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DIY Hanging Lights Replacing the Fluorescent Kitchen Light

Many older kitchens have a set of overhead fluorescent lights. While these lights are efficient and produce adequate lighting, they don't do much for the decor of your kitchen. A replacement and upgrade to a set of hanging pendant lights will let you set a new style and tone in your kitchen. There is some work involved in taking down the old lights and mounting the new hardware for your hanging lights, but the electrical connections are simple. This is a good job for the DIY homeowner.

Things You'll Need

  • Hanging pendant lights and mounting track
  • Ladder
  • Screwdriver
  • Wire cutters
  • Pencil
  • Drill
  • Hollow wall anchors with screws
  • Wire nuts
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Instructions

    • 1

      Turn off the power to the lights you'll be working on at the home's circuit breaker panel.

    • 2

      Position a ladder underneath the light. Remove the cover and the tubes from the fluorescent lights. Loosen the screws on both ends of the light fixture while supporting the fixture from below. Carefully drop the lighting fixture down until you can reach the wiring on the top. Unscrew the wire nuts connecting the ceiling wiring to the fixture's wiring. If there are no wire nuts, cut the wires, preserving as much of their length as you can. Place the fixture aside for recycling or disposal.

    • 3

      Place the hanging light's mounting track against the ceiling and mark the location of the mounting screw holes. Remove the track. Drill a hole at each of the marked locations and insert a hollow wall anchor. These are often supplied with the mounting track and lights.

    • 4

      Match the wires of the new hanging light's mounting track to the existing ceiling wiring. Pair black to black, white to white and green to green. Slide a wire nut over each of the pairs and twist until they're tightly connected. Place the track in position and insert screws into the mounting holes. Tighten the screws until the track is flush with the ceiling.

    • 5

      Clip the hanging lights into the track and place bulbs in the sockets. Turn the power to the light circuit back on.

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Lighting
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