Composite Deck Lighting Ideas

The simplest way to make a little nook look warm and inviting, romantic even, is to use candles. Whether it’s floating tea lights, a candle in the top of an old wine bottle or a large free-standing candle, create that perfect magical mood with a naked flame. 

 You can further protect your candle from the breeze by placing into a hanging lantern or a hurricane lantern. Many of these are designed with pretty lacework patterns which cast enchanting shapes and shadows across your composite deck.

If you’re on a bit of a tight budget and are looking for an environmentally friendly option, solar lighting may be your best option for you.

Solar lights are available with spikes to light your path along the lawn, as free-standing posts and as security lights which can be fitted to a garage or fence posts. Solar lights require no batteries and can cast ample light for seeing your way to the shed to retrieve that spanner.

String lights in the form of bulbs and fairy lights are also available as solar lights and look pretty wrapped around a tree or draped along a wall. Strung across a pergola or arbour they make a wonderful feature of your structure. For regular use though, most solar lights are not great at lighting an area, rather they make it look pretty. The bulb style lights, whilst looking very effective are not always well sealed and so are prone to water damage.

With the arrival of LED lighting, the options for mains-powered lighting are almost endless.

String lights, similar to Christmas lights are available. However, unless your deck is right next to the house, the amount of preparation which you need to undertake in getting the cable to your composite decking area may seem a little excessive when solar string lights are so cheap nowadays.

If you have a traditional-style garden, a Victorian lamp post can be a beautiful focal point and will cast a lot of light. Another popular option, if you have a rockery is to replace some of the rocks with rock lights. These look like authentic natural rocks but are made from fibreglass and so are light and easy to manoeuvre into position.

Whether fitting for safety, to highlight a feature or simply to look pretty, integral LED composite decking lighting does it all.

• Stairs – Fitting recessed decking lighting into stairs helps to guide your way in the dark, ensuring safety whilst making a neat feature of your decking.
• Rails – Fitting deck lighting under a balustrade or handrail provides an effective way of lighting your way around balconies and potential hazards.
• Downlighting – Fitting lighting to the underside of an overhead cupboard or work top casts plenty of light within an outdoor kitchen for preparing food and dishing up the burgers or pizza.
• Integral Decking Lighting – Designed to be installed beneath the composite deck, the LED lights themselves slot easily into the recess and once fitted are virtually flush to the deck, the rim being less than a millimetre in thickness.

They put the fun into functional adding a little drama and magic to your composite decking area.

Fire pits are a wonderful quick win. They immediately create an ambience everyone loves, generating both light and heat. Be warned though, they can be messy and often take some tinkering to get them to burn well without smoking your soiree out!

Here at NeoTimber® we have designed our own range of recessed composite decking lights. Supplied in packs of ten, they hook up to a three-pin plug and can be operated through a normal household power supply of 240V.

NeoTimber’s deck lights are small but mighty. Designed to be discreet, they are 30mm in diameter, can be installed a maximum of 1 metre apart and cast a warm white glow; the LED bulb being 0.6W.

Fitting decking lighting will usually require prior laying of a length of armoured cable wired into the mains and connected to an MCB (Mini Circuit Breaker) we would therefore recommend having your deck lighting installed by a domestic professional electrician.