Safety First With Outdoor Step Lighting

 

In my previous article I introduced you to outdoor stairway lighting and some of the serious safety issues I faced when I installed my own outdoor step lighting. In the following article I will explain how I solved the problem of lighting my first few steps.

As I explained in my previous article I had planned to install lighting which was inset into the first few steps as they were in shade. Unfortunately I had to amend this idea as my steps are solid concrete and I had not figured for the power cables!

I firstly considered placing a few spotlights, in my front yard, shining onto the steps but when I tested this I quickly discovered that, when walking up the steps with the light behind, it was somewhat difficult to see where you were going due to the shadow caused by the body. Rather that having spotlights pointing in all directions lighting the whole place up like a film set I decided that I had to find a simple outdoor step lighting solution.

I had purchased a few sets of low voltage lighting for my pathway and steps so I was left with a few spare. It suddenly dawned on me that it would be relatively easy to fix these to a long piece of wood which could then be easily fixed to the wall (by simply drilling a few holes here and there and applying a little silicone for good measure).

My first attempt was something of a nightmare but after a few trials I settled on positioning the lights so that they shone directly down onto the steps. This had the advantage of not shining into the face of people while illuminating the steps without obstruction. Luckily I had not fixed the cables behind the wood so I could fiddle around with light and cable placement.

I was rather proud of my outdoor step lighting but my wife wasn't, she said it was unsightly! I must admit that a plank of wood with a few lights stuck on it and some dangling cable was not the prettiest thing I had ever created but it did the job nicely. Tidying up the thing was relatively easy as all I needed to do was shorten the cable here and there, ensuring that joints were watertight. I then carved out a little of the wood, with a chisel, to create a channel into which I laid the cable and filled it with wood filler. A couple of coats of paint later and my wife was happy - job done.

Sometimes, if the perfect outdoor step lighting is not available then it is relatively easy to adapt another type of outdoor lighting to do the job perfectly. It is extremely important that you fully understand electrics before adapting such kits and you must also be aware that you may also be voiding any warranties but outdoor lighting is so cheap these days.

In the next group of articles we will be taking a look at the security benefits of outdoor lighting, to access the list of articles simply click on the link below.

 

More articles about outdoor lighting >