If you have lamps in your living room but wish you had more illumination, call an electrician to install an overhead light. Even if there isn't wiring to an old light present, an electrician can add wiring and a switch so the light is installed and functional. You can keep your lamps, or remove them and make more room. Here's a quick look at some steps involved with installing a ceiling light.
Choose Your Options
Have the light and anything else you want hung ready for the electrician to install. You might also want a ceiling fan with a light kit installed rather than just a simple ceiling light. You may want a dimmer switch or a three-way switch that allows two switches across the room from each other to turn the light on. An electrical contractor can install exactly what you want, you just have to let them know.
Find Some Wiring
Your electrical contractor can hook into existing wiring if there is some available. Since there are lamps in the room, there will be outlets with wiring the contractor can hook into. The electrician shuts down the power to the room and opens up the outlet to access the wiring. They'll also need to cut openings in the drywall for the switch and the ceiling light to be installed. Then they can feed fish tape through the outlet hole to the hole in the ceiling for the light and in the wall for the switch. Fish tape allows them to pull wiring above the ceiling and behind a wall without having to open up the wall.
Connect Wiring
The contractor chooses the right spot for the ceiling light, which is usually the center of the room. Once the hole is made to mount the light fixture, the wiring can be run from the light to the outlet area. The wiring will hang from the ceiling while the wiring is also connected to the light switch. Wiring is then run from the outlet to the switch. The switch is wired and installed into the wall. The contractor also has to hang the light. This requires anchoring a bar to wood since drywall won't hold a heavy light. Once the light can be hung securely, the wiring is connected, and the light is screwed to the hanger to hold it tight. The electrician then has to put the outlet back in place and test the light switch to make sure the light works.
For more info, contact a local electrician.
When we purchased our first home, we realized that there was a problem with some of the electrical work. Some of the lights flickered when we turned them on, and others really seemed to have issues if they were left on long term. I thought the issues was the light bulbs themselves at first, so I replaced several of them. However, after making those changes, it seemed like things were still having trouble. I began going through and thinking carefully about how to identify and resolve the challenges, and it occurred to me that working with an electrician could be helpful. I turned to the professional for help, and it was a good thing I did. Read more about electricians on this blog.