Best Low Voltage Landscape Lighting
When it comes to setting up your own lighting, you may be confused about which steps to take to do the job safely. Let’s start with the basics. One of the simplest types of lighting is low voltage.
This type of lighting is perfect for landscaping projects, as well as many others. The lower voltage and softer light tone make it more suitable for outdoor use, though.
How to Choose Landscape Lighting?
If you’re set on using low voltage landscape lights, there are a few tips you can follow to get the best type for you. First, understand the purpose of your lights
Landscaping lights usually come as floodlights, spotlights, or path lights. Depending on what you want to illuminate, you’re going to buy different models. Take a look at the floodlights first.
The type of light you choose also depends on the aesthetic you’re trying to achieve. If you want to make a bold statement or focus on a certain part of your backyard, high beam or floodlights work best. If you want something subtle and aren’t going for a particular look, you can just use path lights.
Landscape Lighting Tips to Help You Enjoy Your Outdoor Spaces After Dark
When it comes to lighting your landscape, a little goes a long way. That’s because your eyes need less light outdoors than they do indoors in order to see light, shadow, and pattern. To plan your outdoor landscape lighting, start with a walk around your yard at night. Envision how and when you want to use your outdoor spaces, and tailor your landscape lighting to suit those needs. When you’re ready to choose the fixtures and layout, use these landscape lighting ideas, including tips for the best placement and how to avoid common issues, for a well-lit outdoor space you can enjoy long after dark.
Landscape Lighting Basics
How light is seen during the day is different from how it is seen at night, a particularly important distinction when it comes to lighting pathways and other outdoor spaces. However, certain principles about lighting remain true indoors and out.
For starters, light has intensity, or quantity emitted, and color. The color of a particular lightbulb can be found on the packaging; it is a number that ranges from 1800 kelvins (K), which is very red in tone, to 7500 K, which is a bluish-white.
Whether indoors or outdoors, lighting is generally divided into three layers based on function:
Overall lighting: Overall light provides illumination for a whole room or space.
Task lighting: Task lighting is used for a specific purpose, such as to light a path.
Accent lighting: Accent lighting draws attention to an object or area. This is usually accomplished with spotlights or floodlights.
A variety of lightbulbs are suitable for outdoor light fixtures.
Incandescent bulbs emit pleasing light but have a short life and consume more electricity.
Halogen bulbs are more efficient versions of incandescents, typically with a longer life and less energy consumption.
Fluorescent bulbs are now available in a more pleasing color range, last much longer, and consume less energy.
While LED landscape lighting can be more expensive, the lightbulb costs (which continue to decline) are balanced by their extraordinarily long life and extremely low energy consumption.
Planning Electrical Items Outside (External Power & Lighting)
We’ve put together this short blog post to help with planning electrical items outside your home when using our online rewire calculator.
We hope you have found this series of blog post useful, this is the 8th and final blog post of this series to help assist you when planning electrical items in you your property.
Socket Outlets
Additional external socket outlets can be added to most external walls of your property, these socket outlets are designed to to protect the sockets from external weather conditions and typically come with an IP56 rating, meaning the socket is protected against dust and splashing of water. These sockets will also be protected by an RCD at the consumer unit meaning that they are safe to use for items such as electric lawn mowers and hedge trimmers to give additional protection to the user. These are also a great addition for a patio or outdoor entertaining are so you wont need to run extensions into the house. External sockets can also be fitted to the front of properties or near to drive ways for use with electrical items such as Jet washes and vacuum cleaners.
External Lighting
External lighting is a must for improving the security and practical use around the property. External lighting can also give your property the WOW factor. External lighting comes in all shapes and sizes and choosing the right types of light fitting for the application can often get confusing.
Flood lights or security lights
Flood lights or security lights typically are activated when the motion detector (PIR) picks up movement, these are great for the rear of the property where maximum light is required, these are also a great deterrent for unwanted opportunist.
Decorative lighting
Decorative lighting is often used on both the front and the rear of the property and is typically used for feature or practical lighting, these lights have a number of options when it comes to switching, a manual switch to turn them on as and when you need them, Motion detectors so the lights come on when people approach, dusk till dawn sensors so the lights come on when it goes dark and they also can be controlled via a time clock so that you can choose when the lights come on and go off.
OUTDOOR LIGHTING FIXTURES
Adding Style and Security
Nothing refreshes the look of your home like new outdoor lighting fixtures. At Lamps Plus, we carry a complete line of exterior lighting for porch, patio and landscape areas that can help make your home both safer and more attractive. Brighten an entryway with a hanging design, add style to outside walls or ceilings, or use post lights to improve your driveway and garage areas
For an easy DIY project, outdoor solar lights are a great way to add light to your yard. Because they are powered by the sun, they require no wiring expertise, making them a simple solution for first-timers. With solar path lights for instance, you can line the walkway to your front door in less than an hour. Simply plant them into the ground lining the path and enjoy.
To make your shopping experience easier, we offer a full-size printable version of many of our outdoor light fixtures. Simply print it out and place where you intend to install for a quick and easy way to judge the size of the fixture in relation to its surroundings; see our individual product pages for more information. If you still have questions or would like help selecting the right designs for your home, just give us a call, toll-free.
Quick Tips for Hanging Outdoor String Lights
Spring is here and beautiful summer nights are just around the corner! Today, I wanted to share some really easy quick tips and layout ideas for hanging outdoor string lights. I’m also sharing my favorite sources for lights and things you’ll need to consider when purchasing outdoor string lights, bistro lights or cafe lights.
Over the years, I have designed outdoor lighting layouts for outdoor events, client spaces and in my own outdoor space and it can be very challenging. I have learned so much over the years what works and what doesn’t work and you’ll find all of my tips below
CHOOSE A STAPLE BRAND OF LIGHTS THAT ARE IN STOCK ALL YEAR
I have tried pretty much all big brand lights out there but I now only buy my outdoor lights from Home Depot because they keep them in stock all year (year after year). If you buy off brand string lighting, you will run the risk of the lights not being available for replacement bulbs or if you want to add more strings over time. I also buy two extra boxes for replacement bulbs because at $12.00 a box, it’s cheaper for me to just buy more string lights than buy replacement bulbs.
GLASS OR PLASTIC?
As you choose string lights, be sure and double check to see if the lights are glass or plastic. I personally prefer glass bulbs because there is such a big difference in the way the lights look. While it’s hard to tell when they are in the box, I do think that plastic bulbs can look like plastic when they are hung and turned on. It’s just a personal preference for me but glass just illuminates beautifully
CHOOSING SIZE AND STYLE OF LIGHTS
If you’re going to buy staple string lights from Home Depot, Target and Walmart that are available all year, they are most likely going to be round blubs that are called bistro lights or cafe lights.