5 Ways To Add Landscape Lighting to Concrete Hardscaping
Concrete — it’s everywhere. Stamped concrete driveways, stained concrete retaining walls, nifty concrete benches overlooking fire pits and patios. Customers often ask me if they can have nice lighting installed in their pre-existing concrete. If they come to us, they can.
It’s a tricky job, but our team of lighting experts are part artist, part skilled craftsmen. And we have the tools to do the job. Just the other day we drilled a 5-inch concrete core out of a driveway to install lighting to highlight the home’s architectural features. You’d never know we were there.
It took a $5,000 drill, a diamond bit and skilled know-how. This combination of tools, skill and artistry makes us unique in Utah. We can retrofit just about anything.
Here’s a look at 5 ways you can add outdoor lighting to your concrete hardscaping — whether you’re starting from scratch or your concrete features already exist.
Undercap Lights
You want to see the effect…not the source.
Undercap lights are a great example of this. These subtle fixtures are designed to be hidden, casting light downward.
You can install them under a cap at the top of a retaining wall and allow the light to wash down the wall to show the texture of the rock. And they can light the adjacent pathway at the same time.
Undercap outdoor lighting can tuck under step caps to illuminate a set of steps without glare. When installed below benches, they shine onto a patio seating area.
Again, you see only beautiful light, but not the source.
Pool Deck Lighting
Pools are a lot of fun at night, but you only want to end up in the water intentionally. Good lighting is a must!
Illuminating a concrete pool deck from above, with lights mounted in trees or on roof gables, gives the illusion of moonlight. And who doesn’t love a moonlight swim?
Don’t forget pathway lighting to safely illuminate walking areas paved with concrete. You might also consider uplighting on trees and architectural elements around the pool to add to the peaceful ambiance.
Stair Tread Lights
The best way to trip and land on your face? Try to navigate concrete steps in the dark.
A great solution is to install lighting into the vertical part of a stair, called the riser.
Concrete step lights, or tread lights, fit right into the stairs and focus light downward onto the step immediately below it. They offer enough light for safety, but the light is subtle enough that it isn’t distracting.
Because the fixture itself is set into the step, it’s barely noticeable in the light of day. Even at night, you notice the steps and the warm glow of light — not the fixture.
Driveway Illumination
I love creating the look of moonlight over a driveway. Overhead lights are the perfect solution, when possible, because driveways are really busy places. They’re filled with trimmers, kids, dogs, bikes, shovels, snow plows. And the last thing you want when you open your car door is to whack a lighting fixture.
Mounting lights in the trees overhead or from the gable of a roof keeps them out of the way, and creates a beautiful moonlight effect, dappling through the trees.
Lighting Other Concrete Features
Not all concrete is hardscape. Your concrete garden statuary and fountains are beautiful centerpieces of your landscape during the day. Why not enjoy them at night?
The right lighting will highlight their detail and make them dramatic focal points of your evening garden.
To learn more about lighting options for your concrete hardscape, call (801) 440-7647 to schedule a free consultation, or fill out our simple contact form.
Located in Sandy, Landscape Lighting Pro of Utah serves customers throughout Utah’s residential areas, including Salt Lake City, Park City, Draper and Holladay. Our outdoor lighting portfolio includes projects from Salt Lake County and Utah County, to Davis County and Summit County — and beyond.
