Lights for Decking

[tsomo2000]

Hi All

I am after a bit of advise for some lights for my decking. I have recently moved into a 1970's semi, that needs renovating. Out in the back garden i have a large amount of decking that I am going to wash, treat and repair in the Spring. I was thinking of installing some recessed decking lights (similar to GU10's), but am unsure about my options.

It seems that the majority of places now sell the recessed lights that run low wattage via LED bulbs. From what i have seen the majority of lights are of a very small diameter, therefore the light emmitted would be of quite low and more for 'mood lighting'. I am not too bothered about this however the decking area is quite large, so I will probably need a large amount of lights.

If anyone has installed any decking lights, or has more knowledge than me could you give me any advise of what the buy/what to research. I have seen some on ebay, but any further knowledge of retailers would be appriciated:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/10-x-S-STEEL-...ng_Lamps_Lighting_SM?var=&hash=item8262bbc0c3

It is worth pointing out that this will not be the sole lighting source for the decking as I will be installing a PIR type light at some point for when a flood of light is required.

Thanks

Alex[/url]

 

[ban-all-sheds]

How is any lighting, no matter what type or how powerful, going to be of any practical use for illuminating the decking area if it's set into the decking shining upwards?

All lighting like that is "mood lighting", it's of no functional value.

And rather than spend time and money washing, treating and repairing that large expanse of cheap and nasty (and poison-impregnated) softwood horror, I suggest you replace it with a smaller area (it looks to be completely out of scale with the rest of the garden) of hardwood such as Balau or green Oak, or a more suitable softwood such as Western Red Cedar.

 

[Steve]

Rather wasteful isnt it ban? Whats going to become of the wood once its removed as well? Dumped in landfill to poison the earth as well? Hardly good is it? Most people couldnt afford hardwood deck anyway. And it'd have to be imported from faraway lands where the FSC probably has no jurisdiction. Most softwood comes from Scandinavia, relatively close, where forests are well managed.

@ the OP, use some nice little LED lights. If you want functional lighting, go for some kind of CFL lighting shining downwards.

 

[tsomo2000]

Rather wasteful isnt it ban? Whats going to become of the wood once its removed as well? Dumped in landfill to poison the earth as well? Hardly good is it? Most people couldnt afford hardwood deck anyway. And it'd have to be imported from faraway lands where the FSC probably has no jurisdiction. Most softwood comes from Scandinavia, relatively close, where forests are well managed.

@ the OP, use some nice little LED lights. If you want functional lighting, go for some kind of CFL lighting shining downwards.

thanks for the 'useful' reply. I chose to ignore the post above this one as it was more of a 'slating' towards me and my choices rather than information regarding garden lighting.

Thanks again.

 

[Steve]

Rather wasteful isnt it ban? Whats going to become of the wood once its removed as well? Dumped in landfill to poison the earth as well? Hardly good is it? Most people couldnt afford hardwood deck anyway. And it'd have to be imported from faraway lands where the FSC probably has no jurisdiction. Most softwood comes from Scandinavia, relatively close, where forests are well managed.

@ the OP, use some nice little LED lights. If you want functional lighting, go for some kind of CFL lighting shining downwards.

thanks for the 'useful' reply. I chose to ignore the post above this one as it was more of a 'slating' towards me and my choices rather than information regarding garden lighting.

Thanks again.

Thats ban-all-sheds, he's the resident grumpy old man

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I chose to ignore the post above this one as it was more of a 'slating' towards me and my choices

Are you hard-of-thinking or something?:

I have recently moved into a 1970's semi, that needs renovating. Out in the back garden i have a large amount of decking

That says that you didn't choose that expanse of decking, so how was I slating your choice?

rather than information regarding garden lighting.

How is any lighting, no matter what type or how powerful, going to be of any practical use for illuminating the decking area if it's set into the decking shining upwards?

Fine - ignore that - go and install lights pointing up at the sky, and see how well they actually light up the decking.

Feel free to experiment with different light sizes, types and power until you find a one which will light up the decking when pointing at the sky.

Maybe you could accelerate your research by getting rid of all the wall, ceiling and freestanding lights in your house and replace them with ones sunk into the floors.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

Thats ban-all-sheds, he's the resident grumpy old man

Not grumpy at all, but mealy-mouthed-diplomat-scared-to-tell-it-like-it-is-in-case-some-pathetic-wimp-takes-offence is not my middle name.

What I said about lights pointing at the sky is quite true, and I genuinely believe that the amount of decking in that garden appears to be overpoweringly disproportionate, and I genuinely believe that the C&N pressure treated cr*p they sell in the sheds is disgusting.

 

[Stoday]

I thought the model man sitting on the left of the fence fitted my image of BAS rather well.

 

[CortinaV8]

To be fair Banal, I vaguely remeber you posting some photos of your garden, which looked much worse/tacky.

As for the lights, led floor lights are fairly handy on a deck link mine with no balustrade as edge markers, but nothing more. Ican't remember when I last turned them on though, to be honest.

 

[ban-all-sheds]

I posted photos of the front of my house, where I had no choice, just like almost every other resident in my road, but to pave it to provide a parking space because the houses were built too close together to get modern cars down the shared driveways to the garages.

It may not be to your taste, and I'd rather not look out of the front window and see a car, but I don't think that block paving looks as tacky as an expanse of tarmac or concrete would.

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

Thats ban-all-sheds, he's the resident grumpy old man

Not grumpy at all, but mealy-mouthed-diplomat-scared-to-tell-it-like-it-is-in-case-some-pathetic-wimp-takes-offence is not my middle name.

phew, thats good - i'd take a long time to fill out application forms and the like if it was.

What I said about lights pointing at the sky is quite true, and I genuinely believe that the amount of decking in that garden appears to be overpoweringly disproportionate, and I genuinely believe that the C&N pressure treated cr*p they sell in the sheds is disgusting.

he did say he was after mood lighting....

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

@the OP, bas is right about the upward lighting being close to useless. When i had my garden done, the landscaper tried to sell a similar idea to me - i laughed at him (a lot) - why light the sky? it wont work well at all.
He even tried to convince me by saying he had done them in another (posh blokes) garden and looked lovely when it was either foggy or raining. Apparently you got a nice cone of light?

Why don't you consider some post lights, say one at each corner?
If you went to town on these, you could install LED colour changing luminares. Eyewatering cost, but look great ( and low power too)

 

[Steve]

If you went to town on these, you could install LED colour changing luminares. Eyewatering cost, but look great ( and low power too)

He's lighting his garden, not opening a branch of Flares 70's bars

 

[mikhailfaradayski]

you don't have to have them changing colour like a disco.
Mine have remote control with a number of colour settings, tres bon

 

[LoveRocket]

How is any lighting, no matter what type or how powerful, going to be of any practical use for illuminating the decking area if it's set into the decking shining upwards?

All lighting like that is "mood lighting", it's of no functional value.

And rather than spend time and money washing, treating and repairing that large expanse of cheap and nasty (and poison-impregnated) softwood horror, I suggest you replace it with a smaller area (it looks to be completely out of scale with the rest of the garden) of hardwood such as Balau or green Oak, or a more suitable softwood such as Western Red Cedar.

Even for you, Banal, that is a completely unnecessary, unhelpful and outright insulting and nasty post.

Is the reason you spend every waking hour in front of a computer because you find people keep punching you in the face when you venture out (past your tacktastic paved garden!) in to the real world?