Install Outdoor Lighting

A great way to update the curb appeal of your home is to install outdoor lighting for added style and security. This includes replacing existing outdoor light fixtures with newer styles, or finding a design style more complementary to the look you want for your home. Upgrading outdoor light fixtures is possible to do yourself in a few hours, or you can always call in the help of a professional electrician for more complicated projects.

This guide will start you on your lighting project knowing how to install outdoor lighting and walk you through the basics of any exterior light fixture installation. When you find the perfect new look for your outdoor lighting layout, know exactly how complicated the project is (or isn’t) before you even pull out the tool kit.

How to Install Outdoor Lighting

There are different types of outdoor lighting fixtures, and every manufacturer will likely have their own set of installation instructions to customize the product installation. The basic steps required to install outdoor lighting should be relatively similar, however, depending on the location and access to an existing electrical supply.

You’ll need to have a few tools on-hand to change out an exterior light fixture:

• A ladder or step-stool, depending on the installation height of the light
• Wall stud finder
• A screwdriver (flathead or Phillips head) or power drill with drill bits to fit the fixture’s screws
• A chisel
• Wire strippers, or Lineman’s pliers
• Electrical caps or electrical tape
• Caulk gun and clear, silicone-based caulk

Because of the electrical components of installing outdoor lighting, give yourself an hour or two of time to complete the project. These types of projects are moderately difficult and are most comfortably completed by those with advanced experience working with lighting and construction projects.

Start by Removing the Old Light Fixture

Before you can install a new fixture, the existing fixture has to be removed. Removing the light is a good primer to the installation, and fairly simple.

1. Turn off the power to the fixture you’ll be replacing. This involves turning off the correct circuit in the house’s circuit breaker box. Test that the power is off by switching the light on and off at the wall switch controlling the exterior wall lighting.
2. Remove the light bulb from the existing fixture. Save it for the new light, or if it is no longer in working condition, dispose of it properly.
3. Carefully use a chisel to pry up any caulk or sealant along the decorative base of the light, if there’s any present.
4. Use a screwdriver to loosen the screws, and pull the light away from the wall. 
5. If it’s a small fixture that fits in your hand, you can hold the light, or you can use a hook or bent wire to hang the fixture from the mounting bracket, freeing up both hands.
6. Disconnect the wires that attach the light to the wall. Remove the wire caps and twist the wires until they seperate. A few counter-clockwise twists should loosen them.
7. Dispose of the old light fixture. If the light is still in good, working condition, recycling programs such as Habitat for Humanity may have donation centers in your area.
8. Remove the old mounting bracket. If the retrofit box/work box is old or damaged, remove it and replace it with the box that came with the new light fixture. 

It’s important to note that the work box is an essential component to installing outdoor lighting. The electrical work box, or retrofit box, is a plastic box that installs inside the wall to insulate and protect the wires, as well as provides a more secure anchor point to attach the light fixture. 

Many older fixtures may not have been installed with the work box to secure the fixture properly. Unfortunately, removing the existing light is often the only way to know if the work box was installed or not. If there is no work box where you want to install outdoor lighting, you’ll have to install a new box before installing exterior lights in that location.

How to Install Outdoor Wall Lighting Work Boxes

With the power still turned off, use a wall stud finder to check that there are no wall supports in the location where you’ll be installing the light. If a wall support, or a stud, is nearby, adjust the installation location away from it. Once the location is finalized, you can prepare to install the work box.

Some additional tools you’ll need for installing the work box include:

• A plastic electrical work box
• A jigsaw
• A pencil or marker

To install the work box:

1. Trace the outline of the back of the work box directly onto the wall using a pencil or marker. The electrical lines from the light should poke through roughly the middle of the traced outline.
2. Tuck the wires back inside the wall. Try to keep them away from the wall opening as much as possible.
3. Using a jigsaw, cut the box outline from the exterior wall only. For stone or stucco, you may have to use a chisel to remove the stonework to get to the wall.
4. Thread the electrical wires from the wall into the work box. 
5. Fit the work box into the hole in the wall. An overhanging edge should sit flush against the surface of the wall. The wires should be the only things in the box.
6. Screw the work box into place using the threaded holes indicated on the work box.

Once the work box is in place, you are ready to install outdoor lighting in that location.

How to Install an Exterior Light Fixture

Removing the existing light fixture is a quick and easy task. Installing exterior lights should be as simple as reversing the process.

It’s a good idea to always assemble any light fixture according to the manufacturers’ instructions. They may also include instructions and tips specific to using the light, so read any included paperwork before you begin. If there’s any recommended pre-assembly, make sure it’s complete before you start the installation.

To install new outdoor lighting:

1. Install the mounting bracket piece over the front of the work box. Place the screws in the holes molded into the work box when provided, or as the light fixture’s instructions indicate.
2. Use a sturdy hook to hang the pre-assembled fixture from or near the mounting bracket.
3. Wrap the ground wire around the green grounding screw on the mounting bracket. The ground wire will usually be cased in green, or will be bare copper wire. 
4. Use the pliers to snip the plastic casing off the wires to expose them as needed.
5. Connect the wires from the wall supply to the wires on the light fixture by twisting the copper wires together. The color-coded wires connect to the same color wires to complete the electrical circuit, so connect the electric supply’s “hot” black wire to the fixture’s black wire, and the neutral white wire to white wire. 
6. Cap the wires off with wire connectors or wrap the twists in electrical tape.
7. Tuck the connected wires back into the work box behind the mounting bracket.
8. Remove the light fixture from the hook, and remove the hook from the mounting bracket. Line up the light fixture base to the mounting bracket and screw it into place with the screws provided.
9. Seal around the top edge of the fixture, between the wall and the base of the fixture, using the clear caulk. Leave the lower edge unsealed to allow moisture to escape over time.
10. Turn on the power, connect a new light bulb if needed, and test the light. Enjoy the new exterior wall lighting!

Whether a lantern porch light or a wall sconce, the basic steps involved will look a lot like the steps outlined above. There’s no need to be intimidated by outdoor wall lighting installation when it’s time to update the look of your home.

How to Install Flood Lights Over a Garage Door

A flood light should install the same as most other types of outdoor wall lighting, with the most complicated part of the project perhaps being the awkward size and shape of the flood light. 

For some garage door locations, however, there may not be a ready electric supply where you want to install the light. At that point, you can either call in an electrician to have the experts move the wires, or you can route the wiring along the inside of the garage rather than through the walls.

The best way to reroute the wiring is to use electrical metallic tubing, or EMT conduit, to lead wiring from the garage’s electrical supply to where the outdoor lighting will be installed, and then access the wiring through the wall. This is an advanced project you can do yourself with the right tools and materials, or you can call in a more experienced electrician to do the job. 

To move the wiring, you’ll need the following additional materials:

• EMT conduit
• ½” Metal conduit connectors
• Metal junction box
• Tape measure
• Extension box for the electric receptacles
• Electrician’s fish tape

To reroute the wiring over the walls to connect a metal junction box behind an exterior wall light:

1. Drill a pilot hole into the exterior and interior wall of the garage where the lights will be placed.
2. Install a retrofit box on the exterior wall for the light fixture.
3. Mount a metal junction box inside the garage, opposite the pilot hole.
4. Turn off the power to the nearest garage electrical wall receptacle.
5. Add an extension box to the electrical wall receptacle. Wire a ½” inch metal conduit connector to the box top.
6. Measure the interior wall between where the exterior light will be installed and the modified receptacle. 
7. Cut EMT conduit in lengths to make a track between the exterior light location and the electric receptacle. This may require curved elbow pieces and right angles to fit around the garage corners. Mount the fitted conduit to the wall.
8. Use electricians fish tape to feed the hot, neutral, and ground wires through the conduit from the receptacle to the new junction box.
9. Connect the wiring between the junction box and the extension box.
10.  Install the exterior wall light as usual and connect it to the wires in the junction box. Once completed, turn the power back on and test the light.

While this advanced electrical work can take some time, it is a possible alternative for garages without electrical wiring in place for installing exterior wall lighting. These adjustments keep your home up to code as you improve the curb appeal and security.

Installing Exterior Lights

When looking into how to install outdoor light fixtures, it’s important to keep in mind that lighting can be placed in different locations beyond just the front porch or near the driveway. Exterior lighting includes landscape lighting, which installs out into the yard, along the walking paths, or as a way to highlight decorative features.

Other types of exterior lighting aren’t quite as straightforward as wall lighting when it comes to installation. Their sizes and shapes vary greatly, as well as their power sources. 

More involved landscape lighting features, such as step lights, can require the assistance of a contractor or electrician to build into a staircase or along a deck. Well lighting is embedded into the ground to aim lights up at decorative features in the yard, from trees to flag poles, and can require complex electrical work in order to safely bury the power source for the lights.

There are many landscape lighting options that are easily installed, with reliable, and accessible power sources. For those landscape lighting choices you can assemble and install in a weekend, look to alternatives like string lights or solar lighting.

How to Install Outdoor String Lights

Outdoor string lighting is a trend that is here to stay. The simple, bare bulb look adds charm, whimsy, and style to any space. Whether the back yard is a modern oasis with architectural lines built into every bench, or it’s a country comfort hideaway, the accent lighting provided by a few rows of string lights is a sure fit.

Not only is the look ready to match any yard, they are a very DIY-friendly design. String lights can be attached to posts or tree branches with zip ties, or draped around a fence line using screw-in cup hooks on the fence.

When stretching multiple strings of lights over an open area, it’s a good idea to attach the strings to sturdy-gauge wiring for extra support. That will keep the stringed lights from sagging in the wear of the weather.

How to Install Solar Path Lights

One of the quickest exterior lights to set up are solar path lights. Most solar path lights are designed to be installed using stakes driven into the ground. They are easily moved and readjusted to fit any landscape design, with very little assembly time or maintenance overall.

They require no energy source as the solar panels collect what they run on every day. Most solar panels have an attached panel that collects and powers the path light in one unit, while others connect a single solar panel to multiple path lights along a cord. 

It’s important to place the solar panels where they will receive bright, direct sunlight daily. Pay attention to where shade falls over the area where you want to install solar path lights throughout the day. When you install the solar lighting along the driveway or sidewalk, you’ll have an idea how to angle the solar panel to receive the most light and ensure the best, longest lasting results.