Make Your Garden Shine With the Best Outdoor Lighting Tips and Tricks
Outdoor lighting is a neat way to give your garden a lift. Regardless of whether you want to highlight a particular area or simply make more use of your outdoor space, our lighting tips can help. By scrolling through our community’s database of ideas, we’ve found a selection of fantastic solutions for any home. So, if you’re ready to bring light to areas where there was once shade, check out our top 18 outdoor lighting tips.
1. Outdoor Lighting Looks Sharp with Sharpies
To add some color to your outdoor lighting, all you need is a creative touch and some sharpies. To recreate this project, start by removing the wiring and internals from a set of bulbs. Next, take a selection of sharpies and go wild! Finally, insert battery-powered LED lights into each bulb and voila! Get tutorial here
2. Arty Outdoor Solar Lights
Don’t spend a fortune on solar outdoor light decorations. By using some initiative, creativity and a set of sharpies, you can make these wonderful outdoor lights. Adding solar lights to Dollar Store vases she’d decorated with a sharpie (oil based), Michelle was able to revamp her decking without breaking the bank. Get tutorial here
3. An Oasis of Outdoor String Lights
You don’t need trees to create your own little oasis of light. Staking metal fence posts into the ground, Hometalker Virginia formed a circuit to hang her lights from. After screwing 2X2 beams to each post, she finished the project by attaching outdoor string lights to each post. The end result was an oasis of light in her yard. Get tutorial here
4. Don’t Get Hung Up on Outdoor Christmas Lights
You’ve bought some outdoor Christmas lights for the festive season but now you’re in a mess trying to hang them. Never fear, thanks to this ingenious hack, you can light up your home in minutes by drilling holes into a piece of J Channel. By threading your lights into the aluminum strips, you can hang them quickly and, importantly, in a straight line. Get tutorial here
5. Lightbulb Moment: Hangers and Solar Lights
A hanging planter, a tabletop outdoor solar light, and some copper wire are all you need to make this impressive garden ornament. To start, remove the chains from the hanger and separate the light from its casing. Next, pierce holes in the casing and attach to a hanger. Finally, stick the bulbs back in their casing using double-sided tape and hang! Get tutorial here
6. Grand Outdoor LED Lighting
For a grand look outside of your home, this idea from Angela Davis is ideal. To recreate this trio of impressive outdoor lights, start with three faux concrete candleholders. To give them an imposing vibe, paint with Patina Aging Solution. To finish, glue mason jars to the top of each post and insert battery-powered candles. Amazing! Get tutorial here
7. Candlelight by Moonlight Outdoor Invention
This neat outdoor solar light takes very little effort. Taking three Dollar Store outdoor lights, Zest It Up started out by removing the bulbs from their stems. The next step was to glue the bulbs to a candlestand using a hot glue gun. The tip here is to work fast so the glue doesn’t set. Finally, colored glass gives the light a calming aura. Get tutorial here
8. World of Color: String Lights and Planters
If you’ve got four half circle planters and a set of outdoor string lights, this glowing globe could be hanging in your garden. Taking four planters and fixing them together with cable ties, Melissa made this orb. Wrapping outdoor string lights around the orb and securing with wire, she ended up with a mini world of color she could hang anywhere. Get tutorial here
9. Low Voltage, Low Hassle Outdoor Lighting Fix
You don’t need to be an electrician to install your own outdoor lighting if you follow Amber’s advice. Firstly, for the lighting cable, make sure it’s buried an inch or two underground. This stops it from being a trip hazard. Secondly, make sure the transformer is attached to a wall and off the ground. This protects it from the elements. Get tutorial here
10. From Indoor to Outdoor Light Fixtures
An old lampstand makes an ideal outdoor lighting solution if you’re willing to put in a bit of effort. By removing the old bulbs/light casing, you’ll be left with a blank canvass. With the stand stripped bare, all it takes is a once over with a wire brush and a coat of prime and paint. Finally, glue some solar lights in place and it’s ready. Get tutorial here
11. Outdoor Lighting in a Jar
Starting with a solar light, remove the stake and fix some double-sided tape to the bottom of the lighting module. Next, drop the module into a jar and stick in place. Reattach the bulb then screw the mason jar lid into your deck/wooden rail. Finally, screw the jar onto the lid and you’ll have your very own jar of light. Get tutorial here
12. Classic Color Match for Outdoor Wall Lights
How do you breathe new life into old outdoor lighting? According to Knelso18, the best thing you can do is color match. Instead of purchasing new outdoor wall lights, take apart the housing and sand off the paint. Next, spray with a light coat of Rustoleum Espresso. Once dry, a final coat of brown can be a perfect color match to your brickwork. Get tutorial here
13. Classy, Classic Outdoor Lighting
Chandeliers aren’t only for use in the home. By removing the wiring from a tree lampstand and bunching them together, you’ve got the base for your outdoor chandelier. Removing the lampshades and replacing them with mason jars will complete the project and give you a novel stand that looks fantastic. Get tutorial here
14. A Warm Welcome with Outdoor Lighting
Welcome people to your home with this clever outdoor lighting solution. To greet your guests and light up their visit, take seven cans and remove the labels. Spray in a color that suits before drilling individual letters (W E L C O M E) into each one. For a final flourish, place solar lights into the tins and line them up on your porch. Get tutorial here
15. Scents and Outdoor String Lights Make Sense
Wrapping string lights around a fence post or a planter can give your garden an instant lift. However, if you want something different, take a look at this idea from Hometalker Denise. Instead of following the pack, she decided to wrap outdoor string lights around her plants. Weaving them into the foliage, she created a unique look we love. Get tutorial here
16. Genius Red Hot Outdoor Lighting Hack
You don’t need wood and a box of matches to create your own firepit. By taking an old lampstand, removing the top and gluing on a copper bowl, you can recreate this impressive piece. The trick here is to use E6000 glue to stick the copper bowl and leave it to dry for 24 hours. Once it’s ready, add stones and a citronella candle bucket. Get tutorial here
17. Marvelous Mason Jar Solar Light
If you buy mason jars with metal handles already attached, you can make this fantastic outdoor light. By filling the jar with some clear stones and sticking a lighting module to the underside of the lid, you’ll have the base for your new outdoor LED lighting. To complete the look, reattach the bulb, screw on the lid and hang from a planter hook. Get tutorial here
18. Light Up Your Walkway with Outdoor Lights
If you want to get creative with outdoor string lights, try these magical arches. To start, take a PVC pipe that’s at least enough to stand over 6ft tall at its highest point when bent. From there, stake the ends into the ground either side of your walkway and secure with quick drying cement. Finish by wrapping around your string lights. Simple. Get tutorial here
