Start by making sure you have all the parts, and that they fit together. That's right, put the fan together before you install it. It is so much easier to do this as a dry run on the floor or table, than when you are standing on a ladder. Don't worry about tightening bolts down, just make sure that everything fits, and you know which way to put everything.

Now turn off the circuit breaker to the light fixture you will be replacing with your fan. This is very important since you will be working with hot wires (ones that carry a current) and you don't want the shock of your life. Make sure that your ladder or step stool is firmly planted and doesn't wobble.

Remove your old fixture carefully, if you have someone you can hand the parts to as you go that will save you several trips up and down the ladder. You should now have a hole in the ceiling that you can see the junction box.

Your junction box could be metal or it could be plastic. If it is plastic, many fan makers recommend replacing it with a metal one. This is not hard to do, just unhook the wires, and pull the old one off, replace and reattach the wires. The main reason behind this is the weight of a ceiling fan is greater than that of a light fixture usually and the metal can hold more weight.

Your ceiling fan motor will have three wires usually. Just match the colors up to the ones in the junction box. Red is hot, black is cold and white is ground. If you have a different set of colors you may have to talk to an electrician to find out what the color coding is.

Attach the motor to the studs and then add the rest of the parts. Be careful not to damage the fan blades since they are carefully balanced to help eliminate any vibration or wobbling.

If you find you have a gap between the ceiling and the fan you may want to use some foam insulation, similar to what is used around doors and windows. This can be painted to match the ceiling or fan.

Turn the circuit breaker on and enjoy the cool air moving. Your fan is installed and you can admire your handiwork.