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About Greg Hughes
Expertise
Residential Electrical including Appliances and HVAC with 28 years experience.

Experience
Started training as an electrician in 1979, worked for major companies and the government.

Education/Credentials
Graduated from Electrician's School, Carrier Training, and various specialty schools.

You are here: Experts > Home/Garden > Home Improvement/Repair > Electrical Wiring in the Home > adding ceiling light in existing room

Electrical Wiring in the Home - adding ceiling light in existing room

Expert: Greg Hughes - 11/6/2009

Question
Is there a technique for running the wire (romex) in a finished wall and ceiling without tearing up a lot of wall board? On one light the joists are in line with the wall where the switch will be. On another the joists are parallel with the wall where the switch is planned. I recall once seeing a picture of drilling from the other side of the wall to pull wire. any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Mike

Answer
Pulling wires is partly technical and partly an art form. Having the right tools makes all the difference.

If you do not have attic or crawl space above the ceiling this is very tricky. You say the joists travel inline but is there any blocking? There will be some drywall cutting at the corner where the ceiling meets the wall, from either in the room or in the room behind it.

There is "wiremold" available but I am not crazy about it running across a ceiling. It looks best going vertical and down low horizontally.

The joists going against the line will be extremely difficult if you do not attic access.

There is a trick I will give you that will help you keep drywall cutting to a minimum.

1. Find each joist that you will be going through and mark them with a pencil.
2. Take a 3" hole saw and put the arbor dead center of the joist and cut it out.
3. Carefully save the piece you just cut out.
4. Chisel out the joist enough for the wire to pass through and then cover with a plate. The 3" should give you enough room to install a plate over the wire and secure it into the wood.
5. Carefully smooth the edges of the hole and the piece you cut out and patch it back into place. Now fill the small hole where the arbor was.
If you did this right you should be able to paint over it and no one should notice.

At the corner where the wall meets the ceiling you will cut out a rectangle in the ceiling and one in the wall. Now chisel enough of the wood to pass the wire through and cover again with metal plates. Put the pieces back and patch and then paint.

I hope this helps.

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