DIY Outdoor Lighting Tips for Beginners

Appearances matter, especially if we talk about your house, which reflects your identity and style. Did you know that you can make it stand out with lighting on the outside?

Gardens play a fundamental role in any home with an outdoor area. In addition to a place for relaxation and enjoyment, for example if you have young children, they have many possibilities and can become a true extension of the house due to its style and decoration. The exterior lighting of the garden should be done in accordance with that idea, but also thinking about the particularities of a part of the house exposed to the occasional inclement weather. Below we are going to show you the keys to good garden lighting.

Make a Plan

The first thing we recommend is that you look at the details of the outdoor areas: where your plants, fountains or garden furniture are located, how big they are and how wide the spaces are. Thus, you can choose the models of lamps and luminaires that best adapt to the place where they will look spectacular.

Fixed Installation

Before proceeding to the installation of the exterior lighting of a garden, the electrical distribution of the space must be designed and several times we must verify how we want to light each part. Do we want to differentiate several areas? So, we can choose different colored lights and choose different colored led yard lights. Ambient light allows many possibilities, but if the light distributions for a garden have something in common, it is not recommended that they be neither direct nor very intense. With soft shades we will not only avoid the presence of insects that can be very annoying, but we will also avoid projecting an image that is too cold. The ideal is to combine hanging lamps with garden lamps and other elements at ground level.

Power regulators can also be an excellent option. We can play with decorative lamps and use spotlights with led yard lights to highlight a facade, a vertical garden or another unique element. In planning we can combine one or more fixed lamps with other temporary or mobile lamps to obtain great results. For the latter we will only need an outlet and a cable extender suitable for outdoors.

Combine the Lights

The key to creating different effects and atmospheres in your spaces is to use various types of lights. Try lighting the plants in the entrance with spot lights, and place a wall light near them, the result will enchant you! You can also combine cool and warm lights to highlight details and create a unique atmosphere.

Plan Where to Put the Switches

Strange as it may sound, you can also put outside switches inside the main room, so it will be easier to turn them on and you will not forget to turn them off at night. You can also place them in rooms that you use often to be able to turn the lights on and off quickly and easily.

Use Light Levels Carefully

Dimmers are an excellent option to create different environments. Just be careful that the light is not too strong and dazzle people who pass by. Or, on the contrary, that it is too low, and the details go unnoticed instead of attracting attention.

Choose Attractive Models

The most important thing of all is that you choose the lamps that suit your style. Do you want to give an elegant touch to the exterior of your house? Then topguidepro.com recommend best models for outdoor led yard lights. If you prefer something practical and discreet.

Wrapping Elements to Protect

The surrounding elements are essential to protect the electrical systems that serve to make the exterior lighting of the garden work. Moisture caused by night frosts, rain or snow, as well as dust, can damage these outdoor lighting installations in the garden and, therefore, cause a serious danger to the inhabitants of the house. These elements also serve to protect from impacts and avoid direct contact with dangerous parts, such as cables and sockets. Check out https://www.thededicatedhouse.com/10-questions-to-ask-your-outdoor-lighting-designer/ to read some of the must-have questions for outdoor lighting designers.

The IP code values ​​from ‘0’ to ‘8’ the degree of protection against the effects of dust and humidity, while the IK establishes a scale of ‘0’ to ‘10’ in terms of mechanical impacts such as friction and shock. The general rule for exterior lighting of a garden using surrounding elements indicates that they must protect against the action of humidity and dust to a degree never lower than that indicated by the IP54 code.

1,000-Volt Insulation conductors

When we have to resort to the use of connections, we will have to bear in mind the current regulations, which state that conductors with an insulation of 1,000 volts and a minimum of 6 mm2 section must be used. In the case of underground connections, the depth to which the wiring must be buried will be 60 centimeters. In addition, it must have ceramic tiles or plastic bands and rest on a bed of sand. Between supplies and electrical installation, the minimum distance to be given is 20 centimeters.