Great ideas for deck lighting that you can use in your home

A terrace is an ideal addition to any home. This unique space enables us to get in touch with nature. There’s no better feeling than resting after staring at the stars. However, your experience can be even more fascinating with the right decor. A great way to start this project is to apply some deck lighting ideas to help you create a design by simply combining lights.

One of the main problems with the decks is that they are outdoors. Once the sun goes down, their use can be restricted if they are not well lit.

Although the main purpose of lighting a deck is to make it visible even at night, this lighting project doesn’t have to be ugly. With the appropriate deck lighting, you can enjoy a pleasant and functional environment at any time of the day.

Remember that depending on where you live, you may need to adjust your project due to safety and building regulations.

What you should know about lighting external decks

Image source: Hughes landscaping

Safety regulations are not the only thing to worry about when starting a lighting project.

• When decorating in outdoor environments, you also need to make sure that the lights are subtle so they don’t obstruct the view, especially at night. You also don’t want to receive complaints from your neighbors saying that you have a disco on your terrace.
• In general, you want deck lighting to be sufficient for some outdoor activities such as preparing dinner or meeting family and friends. You don’t need complex systems that overload the decoration. There is even the possibility that you just want to illuminate this room so that you can view it from a distance.
• As with the rest of the lighting in your home, energy consumption is one of the problems that arise when installing additional lamps. Nowadays there are nice low voltage deck lighting options that you can use to save energy. You can also find a few ideas for lighting solar decks to build a self-sufficient home.
• Low voltage systems have the negative point that the installation costs can initially be higher than that of a conventional system, especially if a 120 volt to 12 volt transformer has to be installed.

After you understand the basics, we will continue to suggest some ideas for deck lighting to decorate your home.

Deck lighting ideas

Post Mount Lighting – To protect eyesight

Image source: Snavely International

The standard options for outdoor lighting are mast and rail lighting. These have many design alternatives that can be applied depending on your requirements.

Thanks to the average height of the lamps on the posts, you can avoid annoying glare. Oddly enough, this advantage also brings with it important negative points: since they are higher than your gaze, they are likely to decrease your visibility of the night sky, in addition to the fact that you need stairs to install them.

If you install a downward-facing lamp, you can achieve a similar effect to a central light in a hall by illuminating large areas with fewer lamps.

You can demarcate rooms by placing several wall lamps on rails and dividing areas without walls.

Under-table lighting – To see the little details

Image source: Harold Leidner landscape architects

A popular option that is also used in modern kitchens is to install a pair of lights under the work tables for spot lighting in work areas.

This can also be useful on cloudy days to work in outside kitchens and ensure that you are working accurately.

Accent deck lighting – the best decorative alternative

Image source: Geoff Sumich design

If you’ve visited an art gallery, you’ll remember seeing small lights on the artwork to better appreciate it. This idea can be applied in the same way as the exterior deck lighting.

Decorative lights are only used to accentuate you, so they are not very bright.

Curtain lights shimmer over a covered deck – cover every available space

Image source: Christmas lights etc.

This type of DIY deck lighting is common for Christmas, but does not mean that it is exclusive for that time. Light curtains look great on any decoration project because they create a magical atmosphere.

The market offers temporary curtains that stick to the grilles of your patio with adhesive, as well as permanent options that use hooks and screws.

Pendant lights – endless possibilities

Image source: PaveStone Brick Paving Inc.

Hanging lamps offer many options when it comes to styles. It’s easy to get a pattern that matches the pergola on which they’re installed, and they look elegant by default.

Since there are a large number of central lights, they effortlessly illuminate large areas of the terrace.

Wall lights – For invisible installations

Image source: Flavin Architects

The wall lights act as stealthy patio deck lighting because the necessary electrical installations are hidden in the walls. This means that all cables can be arranged in a room that nobody can see.

If you don’t want to plug the cables into an inner tube inside the walls, you can use plastic supports that will help keep the facilities accessible for repairs.

Sunken deck – cozy rooms

Image source: Austin outdoor design

The sunken decks have a stepped gap that creates a more inviting space to sit and collect. These can be made more pleasant by adequate lighting, which combines the advantages of landscaping with the building materials of the terrace.

String Lighting – beautiful but fleeting

Image source: ilumus Photography & Marketing

If you’ve ever installed a line of fairy lights, you know they are used to create fantastic drawings or guides on walls and floors.

The disadvantage of this type of lighting is that the light bulbs burn easily, so their lifespan is not as long as with other options. We recommend that you use it for specific times or social events, but not as dominant lighting.

Step Deck Lighting – A security upgrade

Image source: Miracle Contractors, LLC

Cinemas started using this type of light on their stairs so people can see where they’re going without the risk of falling. You can also do this on your patio stairs for extra security at night.

Some designs of these lights are so striking that you may even place them for decoration purposes only. You do not have to install them at all steps, but can vary in pattern depending on your taste.

Sketch your deck in Rope Light – another use for PVC

Image source: It’s the little things

A transparent PVC tube becomes the perfect support for a series of lights that you can easily install in any room, however difficult it may be.

Thanks to the protection and rigidity that the tube offers, you don’t have to worry about the lamps being exposed to nature or slipping from where you installed them.

With these tubes, you can create many ideas for deck lighting as they are durable and have a customizable component that allows you to change them depending on the occasion.

Recessed lights – To avoid bumps

Image source: Stellar decks

If you want to install LED outdoor lighting outdoors, recessed lights are the best alternatives. These are inserted into the walls and ceilings, preventing the installation of protruding elements that could be in the way.

Recessed lights are the most elegant on the list, but their installation is one of the most complex as they should preferably be included in the design of your patio before construction.

Pool deck lighting – lighting that cannot be overlooked

Image source: Elad Gonen

According to the law, pools must be well lit. They should be surrounded by bright headlights that allow constant monitoring of their exterior and interior.

Remember that swimming pool ladders must also be marked with lights to avoid accidents during use.

Under deck lighting – adding features

Image source: Bright ideas from Martinec

Other ideas for ceiling lighting that you can apply are that the lamps are installed in ceiling fans. Using fans on balconies allows for better air circulation, so you can solve two problems with one installation.

They also help cool down on hot days. So if you have enough height available, you should consider this solution.

Safety comes first

All of these ideas for deck lighting are perfect for quickly decorating your patio or deck. However, you must remember that lighting is not just an investment in landscaping, but also in safety.

Because these rooms are outdoors, it is dark at night and their use is restricted if you do not have adequate lighting. Walking without seeing where you are going or climbing dark stairs are dangers you can avoid with a lighting project.

It used to be understood that people were against installing lights outdoors because the light bulbs burned more easily, but with the arrival of LED lights this is a thing of the past, so there is no excuse not to light up the exterior of your home .

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