A well lit deck extends the room you already have outside, and it does not need complicated wiring to get there. This guide covers whether you should light your deck at all, ten genuine ways to do it drawn from our own range, and which of those actually work on a deck versus which need soil or a wall instead.
Table of contents
- How do you light a deck at night?
- Should I put lights on my deck?
- What lights should I use on my decking?
How do you light a deck at night?
Combine two or three types of light rather than relying on one. Every deck needs some safety lighting at its boundary and any steps, then a layer of mood lighting such as festoon lights or a portable lamp on top. Trying to do everything with a single light type is usually what makes a scheme feel either too dim to be safe or too bright to be relaxing.
Use whatever is already around your deck to your advantage. A brick or render wall behind the deck is worth washing with a downlight. Trees overhanging the space are a natural spot for festoon lights. Work with what you have rather than against it.
Should I put lights on my deck?
Yes, for three practical reasons beyond the obvious mood benefit: visibility, security, and simply getting more use out of the space.
Visibility and safety
Steps, changes in level, and furniture are the main tripping hazards on an unlit deck after dark. Lighting the boundary and any steps removes the guesswork of moving around in the dark, which matters most on decking that gets slippery when wet.
Security
A lit deck is a deterrent in its own right. Any additional exterior lighting makes a property look occupied and reduces the dark, unobserved spots that make the rear of a house more vulnerable.
Indoor-outdoor living
The simplest reason is also the best one: a lit deck stays usable well past sunset, and into the cooler months when a warm light does more work than in midsummer. It is the difference between a deck that gets used for three months a year and one that gets used for eight.
What lights should I use on my decking?
Ten real ways to light a deck, drawn from our own range rather than generic suggestions, including a couple of honest notes on what does not actually work on decking boards.
1. Festoon and string lights
Festoon lights are the fastest way to transform an existing deck, since most run on solar or battery power and need no electrician or pre-planning. Our Lumena Cosmic Phoenix gives a flickering amber flame effect rather than a steady glow, and its solar panel charges from a full day of sun for around 40 hours of use. Hang a run from post to post along the decking rail, or up into overhanging tree branches if you have them.
2. Lanterns
A portable lantern gives you a single, movable point of light rather than a fixed run, which suits a decking table or a step you want to mark without any installation at all. The Endon Hoot is IP44 rated and USB rechargeable, with a 3 stage touch dimmer, so it copes with a damp decking surface and can be moved wherever the evening needs it.
3. Downlights
A downlight mounted on a wall behind the deck gives an indirect, glare free wash rather than a direct source you look into. The Elstead Jens is a compact fixed wall light that works well over a border or flower bed at the deck's edge, highlighting planting as a side effect of lighting the space.
4. Strip lights
A linear strip fitting suits a deck with clean, modern lines, run along the underside of a seating step or the fascia board of a raised deck. The Fabula Cherry Tree throws an unbroken 1.4m line of warm white light and is IP65 rated for full outdoor exposure.
5. Spike lights, for pots and planters rather than the deck itself
Worth being clear about this one: spike lights need soil to hold them, so they cannot be pushed directly into a solid deck board. Where they do work brilliantly is in large pots or planters standing on the deck, or in a border running alongside it. The Faro Balder is designed to be pushed straight into soil and aimed up through foliage, so keep it for your potted plants rather than the decking itself.
6. Step lights
If your decking has steps, light them individually rather than relying on ambient light from elsewhere to carry across. The Faro Sedna 90 recesses flush into a step riser, so pairs of them along a run of steps give a clear, low glare guide down without adding visible fittings.
7. Ground lights
Unlike a spike light, a proper ground light is built to be walked over, which makes it the genuine deck-board option among the ground level choices here. The Collingwood GL019 recesses into the timber during construction, with a honeycomb baffle that cuts side glare so you see the light it casts rather than the fitting itself.
8. Outdoor lamps
A freestanding lamp brings the same instinct as a living room floor lamp outside: a warm, human scaled point of light rather than a fitting mounted somewhere above you. The Bover Amphora is handwoven in Spain and built for exactly this, standing directly on decking boards beside a seating area.
9. Spotlights
Where a downlight does one gentle job, a small spotlight like the Fabula Summit throws light both up and down a wall behind the deck, creating more contrast and definition. Use it to separate a decking area visually from the rest of the garden, or to pick out a textured wall surface.
10. Outdoor pendant lights
If your deck sits under a pergola or open beam structure, a hanging pendant brings the same overhead, living room quality of light you get indoors. The Bover Nans S/16/H is designed specifically for hanging beneath trees, pergolas or open beams, giving a single warm focal point over a table or seating group.
Ready to light up your decking?
Browse our full range of patio and deck lights at Moonlight Design.
Or call our experts: 020 8925 8639
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