixtures in your home? If not, do you wish you knew How to Install a Chandelier, so you don’t have to hire an electrician to do it? Today your wishes will be answered!

You know that moment when you see the perfect light fixture and you know you HAVE to have it in your home or you won’t be able to live another day? Okay, well maybe not the “live another day” part. But, you do know how it feels to fall head over heels in love with a light fixture.  For me that light fixture was Magnolia Market’s chandelier. I wanted it, but the price tag was more than I wanted to pay. One day I got an email from Joanna (yes, THE Joanna Gaines from HGTVs Fixer Upper) letting me know that her store was having a lighting sale. I could not click on the link fast enough. Within a few days my lovely new chandelier arrived.

It was time to say goodbye to our old chandelier…

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

…and install my new chandelier.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Ready to learn how to install a new ceiling light or chandelier? Grab these few items:

Materials:
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tools-electrical

Instructions:

Turn on your light fixture and shut off the power to the fixture. Check to see that the light is off.

flip_circuit_breaker

Remove the light bulbs from the old fixture and set them aside.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Support the chandelier on a ladder or have a helper nearby to hold the fixture. Remove the canopy from the ceiling to expose the wiring.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Touch the voltage tester to the wires to make sure the power is off. (You should do this before removing the wire nuts.)

How to Install an Exterior Security Light | Pretty Handy Girl

Remove all the wire nuts from the connections. Unscrew the mounting bracket from the ceiling fixture box.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Lower the old chandelier and set it aside. Your ceiling box should look like this:

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Measure the length you want the new fixture to hang to. Typically chandeliers hang between 30 – 34″ above your table (for 8 foot ceilings.) Each additional foot ceiling height, raise the chandelier another inch higher than the table.

How to Install a Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Measure the height of your chandelier and determine how much you need to remove from the chain. Use two needle-nosed pliers to pull one chain link apart (twist in opposite directions as shown below.) Remove the extra links and re-close the open link.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Cut the excess chandelier wire, be sure to leave about 8-10 inches more than you need. Split the ends apart. (If they don’t want to pull apart easily, gently cut in the middle into the insulation being careful not to cut into the wires.)

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Strip about an inch off the end of each wire.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Unscrew the green ground screw on your light fixture.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Connect the ground wire first: Attach the ground wire from your light fixture to the bare copper ground wire from your home and wrap the wire around the green ground screw.

Attach the light fixture mounting bracket to your ceiling box.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Connect the neutral wire second: Connect the white neutral wire to the ribbed or marked wire from your chandelier.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Twist them together clockwise and then twist a wire nut onto the ends.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Next connect the smooth (or unmarked) wire from the chandelier to the black (or hot) wire from your house.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Twist them together clockwise and add a wire nut to cover the bare wire ends.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Gently tuck each wire up into the ceiling junction box. Be sure to push the black wire onto one side of the mounting bracket and the white wire on the opposite side.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Attach the canopy cover to the mounting bracket.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Turn on the power to make sure your fixture is wired properly.

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

I love my new light fixture!

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Chandelier Source to Purchase

How to Install a New Chandelier | Pretty Handy Girl

Happy chandelier installing y’all!

PHGFancySign

 

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Wish you knew How to Install a Chandelier, so you don't have to hire an electrician to do it? Check out this step-by-step tutorial from Pretty Handy Girl! | How to install a light fixture | Lighting tutorial #prettyhandygirl #DIYtutorial

17 replies
  1. kelsey
    kelsey says:

    First of all thank you so much for such clear photos and directions-so helpful!! I just took down our ceiling fan to replace it with a new chandelier, however the wires are red, white, and black-there is no plane copper wire? Is the red my ground wire? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Brittany Bailey
      Brittany Bailey says:

      No, the red is a second power line. Ceiling fans with a light may have one black and one red wire (one controls the light and one the fan.) If you don’t have a green or bare wire your fixture won’t be grounded. I’d consult with a licensed electrician.

      Reply
  2. HW
    HW says:

    Great tutorial with clear pictures! I have a new chandelier where the wiring is all the same color. One side has writing, the other side does have not writing but has ribbing. It seems both of these are considered to be markings, so which would be considered the neutral (the ribbed side or the writing side?) Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Vital Parts
    Vital Parts says:

    Thanks for the tutorial Brittany, it was very useful and helped me throughout the installation! Although a number of extra components were needed when it came to the mounting bracket as it wouldn’t go back into the ceiling properly.

    Reply
  4. Grace
    Grace says:

    I just purchased a chandelier for my dining room yesterday on an online yardsale. I’ve hung lights before, but there has always been a black and white wire. They’re not ribbed or smooth – they’re exactly the same, so I was going to call an electrician. Any suggestions? P.S. Love your blog and I am in Raleigh too.

    Reply
  5. Sara
    Sara says:

    Would the instructions be basically the same if replacing a recessed bulb with a chandelier? There’s a light in my stairway that I’d love to replace with a chandelier.

    Sara

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] And yes, the chandelier is new too! Read how to install a new chandelier. […]

  2. […] the wiring from the light fixture and outlet. Install the new light fixture and fish the wires down to the switch box. If your wiring is long enough, you can use it to run to […]

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