Hardscape Lighting Basics

Have you ever gazed at photos of illuminated hardscapes and wondered if you were capable of taking on such jobs – routing wires through retaining walls and under decks?

You are not alone. There is often an intimidation factor with hardscape lighting, but there is really no reason for it. Hardscape lighting consists mainly of only three applications. If you can handle running underground lines for accent lights in the yard, you can handle hardscape applications too. Hardscape lighting can make the difference between an ordinary and extraordinary result. Also, hardscape lighting is especially important for safety reasons because people are moving around these surfaces at night.

The Three Building Blocks of Hardscape Lighting

1. Steps

Lighting up steps accentuates the beauty of this feature and provides a safe, visible pathway at night. A simple LED brick light can be integrated in the riser of each step, or another way is to insert a hardscape light under the cap of each step.

2. Railings & Posts

Deck posts can be illuminated with a variety of deck post lights (e.g., half-moon lights), available in cast aluminum and cast brass. Another option is to highlight deck railings using hardscape lights hidden under the lip of the railing.

3. Sitting Walls

A 12V hardscape light can be integrated into a brick or stone wall during construction. Hardscape lights are usually installed just underneath the top cap of a sitting wall or retaining wall, and are typically installed before the top cap is placed on the wall. You may need to ask the hardscape contractor to create a channel for your fixture wire run.

Kichler® hardscape lights are available in different sizes to match the size of your wall, with lengths ranging from 3" to 18.9".