Deck Lighting - Beautify your deck & Yard

You don't need a professional designer to find outdoor lighting products that fit your style of your garden or the architecture of your home. They can be easily found online or at your local Building supply.

It is nearly impossible to utilize one's property to its fullest extent without outdoor lighting.

By employing outdoor lighting you now have created a nighttime outdoor for entertaining, dining or just relaxing on the deck.

Carefully planned and installed low voltage lighting, path lights, and lanterns at nighttime can virtually  transform your property. Trees, facades, and fountains become  dramatic focal points.

Other areas to use lighting is along paths and walkways, softly spreading down lights  will guide your  guests safely to your door. Around  the patio and deck , tiki torches and strings of party lights create a festive mood

You'll find that there are many options, tricks and styles when using outdoor lighting.  All depending on the mood you want to to create.

Here are 12 more easy ways to create instant atmosphere that won’t break your budget.

1. Make a plan before you begin. Sketch a plan of your house, deck and garden, be sure to include trees, garden ornaments, and other landscaping features. Get some graph paper to help put your plan in proportion and sketch in the measurements of you deck, house, garden , etc. This will help you immensely to positions your lighting fixtures.

It’s a good idea to experiment with your outdoor landscape lighting design before you install it permanently. Outdoor lighting fixtures are very safe to use, so you can set them up temporarily and turn them on to see how they work, then make any necessary adjustments.

2. Use string lights on structures such as garden shed, etc or trees, arbors, and trellis.

3. Place candles, or fabric lanterns, tea lights, onto  tables and bars.

4. Place citronella candles and tiki torches around a patio or deck to deter insects away from  food, and away enough not to cause unwarranted smells from these lights.

5. Try this one: Hang a  mini-disco ball from a tree branch  and point a light preferably a  spotlight at it.

6. spot lights and solar lights, will illuminate paths and will nicely accentuate your landscaping.

7. Float candles in pools , bird baths, and or ponds.

8. Another one is to fill  mason jars with a few inches of sand, then drop in a tea light for a pretty, economic light that will last for a good amount of time.

9. For some unique effects, use lava lamps and fiber-optic domes or globes for themed lighting .

10. Stepping stones and decorative solar lights can be used like sculpture and garden accents, which come in various shapes and sizes.

11.Recessed deck lighting mounts flush to the deck. You can walk on these lights without damaging the fixture. Great  for lighting the perimeter of decks and docks. These lights are available as disks or bricks.

12. Ensure guest safety by illuminating paths, stairs, your driveway pool and any dark areas.

Our Final Tips: Don't "over light" the deck. Avoid what we call  the "daytime effect."  Go for a balanced, soothing effect, not an overwhelming brightness.

Oil, kerosene and candle lanterns radiate a very gentle natural flame, and some warmth as well. They can work very well as soft accents around the garden, deck and patio.

More on   what's available in deck lighting--Low voltage lighting  and   more lighting tips to make your deck and yard more appealing.

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© 2006 American Floor Coverings Inc.  All rights reserved.  

© 2005 American Floor Coverings Inc.  All rights reserve