The benefits of outdoor lighting are obvious, but choosing the right fittings is not always so simple. Find A Light is here to help you through the options and the things worth thinking about before you buy. We stock a broad range of outdoor lights suited to gardens, decking, porches and driveways, in all shapes and sizes. Order online and have everything delivered directly to your door.
What type of outdoor lighting do you supply?
- Outdoor wall lights - attached to a vertical surface, many giving up and down illumination.
- Bollard lights - fixed posts for lighting gardens and perimeters. Our range includes modern, classic and motion-sensitive fittings.
- Post lighting - single or multi-armed, in traditional or modern styles, to greet visitors as they arrive at your home.
- Pillar lights - used on top of brick-built or solid structures.
- Outdoor ceiling and pendant lights -for porches, verandas and gazebos.
- Recessed floor lights - used along pathways, drives and decking areas.
- Brick lighting -embedded fittings that light pathways, steps and driveways.
- Spike spotlights - used to direct light through foliage, adding interest to plants, trees and other features in your garden.
- Floodlights - used to light a large area. Excellent as security lighting and especially effective on a motion sensor.
What do the IP ratings mean?
Every outdoor fitting we sell carries an IP rating. The first digit covers dust, the second covers water, and in Ireland the second one is what matters.
- IP44 — protected against splashing water from any direction. Enough for a sheltered porch, a covered walkway or a doorway with an overhang.
- IP65 — dust tight and protected against water jets. This is what you want on an exposed wall, or anywhere rain hits the fitting directly.
- IP67 — protected against temporary immersion. Used for ground and deck lights that sit where water can pool.
If you are between two ratings, go up. The price difference is small and an underrated fitting in an exposed position fails long before its time.
Are all lights suitable for coastal areas?
No. Salt air corrodes ordinary outdoor fittings far faster than rain does, and a light that lasts ten years inland can fail in two within sight of the sea. For coastal properties we always recommend marine grade lighting, such as the well-known Fumagalli range, which carries a 15-year guarantee against corrosion and UV damage. Browse our full marine grade lighting to find what suits your property.
Are LED outdoor lights available?
Yes, and for most outdoor uses they are the sensible choice. Reasons to go LED outdoors include:
- Low energy use, which shows up directly on the electricity bill for lights that run every night.
- Long life and almost no maintenance, which matters when the fitting is three metres up a gable wall.
- Less heat and less UV, so LED fittings attract noticeably fewer insects than traditional lamps.
- Instant full brightness, which is the point of a security light.
Should I choose lights with a motion sensor?
For a back door, a side passage or a driveway, yes. A PIR sensor gives you light only when something moves, which uses less power, annoys the neighbours less and works better as a deterrent than a light that burns all night. Most of our floodlights and many bulkhead fittings are available in sensor versions.
For a porch, a patio or a garden path you usually want the opposite: steady, low-level light you control yourself, or that comes on at dusk.
Where to start?
- Front of the house - wall lights either side of the door, or a single lantern above it. Pillar or post lights at the gate.
- Driveway - bollard lights along the edge, or recessed ground lights if you would rather nothing stood proud of the surface.
- Garden path and steps - brick lights or ground lights, spaced evenly rather than densely.
- Patio and decking - recessed deck lights, plus spike spotlights aimed into planting.
- Back door, side passage, garage - a bulkhead or floodlight with a PIR sensor.
- Porch, veranda or gazebo - outdoor ceiling or pendant lights.
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