Your deck is one of the most functional multi-purpose areas of your house. It can be used for cooking and eating during the summer when you fire up the grill, relaxing with your family on wooden folding chairs after a long day, or even just simply a reading area. One of the easiest ways to enjoy your deck even more is to install useful and effective outdoor deck lighting. The best deck lighting will add to your deck, and the whole exterior of your house by proving task lighting for things you would like to do outside at night, accent lighting to show off interesting aspects of your property, and ambient lighting to create a soft welcoming atmosphere and make sure that no one trips and falls on any hazards, like steps or railings.
There are two major routes you can go when choosing deck lighting. You can install outdoor solar lighting or a low voltage lighting system. By far the most popular option is to install solar lighting. This is because most decks are in an area where they get a good amount of direct sunlight every day and lanterns, which have a lot of solar powered styles available, are a very popular light fixture to use on decks. Solar lighting requires no cables to be run and will run completely off the power of the sun. They will turn on and off automatically and are one to easiest ways to make your house greener.
Low voltage lighting systems work best on decks that are in shady areas or for people who want more options when it comes to the light fixtures they want installed. Some types of light, like recessed led lights, simply won’t be able to work with solar cells on them. Low voltage lighting also ensures that you will have a constant stream of power and won’t have to worry about shadows or cloudy days cutting down on the amount of light that you can have at night on your deck.
Regardless of what lighting system you choose to install, there are several design tips that you should use in your exterior deck lighting. First, make sure that you install lights on around any obstacles so your or anyone else does not fall and injure themselves. For decks this normally involves stairs but can also include railings and other obstructions. Also make sure to install task lighting in areas that will need extra light, like where you have your grill or outdoor kitchens installed. However, you should put these lights on a different switch than the ambient lights you have installed. This will allow you to turn off these lights when you are done with the task you want to accomplish.
You can also install accent lighting to draw attention to any focal points you might have on or around your deck. This can be plants, a statue, or other interesting architectural structures. Finally, the last step is to install ambient lighting. The ambient lighting on your deck should be soft and bright enough to read by but not so bright that it lights up your entire neighborhood.
Installing outdoor deck lighting is a snap. Hopefully these deck lighting ideas have given you a good place to start. Make sure that you do good amount of planning and research beforehand to determine how you would like to use the different areas of your deck and what you would like people to see at night. Once you’ve decided this, pick out whatever light fixtures strike your fancy and start installing them. You’re well on your way to relaxing on the deck long into the night.
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