How to Redo Your Kitchen Lighting

Turn off the power to the circuit at your home's main electrical box. Turn the switch for the light fixture on and off to test the circuit.

Remove the canopy from the ceiling by unscrewing it and slowly lower it. The canopy is the plate that covers the wiring and the hole in the ceiling.

Untwist the plastic connector caps that connect the wiring.

Test the wiring with a voltage tester to ensure that the power is off. If you get a reading, go back to the main electrical box and turn off the correct circuit, then test the wiring again.

Separate the wires from the light fixture from the wires leading from the electrical box. Hold the light fixture (or have an assistant do it) so it doesn't fall.

Remove the electrical box from inside the ceiling by unscrewing it or prying it off of the ceiling joist.

Punch out one of the knockout holes on the side of the new electrical box. (The knockout holes are the recessed holes on the box.) Use one of the holes located close to the cable connector, which is the tab on the inside of the box that locks the electrical cable down and prevents the cable from sliding around, which can damage it.

Insert the cable from the electrical box through the knockout hole and cable connector. Pull about 6 inches of cable through the connector and tighten the screw. When tightening the cable, tighten it over the sheathing and not the individual wires.

Attach the electrical box to the ceiling joist near the hole in the ceiling.

Cut the wires from the new light fixture so they are long enough to connect to the wires from the electrical box while removing excess wiring. If the fixture hangs from a chain, remove enough links to get it to the proper length.

Lift the fixture to the ceiling and attach it to the electrical box. Read the manufacturer's instructions for the precise way to install the fixture you purchased.

Remove 1/2 inch of sheathing from the wires on the light fixture with wire strippers.

Wrap the ground (green) wire from the electrical box around the ground screw on the fixture and tighten it. Twist the ground wire from the fixture to the ground wire from the electrical box with a plastic connector cap.

Connect the white wire from the electrical box to the white wire from the light fixture with a connector cap, then connect the black wires.

Tuck the wires into the electrical box in the ceiling, then place the canopy over the hole and screw it to the ceiling.

Screw the light bulbs into place.

Restore power to the circuit at the main electrical box and test the light.