Review & DIY: Updating a 1-pole light switch to an Adorne Switch

I’ve got a pretty old home but the good thing about being a homeowner is being able to customize and update your home if you don’t like the way it currently is. I bought a house about a month ago and so far, I’ve painted some rooms and I’ve changed some lighting fixtures as well. I still have a lot to do but today I decided to check out the Adorne switch system by Legrand.

I painted my current office to the color, Palisade Blue, by Valspar and despite how beautiful the color was, the old wooden light switch was a sight for sore eyes. I was determined to change the light switch.

I’ve been looking at the Legrand system and I decided to pick up the Paddle light switch in Magnesium (they also have this switch in white) and I got the gang plate in Titanium. I wanted to get the Satin Nickel gang plate and the Touch switch (this is an amazing light switch) but for the sake of trying something new, I decided to get the more affordable options just in case I didn’t like the finished result. I got both the light plate cover and Paddle light switch for under $13 at Lowe’s.

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I’ve changed light fixtures in the past so I figured the principles would generally be the same.

So here comes the how-to part (note: the color of the photos are a bit off since I was working during sundown):

1. Disconnect power from the breaker before you begin so you don’t end up electrocuting yourself.

2. Unscrew the old gang plate (light switch plate cover) from the wall.

This ugly-old thing ...
This ugly-old thing …

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3. Pull the old light switch towards you and disconnect the wires from the terminal holes. You’ll typically find three wires. For this DIY project regarding a one-way switch and not a three-way, we’re going to be focusing on the black and the red wire.

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* if the wires do not come out of the terminal, you can also cut them and then use a wire stripper to reveal more usable wire.

4. Unsnap the gang plate cover from the metal frame of the new gang plate. Mount the metal frame to the wall where the old gang plate was with the two provided screws. Be sure not to over-tighten.

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5. Insert the one wire into the 1-pole terminal of the new electrical switch (Paddle) and use a screwdriver to tighten the screw at the top of that terminal to secure the wire. Insert the other wire into the HOT terminal and secure the wire in the terminal as well. (my home is wired insanely weird so in a sense, everything is backwards regarding wire colors. Be sure to use a circuit checker if you are having difficulty identifying which wire is hot.)

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6. Ease the electrical switch back towards the wall and snap the switch into the gang frame.

7. Snap the wall plate cover to the metal frame. You will hear three audible clicks meaning the cover is secure.

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8. Switch the power back on from your breaker and enjoy your new Adorne Paddle switch and gang plate.

Review: Overall, I really like the Adorne system by Legrand. Be sure to check out their website for more options and solutions for anything from under cabinet lighting to cable management. You can spend as little as $10 or as much as $150 for a wall switch plate/electrical switch(or a dimmer/USB outlet/etc.) so there is something for everyone. I am pretty excited that this part of the room has taken on such a modern and finished look with only $13 spent. I look forward to investing in more Adore outlets and fixtures for the rest of the house.

I hope you enjoyed this article and look out for more DIY articles now that I have a new home to work on!

Surviving Midterms Week (With My Sanity Intact), Winter Cleaning, and Mazda CX-5s

Honestly, I worrying my ass off when it comes to school. Not sure if I should be worrying at all but that’s just me. If I’m over and done worrying about one thing, another dilemma seems to rears its ugly head. It’s late and I’m calling it a night, especially on reading “The General Prologue” of the Canterbury Tales by Chaucer. Enough with the “eeks” and “greye as glas” speak. I’m ready to see the insides of my eyelids. But, before I do that, I thought I’d update on how life has been.

When it comes to school, it seems that my financial aid has come through and I’m just going to keep going to keep it. I’m still taking five classes so far and I’m pretty much swamped. I don’t know how people work full-time and go to school full-time. I don’t think you’re any better but whatever it is that you’re doing, good for you. :P I have a midterm paper for an English class on Medieval period literature, a midterm exam on US history, and a final on World History. I have to read about ten ancient English stories by next week and I feel like I am going to die … a very horrible death. I’m ahead in my classes but I feel so behind. When is enough ever enough?

Financial stresses are virtually non-existent but I think I may acquire some new debt because I think I’ve waited long enough to change my apartment. It looks okay now but I really want to paint and throw out sofas, armchairs, Christmas crap, etc. There’s a lot of stuff (I feel like) and I’d like to get all this stuff out by the end of the year. I’m going to U-haul all this crap down the street to Goodwill and call it a day!

I’m still sure that we’ll be getting a car in the first to second quarter of next year and that’s about it for that. I can say I’m a decent driver but my self-doubt is seriously killing me. I just don’t feel confident enough and it’s understandable. So instead of complaining about it, I’m going to make an appointment to start taking driving lessons tomorrow with Lem’s Driving School. I don’t care about the money because I just need a few hours to get my shit straight. Can’t deny me if I’ve got the money, right? I can finally get rid of my permit. The only reason why I wasn’t able to get my license when I was 17 was because after my dad passed away that year, a series of events lead to me not keeping the car that was left to me by my dad. So from then on, I didn’t have a car to practice or use for my test.

When it comes to the car, I’ve considered many models and when me and Pete narrow down to one that could be “the one,” engineering or performance issues surface and we have no choice but to consider other choices out there. I’m comfortable and knowledgeable of the car dealing process so I’m looking forward to doing most if not all of the work. We have the Mazda CX-5 in mind and if I get anything, it’s going to be the high-end model because we love technological packages and because leather is always going to be the best option when it comes to kids. That burns a $30K hole in the wallet but it’s fine because I’m sure we’ll drive it until the wheels fall off. Before then, we’re probably going to add another car to our little family.

I’m going to head to IKEA and Lowe’s either today (Monday) or tomorrow and let’s see what happens. Renovating the office is going to be about $1K-ish. I prefer to paint first before getting the new furniture but Pete has a different opinion on that issue.

I think socially, everyone has been getting along and it’s good that I don’t let my social life interfere with my general psyche these days. I think socializing is more of a recreation for me these days. It’s fun when it happens but I don’t need it to survive. I honestly don’t have any time these days. I even have to make appointments to play video games, which I usually do around this hour because I feel guilty doing it during the daytime when I could be studying. Since I’ll be taking harder classes by each semester after this one, I’m considering toning down on the classes to maybe four a semester and taking one or two classes in the summer to make up for it without the additional mental stress and wear and tear.

I’m probably going to blog later tonight because I need to get into my shopping escapades and how I finally found the right shade of foundation after being incorrectly matched THREE times from a Sephora associate. I’ve been doing a lot of hauls lately but once again, I just don’t have the time for it. I’ll get into my recent weight loss, Alexander McQueen handbags, and whether I should go blonde again or not in subsequent posts. Night and it’s going to be a busy day for me later. One final and a home improvement trip awaits! :)