8 Awesome Deck Lighting Ideas For Your Outdoor Space
Lighting is the cherry on top of an amazing deck. Not only does it allow you to enjoy your deck later into the night, it completely transforms your space from beautiful to magical.
Luckily, there are endless ways to light up your deck space. At DecksDirect, we spend every single day helping people remake their decks into cozy, well-lit pockets of deck bliss. Our passion is connecting every deck and deck owner to the perfect upgrade to fit their vision and lifestyle.
Whether you’re upgrading a deck, patio, porch or garden, check out this list of our favorite deck lighting ideas. We’re confident you’ll find the one your deck has been waiting for. If you’re looking for more outdoor deck lighting ideas, give our design team a call at 1-888-824-5316 - we’d love to explore the options with you to create the magical deck you’ve always dreamed of.
Table of Contents
- DecksDirect’s 8 Awesome Outdoor Deck Lighting Ideas
- Shine Light Downward Onto Stair Treads
- Personalize Day & Night Looks With Post Cap Lights
- Recess Lights For Easy Cleaning
- Run Lights Under Rails
- Set lights into your deck floor
- Make Use of Pergolas, Deck Ceilings & Other Structures
- Put Solar Lights… wherever you want
- Focus Light On Your Most-Used Areas
- Deck Lighting Is Easy
Decksdirect’s 8 Awesome Outdoor Deck Lighting Ideas
Whether you’ve got your eye on energy-efficient LEDs or eco-friendly solar lights, the options for illuminating your deck are endless. Here are some of our favorite choices:
Shine Downward Light Onto Stair Treads
Improving safety and appearance: installing deck lighting on your stair treads or risers is a double win. Bathing your star treads in the soft glow of an LED stair light is an easy way to show your friends, family, and deck guests you care by making sure everyone has safe, sure footing at all hours. The added bonus is that the sharp staircase lines make for a stunning look when they’re lit up.
This one isn’t just a style suggestion, either. Many local building codes - including the International Residential Code adopted by 49 U.S. states - require all exterior stairs to be lit from the top landing. Riser lights go above and beyond safety requirements, lighting up each individual step. Many, like this recessed option from Dekor, angle light downwards onto your stair treads.
Stair lighting can be as simple or as in-depth as you want it to be. DecksDirect carries a huge range of complete stair lighting kits that are easy for anyone to install. Experienced DIYers or those with a very specific vision can assemble their own unique deck lighting designs from our range of styles and features. Either way, our team loves nothing more than guiding you through our deck lighting options and helping assemble the perfect plan for you. Just give us a call at 1-888-824-5316.
Shop Stair LightsPersonalize Day & Night Looks With Post Cap Lights
The greatest thing about post cap lighting? The styles are almost endless, and they add flair to your deck both day and night.
We’re not exaggerating about the options. Browse our extensive collections of low-voltage post caps and solar post caps and you’ll agree - there’s a style for every deck. If your deck feels generic, post cap lights are a fast way to add some character while also extending the usable hours you have in your outdoor space.
From sleek, easy-to-install low voltage options to quick and easy solar lights that automatically turn on at night and recharge in the daytime, we’ve also got the post cap light that fits your deck’s function.
Recess Lights For Easy Cleaning
If you’re looking for low-maintenance deck lighting, look no further than recessed lighting fixtures. While they’re commonly used as stair lights, recessed deck lights have much more range than that: try them on fascia boards, posts, rails, deck boards or deck ceilings.
The defining characteristic of recessed lighting is that it mounts flush with the surrounding surface. That’s the key to two major advantages. First, it’s unobtrusive - you’ll barely notice it during the day before wowing your guests with brilliant illumination when the sun goes down. Second, recessed lighting is relatively protected within your boards, requiring less frequent cleaning and making the cleaning process quicker and easier.
Run Lights Under Rails
Like stairs, railings are a brilliant setting for eye-catching lighting designs. Mounting lights underneath your railings is a great way to highlight the strong lines and repeating patterns of your deck railing.
Like recessed deck lights, under rail lights are inconspicuous in the daylight, but provide a delightful surprise when night falls and they transform your deck into a magnificent display of light.
Depending on your needs, our selection of deck rail lighting includes post-mount options like this small-but-mighty post mount option from Highpoint or eco-friendly solar choices like this cool white solar light from Classy Caps.
Set Lights Into Your Deck Floor
One really cool extension of the recessed lighting idea above is to mount lights right into your deck surface. In-floor deck lighting creates a classy, luxurious look, especially when you work floor lighting into a unique deck board design like the one above.
You’ll get all the benefits of recessed lights: easy cleaning, a low profile and a wow-factor when you turn them on. Plus, you’ll add a grand look that makes your deck feel like a stage all lit up for a magical evening.
Make Use Of Pergolas, Deck Ceilings & Other Structures
Pergolas and other outdoor structures add another dimension to deck lighting - height. Anytime you have a structure that extends upwards, you gain a new angle to throw light onto your deck space.
If you’ve got a pergola, porch, screened-in area or a finished underdeck space, take full advantage of your increased lighting angles. Pergola posts raise post mount lights to new heights, casting a larger spotlight down onto your living space. Or, you can mount angled lights the other direction, spotlighting upwards to highlight your beautiful pergola accents.
Underdeck ceilings can house recessed soffit lights that aim downwards and spotlight your seating. Screen porches provide cool opportunities for ceiling lights, or a creative use of LED Strip Lighting for some cool upwards illumination.
Put Solar Lights… Wherever You Want
Sometimes a well-placed solar light is all you need. Solar lights are easy on the wallet and they’re also simple to install with no wiring required. You can set up solar lights on deck posts, beside walkways, or even in planter boxes or decorations.
The other cool thing about solar lights is how smart they are - they’ll automatically turn on when the sun sets and turn back off when daylight returns.
You might expect that to take some sort of high-tech programming when you install, but it’s way simpler than that. Most of our solar deck lights operate on a photocell that senses ambient light in the area. When the photocell senses natural light, it turns your solar light off for charging. When the photocell stops picking up ambient light in the area, it automatically flips your light on - that means your lights will adjust to different seasons and changing sunrise and sunset times to always provide light exactly when it’s needed.
Focus Light On Your Most-Used Spaces
The best thing about DecksDirect’s huge stockpile of lighting options is that you can pick and choose the best lighting to accent the spaces you use most.
If you love watching the sun rise from your deck with a hot cup of coffee, we’ll help you plan a well-lit coffee nook with solar lights that turn off automatically when the sun comes up. If your deck is a grand setting for outdoor family dinners, we can concentrate post cap lights or post mount lights around your dinner table so you don’t have to head inside before dessert.
We’ve got awesome and versatile lighting options, like these Low Voltage LED Strip Lights from Aurora, which allow you to creatively highlight your most-used spaces. Picture a custom deck lighting setup around your grill or smoker, so sunset doesn’t interrupt your food prep, or the soft glow of a custom lighting pattern putting your favorite piece of high-quality patio furniture in the spotlight.
Whichever part of your deck brings you joy, our team would love to build you a lighting plan around it. Give us a call at 1-888-824-5316 to start exploring a deck lighting plan specifically designed for you.
Deck Lighting Is Easier Than You’d Think
For those of us who aren’t professional electricians, planning a lighting setup can feel out of our league. Luckily, DecksDirect specifically selects outdoor deck lighting that is safe and easy for anyone to install. Our team is also available by phone to make sure you’re fully equipped for your DIY deck lighting project.
Low Voltage Lighting
Inside your home, most outlets and appliances run on a standard 110-volt electrical current. But outdoor lighting usually runs on a low-voltage 12-volt current that’s safer and easier to work with.
All it takes is a low voltage transformer to convert your home’s electricity to a low voltage level. Simply plug your transformer into a standard GFCI outlet and connect your outdoor lighting to the transformer.
For the easiest installation, look for plug and play lighting options, though even standard wiring is plenty doable. You can check out our set of easy-to-follow deck lighting guides for step-by-step instructions.
Solar Lighting
As we noted above, installing solar options is even simpler. Most solar post caps slide onto the top of your posts and only require a few screws or a line of silicone adhesive to attach firmly in place.
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