If you want to put a light near the middle of your room, you might want a floor outlet. These are handy outlets that you can connect your electricity mains, so you don’t have to be near the wall to plug something in! You could ask an electrician to install this floor outlet for you, but here’s a how-to guide if you want to try doing it yourself.
Find the right location
The floor outlet should be between the 2×10 floor joists. You can use an 8 inch straight part of a clothes hanger as the locator bit – drill while holding the hanger and slowly move it through.
Cut out the recessed floor outlet box hole
Draw where you want the outlet box to be located, and then drill holes at each corner, as well as where you want to put your outlet mounting screws. Then, use a wood-cutting blade jigsaw and finish the box cutout. Once this is done, put masking tape over the floor.
Find a power circuit
You will then need to find a circuit that can supply power to the area. This is the bit that can be rather tricky – and that you might want to call an electrician in to help with. However, if you’re confident about finding the circuit, look for a light-fixture box or a plastic or metal junction box.
Wire the plug
Then, it’s time to wire the plug. You should cut the wires to make sure that they are six inches or more long and come out at least 3 inches from the metal box. Then, strip at least five to eight inches of insulation off the black and white wires.
Next, loop the bare ground wire around the green grounding screw and tighten this screw, then loop again in the other direction and tighten up the screw. Finally, attach the white wire to the silver screw and the black wire to the brass screw.
Check Local Rules
Of course, any changes you make should be in compliance with local electrical codes. We want you to keep your log cabin safe, and if you have any questions about the safety or legality of adding an outlet, please consult an electrician.
