How Do You Add Lights To A Retaining Wall The Best Way?
This Is How People Brighten Up Their Retaining Walls And Create A More Beautiful Home Exterior
Adding lights to your retaining walls will enhance your home exterior. It’ll be brighter, look more open, and create a wonderful sight.
In this post, you can find out how to install lights in a retaining wall. You can also find the differences when doing it for a freestanding wall. Finally, you can see what types of lights you can add to retaining walls.
How To Add Lights On Top Of A Retaining Wall In 12 Steps
- Use the writing utensil to mark where you want your lights to go (not applicable if using strip lights). 6 to 7 feet apart is a good measuring point
- Take the masonry chisel and gently hammer it into the crack between the capstone (top ledge) and the rock beneath. Don’t force it too much if it won’t fit, just move to a different spot. You’ll feel the glue loosen as you take the stone off
- Unbox the fixture and set the wire where the capstone used to be
- Use the writing utensil to mark along the wire (you’ll grind it later so the wire can fit under the capstone)
- Take the 4 to 4-and-a-half inch diamond blade grinder and score the line down so the wire fits completely into it. Try a half to a three-quarter inch deep and wide
- *Optional*- Put the fixture on the wall and mark where any holes need to be drilled. You can skip this step and use landscape block adhesive instead. Don’t use too much or it’ll come out the sides of the fixture and glue the stones together
- Take the quarter inch masonry drill bit and drill holes for the masonry anchors three-quarters to one inch deep
- Blow the dust out of the holes and insert the anchors
- Screw the fixture in place
- Strip the wire ends, make a waterproof connection, then bury it behind the wall
- Clean the stone off and put some masonry glue around the light
- Put the capstone back on
What Are The Differences With Sitting Walls?
In step 4, when marking where the wire will go, only mark to the center of the stone. Then, cut the wire 7 to 8 inches on one side of the mark and move the ends out of the way.
In step 5, widen out a gap where the mark is as this is where the connection will be made (4 to 5 inches long, 2 inches wide, 1 to 1 and-a-half inches deep).
In step 10, strip the cable ends and make the connections so they fit into the slot. Use adhesive-lined, heat shrink connectors to keep them compact and waterproofed. Make the connections, slide the sleeves over them, and use a torch to shrink the tube around the connection.
4 Types Of Lights For Retaining Walls
- Strip lights. You can take LED strips of lights and attach them to the underside of a retaining wall lip. At night the light will be cast down the wall and can show off the textures and patterns in it. Since they are out of sight, it creates a sort of mysterious light as no one can see the source.
- Downlights. These light fixtures attach to the underside of the lip or the wall itself. They cast light downward onto the wall and ground.
- Post lights. These lights go on the top of retaining walls at regular intervals. It’s like post lights for decks but on a retaining wall.
- Recessed lights. These lights can go in the wall or run along the bottom and shine upward onto the wall.
These all help create the wall grazing lighting effect.