Grey House Harbor
  • Home
  • about
  • contact

Aug 17 2014

the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial )

Posted by hayley
Tweet

Raise your hand if you currently have or have ever had one of these ugly lighting offenders in your home. Ok good, so it’s not just me.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

I’m not entirely sure why builders insist on these boob fixtures as their lighting of choice, but I’m going to guess it has something to do with their general blandness and low cost. We used to have a whopping 8 of these mounted throughout the house. But now we’re down to 7, thanks to a  “reduction operation” (sorry for the continued reference, but seriously, how can you not see it).

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Songbird’s room definitely needed some lighting with more personality. I debated for a long time between a pendant light or a ceiling fan, but ultimately the shade pendant won me over. All the worthwhile fixtures I found online were well over $200 and therefore clearly outside my budget.

If you can’t buy, then DIY!

*** Before you begin any electrical project, be sure to turn off the appropriate breaker. Not just the light switch, but the actual breaker please! ***

Stuff you’ll need: White Hanging Light Swag Kit from Lowes, 2-in-1 canopy kit, screwdriver, wire cutter/stripper, wire nuts, Sharpie

1. Remove the boob flush-mount light with care, disconnecting it from any wires in the ceiling.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

2. Unbox your “hanging light swag kit” from Lowes (I looked for it at Home Depot, but no luck). You’ll notice that this kit is actually designed to be plugged into an outlet. So if you wanna just plug your light in, than it’s ready to go. However, this tutorial covers how to hard wire it instead.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

3. Use your wire cutters to snip the cord just above the light toggle, removing the toggle and the plug end. This photo makes it look like I’m leaving only a small length of cord, but there’s actually several feet left.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

4. I picked up this lovely over-sized lampshade at Home Goods/ TJ Maxx for $16. You can use any lampshade you want, but it must have harp hardware on the top like this and not the kind that goes down inside.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

That’s because the swag kit is designed to screw onto the small center fitting like this! Neat, right?!

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

4. Next, open your canopy kit and spread out the contents. You’ll only be using the canopy, support bracket, and the 4 silver screws (2 of which have white caps on them).

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

5. With the bend of the bracket facing up, slide the cut end of your cord through the hole. Hold the bracket up to the ceiling and adjust the cord length to your preferred shade height. Use a Sharpie to mark the cord just above the bracket.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

6. Take the bracket back off and attach the long screws with the white caps to the inner most holes on each side.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

7. Slide the canopy onto the wire, followed by the bracket (bend facing up) and tie a tight double knot where you made your Sharpie mark.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

8. Cut the cord about 3″ past the knot. With your wire cutters, snip between the two wires at the top and gently pull them apart. Then use your wire strippers to carefully remove the plastic from the last 1″ of the wires to expose the metal filament.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

9. A quick lesson in electrical work… There is always a live wire and neutral wire. Match the two up and you’re in business. Match the wrong ones together and it won’t work. But how do you know which is which?

Typically a live wire will be red or black and neutral wire will be white or grey. A ground wire is used as a safety net for an electrical short, but they aren’t necessary for low voltage lighting. The ground wire will be bare copper, green or yellow.

In my ceiling I had 4 wires because it was able to accept a ceiling fan as well as a light fixture. The RED is my live wire, COPPER is my ground, WHITE is my neutral, and BLACK is an additional live wire to work a ceiling fan from a separate switch. Don’t be afraid to touch the wires, as they have no current running to them because you turned off the breaker, right? Riiiiight?!

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Since I do not need the ground or the black fan wire, I tucked them back into the ceiling hole. Be sure and keep a wire nut (red cap) on any additional live wires.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

10. Unscrew the shade from the swag kit. It’s easier to hook this up with less weight hanging off your wires.

The cord you stripped also has a live and neutral wire, but it isn’t color coded. One plastic tube will be smooth and the other is slightly ribbed. The smooth wire is live, the ribbed is neutral. Another way to tell for this cord is that the black writing is on the live wire. Stick both raw ends of the appropriate wires together in a wire cap and twist until it’s tight.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

11. Go turn on your breaker and your light switch to check your work!

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

12. Flip the switch back off. Use the two short screws to attach the bracket back to the holes in the ceiling.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

13. Slide the canopy up the cord and stick the two long screws down through the holes. Secure with the white caps.

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

14. Re-attach your lamp shade and you’re done!

wpid4385-how-to-make-a-shade-pendant-light.jpg

Already a vast improvement; no more body parts on the ceiling, yay! All said and done, this beauty cost only $39!!! That bargain price alone should be motivation to try it in your home too.

She’s a bit of a plain jane right now, but check back for my idea on how to up the spunk!

diy shade pendant light  |  greyhouseharbor.com

Tags: diy, lighting, songbirds room, tutorials

Comments (46)

Add a comment Top
  1. LoTu
    August 17, 2014

    1) You are clearly a genius. I can’t wait to try this and say I actually did electrical work! 2) Totally loved the humor! I was cracking up the whole time!!

    Reply
    • hayley
      August 17, 2014

      Oh LoTu… if you can handle an academy full of dudes, you can fo’ sho’ handle electrical wiring. Send me a pic when you’re done!

      Reply
  2. Pingback: songbird's room : all in the details | Grey House Harbor September 8, 2014

    […] installing this ceiling shade pendant light, I used white banner paper to create a 3-dimensional “slip cover” to add a bit of […]

  3. Linds
    December 3, 2015

    Reading this as I lay here staring up at my boob light trying to figure out how to rid myself of it. I have a shade already and now I know how to rig it up. Thanks a bunch!!!

    Reply
    • hayley
      January 10, 2016

      Hooray! So glad I could help rid you of excess boobage. Ahahaaa!

      Reply
  4. Pingback: 31 Affordable Remodeling Projects You Can Actually Do Yourself | Home & Garden Tools August 27, 2016

    […] If you DO want to attempt it yourself, here’s how. […]

  5. Sidnie Anderson
    August 31, 2016

    Have you noticed if this gives off any different light pattern? Like more or less light? More light directly in a certain section, etc.?

    Reply
    • hayley
      September 8, 2016

      Sidnie – Honestly, I think the lighting is better now because the large white shade diffuses the light more efficiently. If you had a dark colored shade, you might end up with more of a spot light affect. But one bulb + the white shade just lights the room real nice and evenly. And brighter than the “boob” light ever did.

      Reply
  6. Pingback: 24 Mini Makeovers You Can Do To Your Home This Weekend | PPMT - Premier Property Marketing Team September 9, 2016

    […] Are you sick of those “boob lights?” If your ceiling is tall enough, you can give the light a skirt instead. If you don’t know electrical work, you should likely hire a professional […]

  7. Pingback: 30 Affordable DIY Remodeling Ideas That Will Spectacularly Upgrade Your Home - Myeva for Healthcare, Skin care & Beauty November 24, 2016

    […] via: greyhouseharbor […]

  8. Pingback: 30 Affordable DIY Remodeling Ideas That Will Spectacularly Upgrade Your Home | Olipbeauty November 27, 2016

    […] via: greyhouseharbor […]

  9. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects December 7, 2016

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  10. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects - Gustavo Thrace Home Improvement December 8, 2016

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  11. Pingback: 24 Mini Makeovers you can do to your Home this Weekend | Buy and Sell with Linda Sherwood December 11, 2016

    […] Are you sick of those “boob lights?” If your ceiling is tall enough, you can give the light a skirt instead. If you don’t know electrical work, you should likely hire a professional […]

  12. Pingback: 21 Ways How to Revamp Old Furniture #2 | Furniture Idea December 26, 2016

    […] 14. Switch out your light fixtures for new ones http://greyhouseharbor.com/the-boob-job-shade-pendant-tutorial/ […]

  13. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects – macovora December 29, 2016

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  14. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects - Home Improvement For Girls January 6, 2017

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  15. Ab
    April 17, 2017

    I’ve been wanting to get rid of my ‘boob’ light! Thank you for the tip!

    Reply
  16. Pingback: 40 Home Improvement Ideas for Those On A Serious Budget - DIY Joy April 28, 2017

    […] greyhouseharbor […]

  17. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects | Home 360 May 6, 2017

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  18. Pingback: 4 Steps to Create Budget-Friendly Lights And 16 Incredible DIY Lights June 25, 2017

    […] Try this pendant light […]

  19. Pingback: 25 Ways To Improve Your Home If You're On A Serious Budget - Just Girly Things July 5, 2017

    […] a light shade to overhaul a boring light […]

  20. Pingback: 25 Ways To Improve Your Home If You're On A Serious Budget - The Home Designer Co. July 6, 2017

    […] a light shade to overhaul a boring light […]

  21. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects | Do It Yourself July 18, 2017

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  22. Pingback: 24 Mini Makeovers You Can Do To Your Home This Weekend August 11, 2017

    […] Are you sick of those “boob lights?” If your ceiling is tall enough, you can give the light a skirt instead. If you don’t know electrical work, you should likely hire a professional […]

  23. Msty
    August 17, 2017

    Thank you! I wanted something like this with a little billing for my master bathroom. I need 2. They were a couple hundred each in the store! Can’t wait to redo my rooms!!

    Reply
  24. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects – Handy DIY Tips October 20, 2017

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  25. Pingback: 25 Ways To Improve Your Home If You're On A Serious Budget - Just Girly Things October 25, 2017

    […] builder basic to super trendy without having to spend a ton of money.Repurpose a light shade to overhaul a boring light […]

  26. Jessica Garcia
    May 19, 2018

    Did it! Ceiling excess doesnt match yet, and I bought the wrong canopy and had to get creative, but I love it and appreciate the idea.

    Reply
    • hayley
      May 19, 2018

      Fantastic Jessica! Half of DIY success is getting creative. ;) Proud of you for going for it.

      Reply
    • hayley
      May 19, 2018

      Fantastic Jessica! Half of DIY success is getting creative. ;) Proud of you for going for it!

      Reply
  27. Maria
    June 4, 2018

    Great!! Thanks for this I have been trying to change mine in my apt ( I’m allowed BTW) but they said I had to doit professionally:), Inow I know I can do it myself thanks again :)

    Reply
  28. Pingback: 21 Home decorating DIY Projects – DOLL HOUSE DECORATING June 9, 2018

    […] the boob job ( shade pendant tutorial ) […]

  29. Jessica
    July 14, 2018

    I did this in my girls’ room and it added so much character. I’ve had trouble finding the canopy, though. They’re always sold out. We will be doing this in master bedroom, too. Tired of the boobs!

    Reply
    • Jessica
      July 14, 2018

      I’m a dork. I already commented. Feel free to delete the above. :) just shows how happy I am with this DIY!

      Reply
  30. Eva
    July 18, 2018

    Love it ….my next project in the house

    Reply
  31. Pingback: 22 Cool Remodeling Projects to Make Your Home Amazing December 1, 2018

    […] Tutorial: greyhouseharbor.com […]

  32. Pingback: 40 Residence Renovation Concepts for Those On A Significant Budget plan – DIY Home Decor Ideas December 24, 2018

    […] greyhouseharbor. […]

  33. Pingback: 22 Cool Remodeling Projects to Make Your Home Amazing – Decorator Man January 6, 2019

    […] Tutorial: greyhouseharbor.com […]

  34. Pingback: 40 House Improvement Concepts for Those On A Serious Budget – DIY Home Decor Ideas January 13, 2019

    […] greyhouseharbor. […]

  35. Pingback: 40 Residence Renovation Concepts for Those On A Severe Budget plan – DIY Home Decor Ideas January 15, 2019

    […] greyhouseharbor. […]

  36. Patricia Antolic
    March 2, 2019

    Can’t wait to get to vacation home to put new light in my kitchen. Million thanks.

    Reply
  37. Pingback: 22 Cool Remodeling Projects to Make Your Home Amazing – Neue Ideen June 21, 2019

    […] Tutorial: greyhouseharbor.com […]

  38. Pingback: 40 Home Improvement Ideas for Those On A Serious Budget August 7, 2019

    […] greyhouseharbor […]

  39. Pingback: DIY Home Improvement Projects that are Budjet Friendly! - Blue Door Realty Group Inc., Brokerage April 28, 2020

    […] greyhouseharbor […]

  40. Pingback: 23 Ways to Remodel your Home so it Looks Amazing April 9, 2021

    […] Tutorial: greyhouseharbor.com […]

Leave a Reply to Jessica Cancel reply


I'm Hayley. Wife and mother by day, DIY enthusiast by night. Fueled by sweet tea and jelly beans, I own power tools and know how to use them. Consider yourself warned.

featured on button

New posts delivered fresh to your inbox!

Follow on Bloglovin

Recent Posts

  • big ‘ole magnet board / job chart
  • a collection of caps a collection of caps
  • a new chapter a new chapter
  • treasure rocks treasure rocks
  • missing grams missing grams

 

S P O N S O R S - & - F R I E N D S

Categories

Archives

Follow

Follow on Bloglovin

Recent Posts

  • big ‘ole magnet board / job chart
  • a collection of caps a collection of caps
  • a new chapter a new chapter

disclaimer & copyright

All opinions within are exclusively and honestly mine. I do not commit to posting positive reviews of any promotional items I may receive. However, if the product or service suits the interests of my readers I may feature it and denote such compensation.
All content © greyhouseharbor.com 2015.