Top Picks for Quality, Affordable Outdoor Chandeliers
One of the best ways to add a touch of style and class to any covered outdoor area is by installing an outdoor chandelier. Outdoor chandeliers don’t have to break your budget either! By shopping online you can find quality fixtures that are in almost any budget. One great example of a quality discount chandelier is this great model from Home Wellington. It’s steel construction and easy to install features makes it a great fixture to install in any gazebo or covered patio, and the price puts it in almost anyone’s budget.
What Outdoor Chandelier Lights Are Right for Me?
The biggest problem with searching for your chandeliers online is that you can’t physically see them in the store to get a feel for them. But, with a little research before you buy you can still pick your way through all the outdoor lighting chandeliers that are available and get the perfect one for you and your patio at a fraction of the cost that you would pay in any store.
The first thing that you will need to decide when you’re looking for a chandelier outside your home is what you want to power the fixture. You have three options: solar, electric, and candle.
Solar powered chandeliers are best for areas where there isn’t an electrical socket nearby and running power cables would require an expensive call to an electrician. They are also great because they won’t draw any power off of your home, and are a good green solution to outdoor lighting. However, don’t expect the same performance out of these fixtures as you would out of an electrical one. They will generally be a little bit dimmer, which can still be good depending on the lighting that you want, but they can also be a little fickle sometimes and need to be out in direct sun if you want them to completely charge up during the day.
Outdoor candle chandeliers are quite similar to solar powered fixtures. They are great for areas where you want some light but don’t have electricity. However, they also tend to be a little dimmer as well. On the plus side, the candle light helps to set a great traditional atmosphere and you can control when you have the light and won’t have to worry about a few cloudy days in a row ruining your plans as you would with a solar chandelier.
Finally, you last major option is to install are electrical outdoor chandeliers. These, like all electrical outdoor ceiling lights, are usually a little bit harder to install and require at least an electrical socket nearby. Some of these fixtures might have to be hardwired as well, which will require a little bit more installation time as well. If the fixture is low voltage you will also need to properly install a landscape lighting transformer. However, in return for the longer installation time, you will get brighter, more dependable lighting in your outdoor areas. You can even hook the lights up to a dimmer switch if you want to control the amount of light that they put off.
Once you’ve decided how you want to power your outdoor chandelier you need to decide what fixture you actually want to buy. Aesthetics are of course important, but there more important is the actual structure that you plan on hanging the chandelier in. You first need to look at how much weight the structure can actually hold. Be especially with with outdoor gazebos, which sometimes don’t have structurally sound ceilings.
Once you’re sure that the ceiling can actually support the weight of the chandeliers you’re looking at look at the actual size of the area you’re planning on hanging it. Higher ceilings will allow you to use bigger chandeliers, while installing the same fixture with a lower ceiling might be hazardous for anyone that happens to be too tall. Always pay attention to how long the actual chandelier is.
Following those simple steps, you should be able to find a great chandelier for any covered outdoor area around your home. Once you’re ready to start looking for your chandelier, check out some of these highly recommended models.
