Maybe you have a box of knickknacks or your favorite reading chair is too far from an electrical outlet to have a lamp next to it without running an extension cord across the room. Track lights will allow you to elegantly display those collectibles or trophies in your choice of colors to enhance them. Or maybe that favorite chair is in the middle of the room where the only way to turn it on is with a dangerous extension cord that everyone trips over. This easy do-it-yourself track lighting installation will put the light exactly where you want it in less than an afternoon.

Decide where you want to place the lighting rail?

When deciding where to place your lighting track, you need to consider how you are going to supply power to it. The easiest way is to replace an existing device that you don’t need. This can be on the ceiling or on the wall. If you don’t have an existing light that you can replace, don’t worry. You still have two options. The easiest option is to mount the lighting track near an existing wall outlet and plug it in. If the outlet is controlled by a wall switch, so much the better; however, you can always use a power cord with a built-in switch. There may be rare cases where you cannot install the lighting track near an existing power source. If this is the case, you will need to install your own, which will be described last. Once you’ve decided where the lighting rail will go, keep it in place and, with a pencil, mark the mounting holes.

Mounting the lighting unit on a track

Install wall / ceiling anchors according to package instructions. I prefer Molly Bolts or EZ Anchor Toggle Bolts as they provide the most strength except they screw directly into the bolts and are the easiest to install. You don’t even need to drill; just tap them through the drywall with a hammer in the places you marked above. The molly bolt will require you to insert the supplied bolt and tighten it as much as possible, collapsing the bolt wings on the far side of the drywall. With the EZ anchor bolts, you will need to turn the anchor a full turn with a Phillips screwdriver to anchor it. If you are using existing power, drill a small hole in a blank plastic cover and insert a rubber grommet to protect the cables. If you are installing your own light switch, drill a small hole in the drywall and push the power cables through the hole. With at least three or four anchors installed, hold the light rail in place and install the bolts starting in the middle and working outward. Unless you are connecting a power cord to a wall outlet, do not fully fasten the rail to the ceiling yet.

Track connection to power

For those installations where you will be using a power cord to a wall outlet, I prefer a 3/8 to ½ inch staple with a matching colored piece of plastic to protect the power cord. You can also use a product called WireMold. This protects and hides the cord. For installations where you will be using an existing power supply, such as a removed lamp, route the power cables from the light rail to the junction box through the grommet on the cover and connect the cables from white to white, from green to green. and black to black using wire nuts. Holding the stripped ends of the two (or three) wires together, place the wire nut over the wires, and turn the nut clockwise until the wires begin to twist. Repeat this for all three cables. Some tracks will not be equipped with ground wires, so they will only have two wires to connect. Once the connections are made, close the box, using the blank plastic cover, and tighten the anchor bolts enough to prevent the rail from moving.

Connection to an existing light switch.

Decide which light and switch you want to control the track lighting and carefully remove it, exposing the wires behind the light. Most houses have their electrical wiring through the roof access space, so you will need to find the roof access door and climb. Have a helper touch the ceiling in the room where the new track lighting is being installed to help locate it. Locate a light that is controlled by a switch using a tool called a tick tracker, and ask your helper to turn the light on and off to help you verify that you have the correct light. Turn off the switch that supplies power. Insert the rail cables into a Handi-Box from the back. Next, insert one end of a length of 14/2 Romex cable into the box and fasten the box to a stud or beam. Connect the cables as described above and close the box using a blank cover. Route the cable to the junction box identified above and push it into the box with the other cables. Exit the ceiling and connect the cables to the switched power as described. Reattach the lamp to the wall or ceiling and make sure all mounting bolts are tight.

The last step is to install the light fixtures where you want them and orient them according to the instructions supplied with the light kit. Now you’re ready to enjoy light where you want it, when you want it.