Chandelier Installation in Northern Virginia | Expert Installation

Challenge

The homeowners purchased a 150-pound crystal chandelier for their 22-foot two-story foyer but were told by two other contractors that the existing ceiling box could not support the weight. The previous chandelier was a lightweight 15-pound fixture on a standard outlet box, and the homeowners were concerned about structural adequacy.

Solution

AJ Long Electric accessed the attic space above the foyer, installed a heavy-duty chandelier brace rated for 200 pounds anchored directly to two ceiling joists, and mounted a fixture-rated junction box. We used scaffolding in the foyer for safe working height and carefully assembled and hung the chandelier at precisely 8 feet above the floor.

Challenge

A homeowner in a 1920s colonial wanted to replace a heavy brass chandelier with a modern linear pendant over their dining table. The existing junction box was original to the house, the wiring was cloth-insulated, and the box was not accessible from above due to second-floor flooring directly above the dining room ceiling.

Solution

We carefully removed the 40-pound brass chandelier, replaced the vintage junction box with a modern fixture-rated box using a retrofit brace that installs through the existing hole, updated the cloth wiring with modern NM-B cable back to the switch, and hung the new linear pendant at the correct 32-inch height above the table. A new Lutron dimmer completed the upgrade.

Challenge

During a full townhome renovation, the homeowners selected five new chandeliers for the dining room, foyer, master bedroom, stairwell, and powder room. Each fixture was a different size and weight, and the stairwell installation required working above a 15-foot open staircase with limited access.

Solution

AJ Long Electric coordinated the five installations across two days, upgrading junction boxes in three locations, running a new switch leg for the stairwell fixture, and installing dimmer switches on all five circuits. We used specialized stairwell scaffolding for the open staircase installation and assembled each chandelier on-site.

Challenge

The homeowner bought a 75-pound wrought iron farmhouse chandelier for above their kitchen island, but the previous pendant was a lightweight single-bulb fixture. The existing box was a basic plastic outlet box rated for only 35 pounds, and the homeowner was concerned about the fixture pulling out of the ceiling over time.

Solution

We replaced the plastic outlet box with a steel fan-rated box secured to a joist-mounted brace, verified the circuit could handle the additional wattage, and installed the heavy chandelier with a proper chain and canopy. We added a new LED-compatible dimmer and adjusted the hanging height to 36 inches above the island counter.