How to Install a 6-bulb Light Fixture in a Bathroom

Adding a light fixture is a great first step in a bathroom makeover.

Give your bathroom a new look by changing the lights. Bathroom vanity lights are fairly easy to swap out, and you can choose from a multitude of different styles. One popular option is the six-bulb light fixture -- a decorative bar with six bulbs that mounts over the vanity mirror. It's a great choice if you want a lot of light in your bathroom. You can install the fixture with some simple tools and a modest investment of time.

Things You'll Need

• Headlamp or portable light
• Wire cutters
• Screwdriver
• Wire strippers
• Level
• Pencil
• Drill
• Hollow wall anchors with screws
• Wire nuts

Instructions

1. Turn off the power to the circuit you'll be working on at the circuit breaker panel. Don't put trust in simply turning off the light switch at the wall. It's far too easy for it to be turned on accidentally. Put on a headlamp or place a portable battery light in the bathroom if necessary for lighting.

2. Loosen the thumb screws on the old light fixture. You'll typically find two to three of these on the front of the fixture. Pull the old light fixture forward and off the wall.

3. Reach behind the old fixture and twist off the wire nuts connecting the home's wires to the three wires -- black, white and green -- connected to the light, leaving as much wire as possible to work with. If the wires coming from the wall aren't connected to the fixture's lights with wire nuts, cut the wires, leaving as much wiring to work with as possible. In many cases the green ground wire of the light fixture won't be connected to the home wiring, but rather to a green screw in the wall's outlet box. If this is the case, loosen the screw to remove the wire. Remove the old fixture once it is disconnected.

4. Remove the screws holding the old mounting plate onto the wall. Hold the mounting plate for the new six-bulb fixture on the wall in the desired position. Place a level on top to check that it is straight. Mark the location of the mounting screw holes onto the wall with a pencil.

5. Drill a small hole in the marked locations on the wall. Insert a hollow wall anchor into each of the holes. Place the mounting plate on the wall, feeding the wall wiring through the center of the plate. Insert a screw into each of the anchors and tighten until the mounting plate is securely fastened against the wall.

6. Remove 1/2-inch of insulation from the ends of each of the wall wiring leads and the wires of the new fixture, if necessary. Match the wire colors together -- black to black, white to white -- and slide a wire nut over the ends of each pair. Twist the wire nuts until they're tightly secured onto the wires. Wrap the bare end of the green ground wire around the green ground screw in the outlet box and tighten the screw.

7. Slide the new fixture over the protruding screws of the mounting bar. Place the thumbscrews of the new fixture onto the screws and tighten with your fingers until the light bar is flush with the wall.

Tips & Warnings

• These instructions will work just as well for many other bathroom vanity light fixtures.

• Never work on live electrical circuits. Always shut the power off at the circuit breaker panel.

References

• "Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual: Completely Revised and Updated"; Editors of The Family Handyman; 2005
• "Wiring 1-2-3"; Steve Cory; 2005