Installing Light Fixtures in an Older House

Turn off the main electricity at the main switch.

Trace on the drywall around the conduit box where you want it to be. Cut the drywall out with your drywall cutter. Be careful when cutting the drywall in an older home, because if you are too forceful, the drywall may crumble or crack.

Trace on the wall around the switch conduit box and cut out with your drywall cutter, again being careful with the older drywall.

Run a wire from where the conduit box will be to where you want the switch. Run another wire from where the switch will be to the nearest outlet or to a dedicated circuit in your breaker box. To wire to the outlet, remove the outlet by first removing the faceplate by unscrewing the middle screw. Next, unscrew the outlet by unscrewing the top and bottom screws. Pull the outlet towards you and pull your new wire through. Strip back about one inch. Wire into the outlet matching black with black, and white with white. The bare copper wire is ground and will screw onto the green screw on the metal body of the outlet. To wire to a dedicated circuit, you will open the breaker box. Unscrew the screws around the breaker and remove the cover. Run your wire from the switch to the breaker running it through the access holes in the breaker frame. Strip back one inch of wire and screw your black wire into the circuit breaker set screw. Screw the white and copper wire to the metal bar int the breaker box using the set screw. Screw back on the cover.

Install the light and switch conduit boxes. First put your wire through the conduit box and then push it through the hole that you cut out earlier. Screw the conduit box to be tight by using the two screws that are built into the conduit box. This will activate the flaps and make them snug against the drywall.

Wire in the switch by stripping back each wire one inch. Screw only the black wires onto the switch. The black wire coming from the outlet or circuit breaker will go on the bottom screw. The black wire coming from the light will go on the top screw. The bare copper wires will screw onto the green screw on the metal body of the switch. Cap the white wires together. Screw in the switch using the two screws on the top and bottom of the switch, and screw on a faceplate.

Wire the light by twisting together the black, white, and ground wires and then capping them. Follow the manufacturer's directions on screwing the light into place. You are now done and may turn back on the electricity to test your installation.