How to Replace a Bathroom Light With a Receptacle

Turn off power to the light fixture from the main power supply source. Remove the screws holding the light fixture's cover in place with a flat-head screwdriver. Lower the cover and set it aside. Remove the screws holding the light fixture to the electrical box. Hold a circuit tester against the wiring to ensure it is safe to work with.

Twist off the wire nuts holding the power supply's wiring to the light fixture's wiring. Set the light fixture aside. Loosen the screw in the cable connector located inside one of the electrical box's knockout holes.

Determine whether the electrical box is held in place with nails or screws. If screws are used, use a drill and Phillips driving bit to back them out and remove the electrical box. If nails are used, use a claw hammer's back end to pull the nails out.

Hold a screwdriver against one of the new electrical box's knockout holes. Hit the screwdriver's handle with a hammer to remove the metal disk from the knockout hole. Insert a cable connector into the knockout hole.

Feed the power supply's cable through the cable connector and position the new electrical box against the ceiling joist where the old electrical box was. Drive 1/2-inch wood screws through the screw holes in the electrical box's support tabs. Tighten the cable connector's screw with a Phillips screwdriver to hold the cable in place.

Cut the tips off each of the cable's wires with a wire cutter/stripper. Strip 1 inch of insulation off each of the black and white wires' ends to expose new wire. Bend each end into a hook.

Loosen the GFCI receptacle's screw terminals with a flat-head screwdriver. Wrap the black wire's hook around the brass screw and the white wire's hook around the silver screw. Tighten the two screws to hold the wires in place.

Strip the green ground wire all the way back to the cable connector. If the ground wire is already bare copper, it does not need to be stripped. Loosen the ground screw inside the electrical box. Wrap the middle of the wire once around the ground screw. Bend the wire's end into a hook. Wrap this hook around the GFCI receptacle's green screw. Tighten the two screws to hold the wire in place.

Push all the wires and the GFCI receptacle into the electrical box. Secure the receptacle in place with the provided screws. Put a receptacle cover over the receptacle and secure it in place with the provided screws. Restore power from the main power supply.