Welcome to Home Improvement Guide
Bankruptcy Home Improvement Loan Article
We have the largest supply of facts on home improvement.
Easy Steps to Mounting Track Lights
Your five-year-old son is going to be the next Picasso, you can already tell. You want to hang his latest masterpiece on the wall and make it the focal point of the room, but how to achieve the effect?
Track lighting, of course! Track lighting offers the opportunity to much better control the mood and emphasis of a room's lighting. With so many colors and styles, it is just as beautiful as it is functional.
If wiring through a junction box would tax your electrical skills past their limit, track lighting kits are available that simply plug in to the wall. They can't be beat for ease of installation, but they do not look as professional and unobtrusive as those that are actually mounted through the ceiling.
If you are ready for installation that is a little more challenging, follow these easy steps to mount track lighting and give Junior's piece de resistance the attention it deserves!
Materials Needed
Drill / screwdriver
Electrical cable and tape
Ladder or stepstool
Long-nose or electrician's pliers
Neon tester / voltage meter
Tape measure
Toggle bolts
Track light kit
Wire nuts
Step to mounting track lights
1. Turn off the power. Turn off electrical power to appropriate junction box through the breaker box or service panel. Ensure that the circuit is dead with a neon tester or voltage meter. Once you are certain the power is off, remove the existing fixture and carefully disconnect wires, keeping exposed ends separate from each other.
2. Wire the live end. Put live end into the track and secure it by tightening the setscrew. Attach the live end to the mounting bracket.
Use pigtail leads to finish wiring the live end. Pigtail leads are short wires connected to terminals. Wire nuts are then used to connect the pigtail leads to the home wiring. Secure the black pigtail lead to the brass screw, the white pigtail to the silver screw, and the green (or bare) pigtail to the green grounding screw.
3. Lay out the track location. Decide on track location based on the existing junction box and which areas you'd like the lights to bring focus to. You can purchase fittings for Ts or angles; but double check that the fittings you want are offered by the manufacturer of your chosen track light system.
Mark mounting holes to indicate position. Ensure the track runs parallel to a wall by measuring out an equal distance from the wall to either end of the track. Remember to place tracks an appropriate distance (at least 6") from potentially flammable materials. On the marked places, drill holes for toggle bolts or screws.
4. Mount the track. Place circuit and fixture wires in junction box and install the mounting plate on the box. Snap the track into place on the junction box by following instructions provided for your specific track lighting system.
Put toggle bolts/screws through new track mounting and lift the track to the ceiling. (Recruit helpers' beforehand if the track if very heavy or unwieldy.) Into the mounting holes, insert toggle wings but do not tighten. Attach any fittings (Ts or angles) and additional track sections desired, and insert end pieces at the end of the completed track.
Insert the electrical adapter into the track and twist to attach it. Install the cover over the mounting plate assembly and adapter. Place fixtures into the track and twist to secure.
Screw in appropriate bulbs as recommended by the manufacturer.
Make connections to house wiring. Twist wire connectors onto the matching colored house and pigtail wires to lock them together. Secure the mounting plate to the ceiling box with the screws provided. Tighten toggle bolts/screws.
Apply the finishing touches. Turn the power back on and test the lights. If they fail, turn off and double check the current with a neon tester or voltage meter. Also check your work for missing connections.
Once power has been restored, adjust head angle and position to shine light where you want it. For added versatility, consider purchasing a dimmer to make subtle changes in the strength of the lighting. Relax and enjoy your next dinner party when Junior's masterpiece is lavishly complimented, thanks to the superior showcasing.
Bankruptcy Home Improvement Loan Best products
Bankruptcy Home Improvement Loan News
Auto sales plunge again in December (CNN Money)
Battered by tight credit and the worst recession in decades, industrywide U.S. auto sales plunged 36% from year-ago levels in December, a decline that hit all of the major automakers, both foreign and domestic, and capped the industry's worst year since 1992.
Read more...2008: Top Stories of the Year (Insurance Journal)
2008 can be described as a year like no other in the property/casualty insurance world. This year we saw the near death of the world's largest and most successful insurance company, AIG. The soft ...
Read more...Top 10 Stories in 2008 (The White Lake Beacon)
The ROTHBURY Festival came and went so fast that driving by the Double JJ Ranch and Resort weeks after the July Fourth weekend event, one may never have guessed that it had actually occurred.
Read more...Check out a special section dedicated to pets. (The Virginia Gazette)
Williams, 53, isn't the only Clinton insider who made money from an industry the candidate has demonized.
Read more...Economic downturn, budget woes top news in 2008 (The Inquirer and Mirror)
Editor’s Note: As each year winds to a close, The Inquirer and Mirror chooses the top news stories and newsmakers that impacted the lives of those who call Nantucket home, be it year-round or only for a brief time.
Read more...Top 10 stories of 2008 (Peninsula Gateway)
Construction and other developments at St. Anthony Hospital on Canterwood Boulevard were the No. 2 story of 2008. The 80-bed building, Gig Harbor's first full-service hospital, is scheduled to open in early 2009.
Read more...