Things You\’ll Need
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Screwdriver
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Pliers
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Wire capping nut
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Light bulb
Hang pendant lights at varying heights for a dramatic effect. Image Credit: Jupiterimages/Polka Dot/Getty Images
Installing a pendant light from your vaulted ceiling provides a dramatic look to any decor. Pendant lights hang from the ceiling on a single chain, rod or cord. Typically, you cannot install pendant lights on normal ceilings — except for areas above kitchen islands and pool tables — since they hang low. However, if you have cathedral or vaulted ceilings, you can bring the light closer by adding pendant lights to the room. Installing the pendant light from a vaulted ceiling is done in the same manner as installing the lights from other types of ceilings.
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Step 1
Switch the power off to the room where you are installing the pendant light. Turn the power off at the breaker or fuse box. Test the light in the room by switching the light switch on and off to make sure you have the electricity turned off.
Step 2
Unscrew the screws that attach the light fixture and its dome-shaped canopy from the ceiling with a screwdriver. Remove the crossbar from the electrical box by unscrewing the screws at each end of the crossbar with a screwdriver. Lower the old light fixture from the ceiling.
Step 3
Assemble the pendant light fixture as stated in the manufacturer's instructions. Screw the light fixture threaded pipe into the middle of the crossbar. Use pliers to tighten the locknut to the crossbar. Screw the crossbar back onto the electrical box that is inside the ceiling with the screws at each end of the bar.
Step 4
Twist the like-colored wires together carefully and cap the end of the wires with a wire nut. Wrap the green wire from the pendant light around the grounding screw.
Step 5
Push the wires carefully into the ceiling. Hold the pendant light canopy or dome — which sets flush against the ceiling — against the vaulted ceiling and secure it to the surface with the screws included with the light.
Step 6
Attach the pendant light's shade and screw in the light bulb. Turn the electric back on and test the light by switching the light switch on and off.
Tip
Always follow the manufacturer’s recommended installation directions and warnings.
Warning
If the electric is not properly turned off, you could cause bodily harm and possibly death to yourself from an electric shock.
