How to Wire a Floor Lamp

If you have an old floor lamp, there's a chance that the wiring has become frayed or worn. Worn-out wiring can present the possibility of electric shock or can be a fire hazard. To replace worn-out wiring in your floor lamp, you'll need to wire the lamp. The process is straightforward and can be done with basic tools by following some simple steps.

Things You'll Need

• Electric cord wire
• Electric plug
• Wire cutters and strippers
• Screwdriver
• Crescent wrench

Instructions

1. 

   Unplug your lamp from the wall socket, and move it to a place where you can work on it.

2. 

   Unscrew the bulb socket from the lamp base. There may be a nut holding this on. If so, use your crescent wrench to loosen it. Otherwise, simply twist the socket until it unscrews.

3. 

   With the bulb socket removed, disconnect the wires connected to the bulb socket. They'll be attached to the bulb socket with two screws. Simply unscrew them. Pull the wire out of the lamp from the base end.

4. Run the new lamp wiring through the lamp base. Push it in from the bottom end. When you've run the wire, strip back the top ends of the wiring 3/8 of an inch and connect it to the bulb socket. Replace the bulb socket by reversing the process you followed in Step 2.

5. Wire your new electric plug to the new wiring. Plug in the lamp and test the operation.

Tips & Warnings

• Never work on a live circuit. Unplug any electrical appliance or device before trying to work on it.