Wall sconces are perfect accent lights for brightening up a dark hallway, staircase, or an underlit part of the room. In bathrooms, they step in as task lighting when paired on either side of the mirror. Even if your home already has adequate general lighting, wall sconces provide the finishing touch, combining style and function.
Wall sconce lights that are hardwired into your home's electrical system aren't all that difficult to install if you're able to locate them in a certain way: between two studs and above an outlet. With just a couple of hours of work, you'll have stylish illumination that's a permanent addition to your home.
A wall sconce is a light mounted on a wall that provides accent or task lighting to a section of a room rather than area or general lighting to the entire room.
How to Install a Sconce Light From Scratch
Most sconce light instructions assume that power is running directly to the installation area and an electrical box is already in place. Unless you are replacing an existing sconce light, your home will not have this.
Not only that, but the suggested 48- to 72-inch sconce height range might coincidentally have a wire behind the wall, but you can't count on it. What you can count on, though, is another location where you can draw power: electric outlets.
By code, electric wire runs through the walls, with outlets no more than 12 feet away from each other. Every outlet provides a convenient starting point for wire leading upward to a sconce light. As long as the sconce and outlet are horizontally within a few inches of each other, it is a direct, unhindered vertical run of wiring. There is no need to make unnecessary holes in the drywall or to drill through studs. Older homes and newer ones with great than 9 foot tall ceilings will have fire-blocking in the walls. These are 2x4 boards that run across the wall cavity and normally are approximately 48 inches from the floor. They can prevent easy fishing of walls.
Suggested Wall Sconce Heights
The height of the wall sconce depends on its location and the intended activity. For instance, a sconce next to the front door will be higher than a sconce next to the bed as a reading light. Factor in the type of wall sconce, its own height, and whether it points up or down.
Wall sconce heights are measured from the floor and are only suggestions. Adjust as needed.
Low High Bed 48 inches 60 inches Room (Accent) 60 inches 72 inches Bathroom (Sink) 60 inches 65 inches Kitchen (Counter) 55 inches 60 inchesSafety Considerations
Always turn off power to the working area from the electric service panel. If you suspect that water pipes are running through the walls, shut off the water at the main water shut-off before cutting into the drywall.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Turn Off the Power
Turn off power to the work area by shutting off circuits at the electric service panel.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Mark the Wall Studs
With the stud finder, find the two vertical wall studs behind the drywall between which the sconce will be located. Mark with painter's tape. Studs are usually 14-1/2 inches apart from side to side (or 16 inches on-center).
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Mark the Light and Switch Locations
With tape, mark the intended location of the sconce light and wall switch. They should be located between the two studs. Electrical code does not specify light switch heights, but generally switches are located about 48 inches high.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Mark and Cut the Hole for the Light Box
Round electrical boxes often come with paper templates for cutting into the drywall. If so, cut this out with scissors and then draw a circle at the sconce light location. A 4-inch box will require a 4-inch hole. Cut the hole by hand with a drywall jab saw or with a hole saw. Remove the drywall cutout.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Mark and the Cut Hole for the Light Switch Box
Use the light switch paper template, if available, to mark a hole on the wall. Otherwise, turn the box backward and use its edges as a template. Cut the hole and remove the cutout.
Make sure you are not using the outer lip of the box as the template as this must rest against the wall.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Assess the Outlet Box Type
Remove the faceplate of the outlet you'll be drawing power from. Double-check that no power is present with the outlet by using the non-contact voltage tester. Unscrew the outlet and pull it free from the box but leave it attached to its wires.
Determine if the outlet box is either an old-work box or a nail-in (or screw-in) box:
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Remove the Old-Work Outlet Box
Turn out the two screws on the old-work outlet box with a manual screwdriver. Turn the screws counter-clockwise until the box loosens. Then, gripping an edge of the box, pull it into the room but leave it attached to its wires.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Run Wiring From the Light Box to the Switch Box
Manually fish 14/2 wire from the light box hole down to the switch box hole. Cut the wire long enough so that about 8 to 10 inches extend from each hole.
For this short run, there should be no need to use fish tape, but you can do so if this is easier. Insulated exterior walls may need the extra force that fish tape provides. Uninsulated interior walls usually will not need fish tape.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Install the Light Box in the Wall
Insert the top end of the 14/2 wire into the one of the holes on the 4-inch round box. Insert the box into the hole. Turn the box's screws clockwise to secure the box to the wall.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Attach the Mounting Hardware
For the 14/2 wire, rip the outer casing with the cable ripper, cut it off, and dispose of it. Strip the ends of the wires. The sconce light kit should come with a metal ring or strip that you attach to the electrical box with screws. Be sure to thread the three wires through the mounting hardware.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Attach the Sconce to the Wire and Box
Attach the sconce's wires to the 14/2 wires. Often, light wires are pre-stripped and you just need to pull off the cut ends by hand and tightly twist the stranded wires. Attach black wire to black wire, white to white, and bare copper to bare copper, or green/yellow green wire.
Cap off each connection with the wire nuts included with the light kit. Screw the sconce onto the mounting hardware with the included fasteners.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Run Wiring From the Switch Box to the Outlet
Run a length of 14/2 wire from the switch box hole to the outlet:
With either type of box, leave about 8 to 10 inches of wire extending from each hole.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Install the Switch Box in the Wall
Insert the two 14/2 wires into the back of the switch box. Place the box in the hole. With the manual screwdriver, turn the screws clockwise until the box is securely attached to the drywall.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Attach the Light Switch to the Wires
Screw the light switch onto the box. Add the face plate.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Attach the Wire to the Outlet
Complete the wiring by attaching the wire from the light switch to the outlet.
On the 14/2 wire, cut off the ripped cable sheathing and paper. Strip the ends of the wires.
Wiring differs whether the outlet ends a run of other outlets or is one of the other group of outlets.
Ends the Run: On the spare (unused) side of the outlet, attach the black wire to a gold terminal and a white wire to a silver terminal. Remove the existing bare copper wire from the outlet.
Attach three ground wires: the existing bare copper wire, the bare copper wire coming in with the 14/2 cable, and a third bare copper wire. Twist the three wires, cap them off with a wire nut, then attach that third bare copper wire to the outlet.
Another method is to twist the bare grounds together, leaving on approximately 6 inches longer than the others, and placing a brass crimp over the twisted portion of the wire.
From any extra 14/2 cable laying around, you can cut off the needed length, rip off all of the plastic and paper, and then use any of the remaining wires as needed: ground, black, or white. For safety, keep the wires within color families.
Within Group: When both sides of an outlet are attached to wires (one being a line wire and the other being a load wire), you should not attempt to squeeze extra wires under the terminals. Instead, the best practice is to detach the line wires from the outlet and create a third, pigtailed wire that attaches to the outlet.
Attach the black wire to the black wire on the switch's 14/2 cable, adding a third black wire. Twist the three wires and cap them off with a wire nut. Attach the end of that third black wire to the gold terminal of the outlet. Repeat for the white wire and bare copper wire.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Close the Outlet
Push the wires back into the box. Attach the outlet to the box. Add the faceplate.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Turn on Sconce Light
Turn the circuit back on at the service panel. Test the sconce light by turning it on and off at the light switch.
The Spruce / Kevin Norris
Tips and Troubleshooting Sconce Light Installation
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Article 210.52(A)(1). National Electrical Code
Live in a rental but want a light future that’s meant to be hardwired? No problem. Live in a home where you thought you could use a plug-in light, but there are no outlets around? No problem either!
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Today, I am showing you how you can install the wall light of your DREAMS without needing an outlet nearby OR the ability to hardwire! You heard me, a wall light without electricity! *shocks*
The key to this DIY is using battery-operated PUCK lights instead of bulbs or battery-operated bulbs. I repeat- do NOT use a battery-operated bulb for this! LED bulbs will only last 3 hours on battery versus puck lights which can last a good 2-3 months.
So, I ended up choosing a sconce that I had to take apart to be able to fit the pucks in. I’m sure you can find larger lamps that don’t require this, however, I loved these lights and knew I had to have them!
The DOWNSIDE of this tutorial (there are always downsides to hacking the system LOL!) is that once the batteries die, I will need to unscrew the lamp to replace the batteries in the puck and reassemble the lamp. I do think this is a fair trade-off for having killer lights in your home with NO electricity required!
1. IF you need to, disassemble your shade so the puck lights are able to fit inside.
2. Make sure there are batteries in your puck lights (most don’t come with batteries)
3. Place the puck light inside of your shade. If you have a shade that’s not round, you can use a 3M strip to attach the puck to where the bulb socket is.
I had to screw the lamp onto the base after placing the puck inside.
4. Assemble the light based on the instructions the manufacturer was given to you. NOTHING changes about the way you mount your light except for the fact it doesn’t need to be plugged in or hardwired!
My light required me to use anchors in the wall, which wasn’t a problem since they were small. This entire process to about 30 minutes and I think the end result looks amazing! It truly looks like it was hard-wired into the wall. All you need to do is use the remote to turn the light on and off. Brilliant, if I do say so myself!!
The puck lights I bought are dimmable and are sooo bright (fancy!). I will link all the products I used below 🙂
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Will you be trying this out in your own home? Let me know down below!