Lighting How To & DIY
Improve the value of your home by discovering our lighting step-by-step tips & ideas.
How to Add Task Lighting to a Kitchen
This Old House host Kevin O'Connor works with an electrician to help a couple add task lighting to their dark kitchen
How to Light a Windowless Room
Pro tips for brightening spaces that lack natural light
4 Outdoor Lighting Upgrades for Summer Entertaining
Brighten your outdoor space with lights and laughter
Front Porch Lights: From A to Z
More than just a beacon leading to the front door, exterior lighting helps define the look of a house. With planning and a bit of math, you can put your home's best face forward.
How to Install Track Lighting With Ease
Master electrician Allen Gallant shows how to install a ceiling-mounted track lighting system. We show you the costs involved and offer a step-by-step process.
How to Install an Entry Light
This Old House host Kevin O'Connor illuminates the key steps to lighting up an entryway.
How to Install Recessed Lighting
Do you have a room that can benefit from recessed lighting? Brighten up your home by installing this simple fixture that can make a huge difference. Watch this DIY Smarts project, as This Old House master electrician Heath Eastman installs recessed lights in a homeowner’s playroom.
Bath Chandelier Dos and Don'ts
Dress up your bath without creating a safety hazard
3 Ways to Spiff Up a Ceiling Fan
Give an old ceiling fan a refined new look in three easy steps
All About Path Lighting
With a little knowledge and a little planning, you can lead family and friends safely to your door and cast your home in a whole new light
How to Create Tin-Can Lanterns
Welcome trick-or-treaters by candlelight with festive punched-out luminaries made from leftover food cans
How to Use a Barn Pulley to Make a Wall-Mount Light Fixture
Create a unique sconce—based on a commercial industrial-look fixture—for a fraction of the cost
Exterior Lighting Right Where You Need It
A common sense approach to outdoor lighting
How to Install Low-Voltage Landscape Lighting
Light up your yard with help from This Old House landscape contractor Roger Cook and Mark Piantedosi.
How to Rewire a Vintage Entry Lantern
Hung in a front entry or a cozy corner indoors, these pendant-style fixtures cast a soft ambient light that's both charming and inviting
Barn-Style Sconces
Charming and practical, these hardworking fixtures deliver high-performance light and a vintage look to any home
All About Pendant Lights
These hanging fixtures add brightness and style to any room in the house. The experts at TOH show you how to find and install one that puts light where you want it, beautifully
How to Install a Pendant Light
This Old House host Kevin O'Connor discovers the proper way to install ceiling-mounted light fixtures
Everything You Need to Rewire a Light Fixture
Rebuild an old light on the cheap
Your Compact Fluorescent Lightbulb Problems Solved
Compact fluorescent lightbulbs help fight rising energy costs, but the unflattering color they cast and their funky spiral shapes can be turnoffs. Here, ways to start saving more money without suffering
How to Install Under Cabinet Lighting
Here are step-by-step instructions to get the best kitchen under cabinet lighting for a range of tasks.
How to Swap in a Vintage Light
This simple switch can add lots of charm
How to Rewire and Hang an Old Light Fixture
Get it working with easy-to-find components
Buying and Using Vintage Light Fixtures
Hang a vintage fixture to give a style boost to a bedroom, dining room, or hallway
How to Hang a Chandelier
Step-by-step instructions for replacing a simple light fixture with a chandelier
Dim All the Lights Quietly
A dimmer switch can create a tranquil mood, but not if it makes an annoying buzz
10 Electrical Wiring Problems Solved
Do you have an electrical issue you’re looking to fix? Read our guide to learn some common electrical problems you might face, and the best solutions for each.
How to Put in Landscape Lighting
Read this step-by-step guide to learn how to illuminate a walkway by installing landscape lighting.
Two Good Reasons You Should Buy Fiber-Optic Lighting
Fiber-optic lighting can save energy and mean the end of hard-to-change light bulbs.
Old House, New Light
Lighting designer Susan Arnold helped the Charlestown homeowners select modern fixtures to illuminate their old house