15 Awesome Deck Lighting Ideas to Lighten Up Your Deck

So you have done designing your deck. Now what? Well, what about the lighting? Does your deck have proper lighting that makes it even more inviting during the night? If it doesn’t yet, we have some awesome deck lighting ideas that will lighten up your deck.

Deck Lighting Ideas for Every Season

There are many ways to design the deck lighting. Use our ideas below to inspire you to create your own unique deck lighting.

Deck Lighting on the Railing

On the other parts of the house, lighting is usually put above the head or on the ceiling. What about deck lighting? Should the same thing be done to it? Not really. You can be more creative with it.

A good example is to put the lighting on your deck railing. Imagine a deck like the above lighted during the night. Very beautiful, isn’t it? The placement on the railing allows the lighting to lighten the deck and at the same time, making the deck stands out.

What if you don’t have deck railing yet? Well, no worries. In case you need inspiration for your deck railing, you may want to check our deck railing ideas list that we have.

Floor Deck Lighting

The second idea in our deck lighting ideas list is floor deck lighting. On the previous example, the deck lighting is placed on the railing. This one, however, places the lighting mostly on the floor. There are additional lighting on the top of the railing as well.

Floor deck lighting is a good option if you don’t want to light the deck too brightly. Floor deck lighting tends to be less bright yet is able to bring an elegant vibe to the deck.

Hanging Lighting

Can you hang deck lighting above? Well, of course. But, hanging deck lighting is not everyone. Hanging lighting for the deck is great if

1. you have a large deck
2. you turn the deck into an extra living room outdoor
3. if the deck is roofless
4. you want ambient lighting for the deck

Of course, you can work with a deck that has a roof, too. However, it will not have the same ‘outdoor living room’ vibe to it.

Lighting on Low Stairs

Suppose you have a deck with one or two low stairs. Where should you install the deck lighting? Another example in our deck lighting ideas here is to install them on those low stairs. Deck lighting on low stairs looks great, especially if you want a deck that has natural-looking lighting during the night.

While this kind of lighting looks great, you should consider adding additional lighting on the deck as the lighting that comes from the stairs may not be enough for your deck. If you think it is enough, then you don’t have to.

Stairway Lighting

Does your deck have a stairway? In that case, you should consider adding stairway lighting on it. Stairway lighting will not only make your deck looks even more inviting, but it will also make it safer for people to access the deck during the night.

You can add the lighting on the middle of each stair, on the railing or even on both sides of each stair. However you do it just remember that the most important thing is that the lighting provides enough light to the deck.

Simple Hanging Light

This is another good idea in our deck lighting ideas if you want overhead lighting. Unlike the previous example, this one is really simple. All you need is a line of bulbs as lighting. You will not need lots of bulbs for this.

The best thing about this is that the installation is easy, as the lighting is basically a long line. Since the lighting is placed on the corner of the deck, the center of the deck can be highlighted.

Bright Stairway Deck Lighting

Not everyone wants an ambient light for their deck. Some people do want to have bright lighting for their deck. If you are among these people, consider installing stairway deck lighting in a similar manner as in the picture.

Since the stairway deck lighting is bright, it turns the stairway into a focal point in itself. Is it great? Of course. It looks great during the night.

To make things even better, you will need proper deck skirting. If you haven’t decided what kind of deck skirting you should use, we have deck skirting ideas to help you get started. Be sure to check them out!

Twinkle Lights Deck Lighting

Need deck lighting ideas for the summer? Consider using twinkle lights for your deck to prepare for the season. Since the season is hot, you don’t want to create additional heat from using regular lighting. Instead of regular lighting, you can consider using twinkle lights. They are small, bright, and make the deck look more beautiful.

The key to using twinkle lights is in placement. That is, you need to place them in appropriate places. Don’t use too many twinkle lights. Several lines of twinkle lights should be enough.

Short Staircase Lighting

You don’t have to have a long staircase for your deck to make it more interesting. In fact, a deck with a short staircase can be as interesting, too.  Unlike a long staircase, a short staircase can afford to have lighting that is close to each other, it will not look too ‘crowded’ due to its small size.

The most important thing for this kind of lighting is that you need to use lighting that complements the look of the staircase. For instance, use ambient lighting if you have a rustic staircase like in the picture.

Lighting for ‘Bridge’ Deck

Do you have a long deck that it looks as if it is a bridge? A ‘bridge’ deck looks very gorgeous at night with proper lighting. The above is a good example of that. Most of the light bulbs are placed on the sides of the deck, with some additional lighting here and there.

Just like other deck lighting ideas, proper placement is a must if you want to make your deck look more interesting. In this case, the best place to put the lighting is on the sides as such placement provides good lighting to the whole deck.

Deck Railing with Lighting in the Middle

There is no absolute rule in terms of deck lighting placement. That’s right. You can be creative with your lighting design for your deck. For instance, you can even put electric lamps in the middle of the deck railing. Yes, like in the above picture.

Since the lighting will be placed in the railing, you should consider using bright electric lamps. Bright electric lamps will highlight the staircase and the railing, turning them into a beautiful focal point of the deck. Not only that, it will make it safer for people to enter the deck at night as well as the staircase is properly illuminated.

Strip Deck Lighting

This is another example of simple lighting in our deck lighting ideas list. Unlike many other examples, this one involves installing the lighting on the rail. Instead of light bulbs, this one uses strip lighting. This looks so beautiful at night. If you don’t believe it, just take a look at the picture.

A good thing about this kind of lighting is that you are free to choose whether to use bright or ambient lighting. Of course, it depends on the design ideas of the deck as well as your own preference. Whichever you choose, strip deck lighting will certainly make your deck more interesting.

Simple Deck Lighting for Deck with Low Railing

What if you have a low deck railing but still want to install deck lighting on them? No need to worry. You can still do so. Instead of installing them in the middle of the railing or on its top, you can install the lighting just under the upper part of the railing.

Since the railing is quite low, the light will disperse to other parts of the deck, allowing the deck to be properly lit. To get the best effect, consider using bright electric bulbs.

Strip Lighting for Cable Deck Railing

You can also use strip lighting if you have cable deck railing. It looks quite interesting. Why? Because the lighting not only provides proper lighting to the deck, it also highlights the cable deck railing as well. As a result, the cable deck railing becomes a focal point on the deck.

Can it work for other types of deck railing? Yes, it can. That being said, it may not look as good as cable railing due to the cable railing reflects the light well.

Railing Posts Deck Lighting

The last idea in our deck lighting ideas list is railing post deck lighting. Previously, the lighting is either put on the floor, the railing, or above the head. But what if you want to not put it on the railing posts? Well, by all means, do so.

Putting the deck lighting on the railing posts is a good idea to lighten up the deck. In fact, if you put the lighting properly and choose the proper lighting intensity, you will certainly have a gorgeous deck. Just try it.