How to Hook Up a Ceiling Lamp to a Prewired

When you're remodeling or updating your home, take a look at your ceiling lamps. Old-fashioned ceiling lamps can make your home dated, while the inexpensive fixtures often installed by contractors can detract from your decor. You can install new ceiling lamps in the prewired locations occupied by your old lamps to dress up the looks of your home. Hooking them up isn't a difficult task.

Pliers
Wire cutters
Wire nuts

Instructions

- 1
  Turn off the power to the existing lamp circuit at the circuit breaker panel. Be safe, and never attempt to work on live electrical circuits.
- 2
  Loosen the nut or nuts holding the base of the existing ceiling lamp to the ceiling. You can usually loosen these with your fingers. If not, use a pair of pliers.
- 3
  Lower the lamp downwards until the wiring is visible. Loosen and remove the wire nuts connecting the lamp's wiring to the home's wiring. Remove the old ceiling lamp.
- 4
  Loosen the screws holding the old lamp's mounting plate to the wiring box in the ceiling. Pull off the old mounting plate.
- 5
  Position your new lamp's mounting plate onto the wiring box, and attach it with the provided screws. Pull out the home wiring so several inches of wire are visible. Pair the new lamp's black and white wires with the black and white wires of the home wiring. Place a wire nut onto each of the pairs and twist until tight. Connect the lamp's green wire to the green-colored ground screw of the wiring box.
- 6
  Push the wiring into the wiring box. Place the lamp onto the mounting screws of the mounting plate and slide it into position against the ceiling. Place the nuts onto the screws and tighten to hold the lamp in place.

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