When the weather is nice, you may want to spend as much time as possible out-of-doors. However, in the warm weather, the best time to be outside is in the evening. It’s important to use the right kind of deck accent lighting for safety as well as adding ambiance to your deck decor. Here are some helpful tips for achieving this goal.
Accenting Certain Features
Your deck probably has some areas and features that you like best. Why not put an emphasis on these areas with special light fixtures? Of course, the number one concern for your lighting should be safety, and this is why it’s a good idea to start with your stairs and steps.
Stair Lighting
You can provide adequate light for stairs without lighting up the entire deck. For example, you can place LED strip lights just above each stair. However, if you want more subtle and dramatic effect, consider louvered light fixtures. They can make the perfect deck accent lighting feature.
Post Lights
Post lights are excellent accent fixtures for your deck. However, it’s important to mount them at the proper height. For example, if you have furniture in the area, check to see that the lighting will not be in your guests’ eyes. You may have to lower the mounts to achieve this.
If you want to be sure that your lights will not cause any glare issues, use soft lights that focus in a downward position.
More Safety Issues
Since your deck accent lighting is going to be outside, you’ll want to make sure you have GFI protection on your circuits. In fact, to ensure your safety and the safety of everyone else, choose a high-quality low-voltage lighting system. These systems require a transformer plugged into a 120-volt power source, but all the lighting will be either 12 or 24 volts DC.
