How To Swag a Chandelier [EASY GUIDE 2022]

Jed Silverlake
8 min readOct 20, 2021

Find out how to swag a chandelier in your home

Image from Pinterest

When a new chandelier’s electrical ceiling box isn’t in the appropriate spot, it’s less expensive to lengthen and swag the fixture’s chain than to have an electrician relocate the electrical box.

But it might not look pretty, so here are steps & ideas in order to make your chandelier look natural despite the swag…Let’s check it out!

The Big Problem With Swaging A Chandelier & How You Can Fix It

Some people are concerned that it would appear cheap, sloppy, or half-finished, but I find that once the room is finished, there is so much to appreciate that an extra cord or chain is the last thing on your mind.

How To Prepare Swaging A Chandelier (Step-by-Step)

There are many steps in order to successfully swag a chandelier from preparing the necessary materials up to setting up your chandelier, here are the steps in order to successfully install one:

Step 1: Measure Ceiling-Height-to-Chandelier Ratio

Using a tape measure, determine the distance between the power supply and the chandelier’s suggested location. To account for slack, add 2 to 3 feet to this measurement. The amount of slack you require is determined by how much chain and cord you want to drape between the fixture and its swag hooks.

Step 2: Find the Necessary Chain & Cord Lengths

Purchase the necessary chain and cord lengths. Chain and cable are sold by the foot in most home improvement stores. To accommodate for electrical connections, lengthen the power cord by 2 feet.

Step 3: Separating The Links For Your Chandelier

Using a set of adjustable pliers and a screwdriver, separate the links that attach to the chandelier’s support ring and its beautiful cover plate to remove the original chain. At this point, do not remove the chandelier’s electrical cables.

Step 4: Using A Screwdriver For Your Chandelier

One end of the new chain should be attached to the chandelier. To separate and open the end link and hook it to the support ring, use a screwdriver and a pair of adjustable pliers. Bend the link back into the closed position with the tools. Replace the decorative cover plate you removed in the previous step with the opposite end of the chain.

Step 5: Connecting To Power Cord For Your Chandelier

Connect the chandelier to the new power cord. The most effective way is to disassemble the chandelier and then replace the old chord with a new one in the same manner. Splicing the cable to a set of wires situated internally using wire nuts, or attaching the cord to set screws on the side of the lamp socket, are examples of this. The sort of chandelier will determine this.

How To Install a Swag A Chandelier (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Shutting Down Power

Turn off the circuit breaker that serves the ceiling electrical box in the panel box. To make sure the power is turned off, use a non-contact circuit tester. Make sure that the light switch is turned off.

Step 2: Linking The Cord

Hook the cord to the swag hook to hang the chandelier at the proper height.

Step 3: Connecting the Switch Leg

By twisting their ends together and fastening them with wire nuts, connect the black switch leg, white neutral, and green or bare copper ground wires from the chandelier to the black, white, and ground wires in the ceiling electrical box.

The wire connecting to the switch that powers the fixture when it is switched on is known as the switch leg.

Step 5: Finish with Appropriate Screws

Place the cover plate on top of the electrical box and fasten it with the appropriate screws.

The Right Way To Swag A Chandelier

Choosing a light fixture that hangs on a cable or chain rather than a fixed stem is the key to swaging your chandelier.

It’s also critical to ensure that the hook or other swag mechanism is securely anchored into your ceiling to support the fixture’s weight.

Swaging your chandelier gives a faster, less expensive alternative for centering your light that also allows flexibility in case you wish to change up the area again if you pay attention to those two points.

How To Install A Swag Chandelier

In order to a install a swaging chandelier seamlessly, it will have less to do with the hook itself and more to do with how you secure it.

A hook is estimate to weigh around 30 pounds. However, that hook’s weight rating is useless if it isn’t properly fastened to the ceiling. You should be able to screw the hook directly into a ceiling joist (the timber above your drywall ceiling to which the drywall was fastened).

The hooks, which come in a variety of shapes and finishes, can sustain the weight of small to medium-sized chandeliers. When a joist is not available, the toggle-bolt form of the hooks is excellent for suspending the fixture’s chain and power cord from drywall.

How To Pick the Best Chandelier?

Contrary to what you see in the movies, chandelier can be installed nearly anywhere in your house from kitchens up to the bathroom,

It all depends on the size of your house, ceiling height and chandelier design preference. Here’s a short list that we compiled:

1. Spiral Crystal Chandelier

Moooni Modern Large 11 Sphere Spiral Crystal Chandelier Luxury Rain Drop Flush Mount Led Ceiling Light Fixture for Entryway Foyer Staircase W 31.5" x H 86.6"

Price: $569.29

Spiral Crystal Chandelier is stunning and gorgeous in person, perfect for stairways, entryway, hallway, foyer, hall, staircase, apartment, entry hall, and entrance.

Each part of the light is carefully packaged, making sure that the chandelier delivery is safe without any damage.

Power Source: AC

Material: Crystal

Customer Ratings: 4.2 out of 5 stars

View Product on Amazon

Get Free Shipping on Amazon:

Order Spiral Crystal Chandelier, click here

2. Minimalist Black Chandelier

MRHYSWD 8 Light Black Chandelier Modern Farmhouse Chandelier Light Fixture Rustic Candle Chandeliers Dining Room Lighting Fixtures Hanging Ceiling Light for Kitchen Island, Living Room, Foyer
MRHYSWD 8 Light Black Chandelier Modern Farmhouse Chandelier Light Fixture Rustic Candle Chandeliers Dining Room Lighting Fixtures Hanging Ceiling Light for Kitchen Island, Living Room, Foyer

Price: $96.99

Minimalist Black Chandelier includes all necessary assembly and installation parts, providing convenient combination connectors to make the wires easy to assemble.

This farmhouse light fixture features 8 evenly candle-shaped stems, each support 1 candelabra-base bulb, crafted of matte black finished, which is simple but classic design.

Suitable used as kitchen island lighting, farmhouse chandeliers, foyer light fixtures, kitchen light fixtures, living room light or bedroom chandelier.

Light fixture form: Chandelier

Indoor/Outdoor Usage: Indoor

Customer Ratings: 4.1 out of 5 stars

View Product on Amazon

Get 15% Discount + Free Returns on Amazon:

Order Minimalist Black Chandelier, click here

3. Modern LED Chandelier

Adjustable Modern Led Chandelier for Dining Room Living Room Kitchen Island Office Bar Hotel Farmhouse Pendant Ceiling Fixture Dimmable L40.2" x W18.8",20 Lights 100W,3 Colors,Black
Adjustable Modern Led Chandelier for Dining Room Living Room Kitchen Island Office Bar Hotel Farmhouse Pendant Ceiling Fixture Dimmable L40.2" x W18.8",20 Lights 100W,3 Colors,Black

Price: $299.99

Modern LED Chandelier features a Nordic loft style, the chandelier light fixture showcases interchangeable shapes, looking unique and stylish.

A nice home lighting as well as a decoration in your home, high brightness for reading and low brightness for relaxing or intimate dining

Light fixture form: Chandelier

Indoor/Outdoor Usage: Indoor

Best Sellers Rank: #1,279 in Chandeliers

View Product on Amazon

Get Free Shipping on Amazon:

Order Modern LED Chandelier, click here

4. Luxury Crystal Chandelier

MEELIGHTING Luxury Nickel Modern Crystal Chandelier Lights Pendant Ceiling Light Contemporary Chandeliers Lighting Fixture for Dining Living Room Kitchen Island Bedroom W28"

Price: $599.99

Luxury Crystal Chandelier is made from top grade K9 crystal chandeliers with ceiling pendant lights featuring raindrop style,

Offering 10 years of warranty, this chandelier combines classic and contemporary elements with eye-catching results, constructed using only high quality materials to ensure your product is built to last, definitely worth it.

Light fixture form: Chandelier

Indoor/Outdoor Usage: Indoor

Customer Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars

View Product on Amazon

Get 5% Discount Code on Amazon:

Order Luxury Crystal Chandelier, click here

5. Pendant Lighting Chandelier

Lanhall 4-Light Farmhouse Chandelier Fixture Rustic Industrial Pendant Lighting Adjustable Height Metal Cage E26 Hanging Lights for Kitchen Island, Dining Room, Living Room, Bedroom, Foyer, Entry
Lanhall 4-Light Farmhouse Chandelier Fixture Rustic Industrial Pendant Lighting Adjustable Height Metal Cage E26 Hanging Lights for Kitchen Island, Dining Room, Living Room, Bedroom, Foyer, Entry

Price: $99.99

Pendant Lighting Chandelier are easy to install, he chandelier light comes with all the installation hardware accessories and installation instructions.

The black chandelier uses a durable and safe metal chain. You can adjust the height to create a perfect look that matches your house. Suitable for kitchen island, office, bar, meeting room, living room, dining room, farmhouse, foyer, and hotel

Power Source: AC

Material: Metal

Customer Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars

View Product on Amazon

Get 5% Discount Code on Amazon:

Order Pendant Lighting Chandelier, click here

How To Place Joist In The Right Location

If the joist isn’t in the proper place for where you want to hang your light (which it never seems to be), use a toggle bolt like this one (which comes in a variety of sizes — this one has an 85-pound load rating).

All you have to do now is make sure the bolt’s size matches the hole in your hook. The bolt head will be silver, however if your hook is black, you can re-color the screw with black paint or a sharpie after installation to disguise it! Alternatively, you can get a hook with the right-sized toggle bolt, such as this one with a fifty-pound rating.

About the Author:

Jed Silverlake is a brand journalist & storyteller who has written SEO-driven articles that rank #1 in Google.

He has published and written articles for humble startups, e-commerce businesses, up to Fortune 1000 companies & private clients. For more content similar to his, you can follow his Medium profile.

Want me to write your story that ranks #1 on Google? Contact me and I just might write an article about you!

Amazon Partnership Disclosure:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

To put it into simple words, there are affiliate links included in this article. If you happen to purchase through our link within 24 hours, we could earn a small commission (at no additional cost to you)

By doing that will help support my writing journey immensely. For that I’d like to personally say thank you.

--

--

Jed Silverlake

I help Startup Founders & Ecommerce Stores rank #1 in Google SEO. Want me to help your business grow? Contact me: linkedin.com/in/jedsilverlake