Outdoor Lighting Buying Guide

Installing outdoor lighting is one of the surest ways to make your home's outdoor areas both safer and more attractive. There are many options for outdoor lighting, some meant to provide safety, and others aimed at creating a pleasing visual effect of the landscaping, even when it is dark outside.

With outdoor lighting, the possibilities for holding outdoor activities are virtually endless, and outdoor entertaining doesn't need to slow down when the days get shorter. Outdoor lighting can be chosen based on the style of the landscape and the size of the house, so that it best accentuates the more attractive features of the outdoor areas, and masks others which might not be as attractive.

Outdoor lighting should be the final bit done when redecorating a home. When all of the landscaping is complete, that is when it is time to take a good look at the house and the landscaping, and choose the lighting that best matches your outdoor areas.

Outdoor Lighting Styles

There are many different types of lights available for your outdoor areas. Each sort of lighting is created with a different purpose in mind, and understanding these purposes will help you choose the most suitable lighting for your garden, yard, or deck.

The most common sorts of permanent outdoor lighting fixtures include louvered or tiered, recessed, eyelid or sconce, and scoop or mushroom. There are many temporary outdoor lighting styles available too, and a large variety of specialty lights that one might either use once in a while, or might choose to install permanently.

Post Lights

Their traditional look in the front of any house makes these lamps very popular. They are available in many styles from old fashioned to modern, and come in a variety of bulb number options.

Pendants

Pendant lighting is ideal just at the entrance of your home to greet guests, and also in other outdoor areas where space allows to hang such a fixture. They are available in a wonderful variety of styles to bring safety and warmth to your nighttime curb appeal.

Sconce Lights

Sconce lights are wall mounted and ideal for areas with large wall spaces, or for areas where there are steps.

Specialty Lights

There are many types of outdoor lighting that might only be used for special purposes. These include underwater lights, stringed lights, party lights, and lighting kits. Some are for temporary uses, while others can be permanently mounted. The various types will be more fully discussed below.

Outdoor Lighting Features to Consider

Outdoor lighting can serve many different purposes. It is not surprising, then, that there so many number of features available within this department. Careful consideration is key is when you are deciding upon the best outdoor lighting for your home.

One essential issue to look into is whether the lights are properly waterproofed. An light's resistance to water is ranked by an assigned IP Rating. A rating of IPx3 would be sufficient for many conditions, with IPx5 being the best. An IPx3 ranking would mean that a light could withstand rain. An IPx4 ranked light can withstand water splashing from any direction. A light with an IP ranking of IPx5 can withstand water that is jet sprayed from any direction. You will need to give some thought to the how your outdoor lights will be exposed to water, and what they will need to withstand before choosing.

Accent Lights and Well Lights

When choosing outdoor lighting, it is important to consider which direction the light should face. Well lights are mounted on the ground and create a sense of depth. They are often placed behind an object and shine up onto it, creating a silhouette effect. Sometimes, well lights are used to cause an object to cast a shadow onto a wall behind it. Either way, the lights are usually hidden from view, as their purpose is to shine upon an object in the landscaping to which attention is being drawn.

Spotlights

Spotlights are the opposite of well lights or other uplights. They are placed above an object, casting a light downwards upon it. In this way, the light creates a natural effect, much like the light that shines on the landscaping during the day. These lights are also usually shielded from view.

Path Lights

Path lights are in place to light a path, sidewalk, walkway, or driveway. The purpose of these lights is to guide a person along the path, so they should be placed low to the ground. It is important to choose a light that is covered on the top, so that the light will be nicely spread along the ground, shedding the light where it is most needed.

A path light that is not covered across the top will end up creating a glare for people walking along the path. This would defeat its purpose of creating a safe walkway. Louvered or tiered lights work very nicely for path lights, as do mushroom or scoop style lights.

Step, Deck & Brick Lights

These recessed lights give your outdoor areas a whole new level of safety when it comes to pathways. They are also great because their daytime presence is subtle, but by night, they will add a lovely glow from sideways and underneath.

Floodlights, Spotlights, and Security

Floodlights provide a bright light covering a broad range of ground in your outdoor areas. These lights are meant to brighten up a large portion of ground, and are excellent for areas where security might be concern at night. Spotlights, which are also very bright lights, are designed to provide more directed lighting for a particular spot on the ground.

Lights installed to increase nighttime security are often accompanied by either a timer or a passive infrared sensor. The timer will cause the lights to turn on and off at specified times every day. A passive infrared sensor is designed to turn the lights on if it detects that a certain area has been breached. Both are meant to discourage trespassers, and help to ensure the home's safety after dark.