Lighting is hugely important to the overall look and feel of any home, especially a home on the market for sale. When staging a home for sale it can be all too easy to overlook that fact, even though you never should. However, if their are dim spots in your home do you really want to go to a great deal of time, trouble and expense redoing the whole lighting scheme in a home you are hoping to leave very soon anyway?
The good news is that you may not have to. Wall sconces are a great way to add accent lighting to almost any area of the home that would benefit from a little extra illumination. They are also, in many cases, almost works of art in their own right and can dramatically alter the overall aesthetic appeal of a room. Perhaps the best news of all for busy would be homesellers? Most modern wall lights can be installed by a confident DIYer, as long as they exercise care and common sense and know when to throw in the towel and call in a professional electrician if things start to go awry.
The following is a basic guide to installing wall sconces and does assume that the installer has a little bit of electrical knowledge. In addition, the installation instructions for certain modern wall sconces may differ, and the manufacturers directions should also be followed over any other advice.
Step By Step Guide for Installing Wall Sconces
To begin with, you need to determine exactly where you want to install your new wall sconces. To be most useful, wall sconces should be installed approximately 72 to 78 inches from the floor. Install them any lower and people are likely to bump into them on a regular basis, any higher and they will serve only to light the ceiling instead of providing the ambient room light you desire. You should also, from an aesthetic point of view, avoid bunching sconces too close together. Spacing them at least six feet apart should help you avoid creating a cluttered and confused look. After you have determined and marked the locations for your new wall sconces it is time to gather together the tools you will need to complete the project. Usually you should have all of the following close at hand:
Small keyhole saw The right screwdriver A pair of lineman’s pliers Hand-held power drill Fish tape.
Make Your Cuts
Next, you should make sure that the power is off. Rather than just turning off the power to a single room it may be better to power your home down altogether temporarily. With the power safely disrupted, locate a suitable junction box or power receptacle you can use in conjunction with your new wall sconces. . Take your saw and carefully cut a vertical hole for the switch box and horizontal holes for the sconce boxes into the wall. Next, run an adequate amount of cable from your chosen power source to the light switch and then from the light switch to the openings you have just cut into the wall for the wall sconces.
Time to Wire Up
Now it is time to attach the cable to the boxes, ideally allowing an extra eight inches of cable to protrude from each of the boxes you will be working with. This done, the boxes can then be attached to their new positions on the wall and the wiring completed as per the wall sconce manufacturers instructions. In most instances you will need to strip the sheathing and any wire insulation before making any connections but again, make sure you follow the specific instructions for the modern wall lights you are installing. After the boxes are wired the connection to the the switch that will control the wall sconces should be made last.
Testing, Testing
Making sure that all the wiring is safely tucked into each individual electrical box, you can now attach the lighting mount strap to the box, and then the sconce itself to the mounting strap. Re secure the cover plate to the switch, turn the power back on and test. Hopefully, you should now have a bright new outlook on your space and a better staged home to showcase to potential buyers.