Outdoor Wall Lights

How to choose outdoor wall lights

Start with how exposed the wall is. A fixture under a deep porch roof sees splashes and humidity. One on an open garden wall takes rain straight down and wind driven spray from the side. Those are different environments, and they call for different bodies. Check the rating line on each product page against the spot you have in mind before you look at anything else.

Then choose the light direction. A shielded downlight puts a clean pool on the path and keeps the source out of a neighbor's window. An up and down cylinder splits the beam and grazes the wall texture, which suits brick and stone. A traditional lantern with a visible bulb throws light in every direction, including sideways into eyes, so it works better with a low output bulb than with a bright one.

Material is the third call and it decides how the fixture looks in five years. Powder coated aluminum stays light on the wall and does not rust. Stainless steel handles coastal air better than most alternatives and keeps its color with an occasional rinse. Treated and painted steel is the one to watch, since a chip in the coating on an exposed wall is where corrosion starts.

Mounting height and placement for outdoor wall lights

These are the conventional figures for a front elevation with a standard 80 inch door.

Beside a door: center the fixture 66 to 72 inches above the threshold.
A flanking pair: size each fixture at about a quarter of the door height.
A single fixture: about a third of the door height, mounted on the handle side.
Garage doors: one fixture per bay, set beside or above each opening at 66 to 72 inches.
Along a wall or fence: 8 to 10 feet between fixtures for an even run.

Fixtures for an exterior wall almost always look too big in the box and correct on the wall, which is why the door height rule exists. Two details are worth settling before installation. The junction box needs a weatherproof cover with a gasket behind the backplate, and the surface under it has to be flat, so lap siding calls for a mounting block. Both are ordinary work, and both are easier to plan than to retrofit.

Which outdoor light for which wall

Fixture type	Best in	What it does	Price here
Up and down cylinders	A facade, a garage, a driveway	Two cones washing the wall above and below	$100 to $759
Lanterns	Beside a front door, on a porch	A framed source that reads as a classic fixture	$139 to $379
Solar and dusk to dawn	A fence, a shed, a wall with no circuit	Light that comes on by itself with no wiring	$169 to $1,110
Stone look panels	A modern facade, a terrace wall	A lit panel with veining showing through it	$209 to $379
Flat ribbed faces	A flat wall beside a path or a gate	A shallow body that lights itself more than the wall	$159 to $1,060
Steel and oversized	A coastal house, a tall entrance wall	A long line or a large disc holding a big wall	$190 to $1,200

What the ratings mean

IP65: A body sealed against dust and against water jets. Most fixtures on this page carry it, which is what makes them usable on an exposed wall. It is the first thing to check before anything else about an outdoor fixture.
IP20: Dry use only, and the rating on the rest of this page. Those models belong under a deep porch roof or in a covered passage where rain never reaches them. Mounting one on an open wall will shorten its life.
Hardwired to an outdoor junction box: The fixture joins the house wiring in a weather sealed box behind it. Many models here fit this way. The gasket between the backplate and the wall is what keeps water out, so the surface has to be flat for it to seat.
Integrated LED, not replaceable: The diodes sit inside a sealed body with no socket, which is how a large part of this range is built. Sealing is easier without a removable lamp, and the color temperature printed on the page is fixed for the life of the fixture.
Solar powered: A panel on the body charges a cell by day and the fixture runs at night. Part of this range offers it, sometimes on the same model as a wired version. Output depends on how much direct sun the panel actually receives.

Questions about exterior wall lighting

How high do porch lights go?

Center at 66 to 72 inches above the threshold, which puts the source just above standing eye level. On a covered porch with a low soffit, drop toward the lower end so the fixture does not crowd the ceiling line.

What size fixture suits a front door?

About a quarter of the door height for each of a matched pair, and about a third for a single fixture. On a standard 80 inch door that means roughly 20 inches for a pair and 26 inches alone. Scale up for a double door.

Can any of these go on an uncovered wall?

Read the rating line on the product page against the exposure at that spot. A covered entry and an open garden wall are different conditions, and the specification is where the difference is spelled out, so check it rather than assuming from the look of the body.

Which finishes suit a coastal house?

Stainless steel and coated aluminum hold up longest in salt air. Plated finishes over a base metal lift and pit soonest within sight of the water. Whatever the material, rinsing salt off the body two or three times a year does more for it than the specification alone.

How do I stop light spilling into a neighbor's window?

Use a shielded downlight or a fully hooded body instead of an open lantern, and aim the beam at the ground inside your own boundary. A lower output bulb and a lower mounting height both cut spill more than any change of shade shape.

Related pages: Solar Outdoor Wall Lights, Black Outdoor Wall Lights, Boho Wall Sconces and Minimalist Wall Sconces. The full category is Wall Lamps, and the exterior range sits under Outdoor Lighting. For freestanding bodies on a terrace, see Modern Outdoor Lights.

How do you tell if a light is rated for outdoor use?

Look for one of two markings on the product page, not at the fixture's appearance. In North America fixtures are listed as damp location, meaning covered and protected from direct rain, or wet location, meaning exposed to rain and splashing. Internationally the same thing is expressed as an IP code, where IP44 is splash resistant and suitable under cover and IP65 is sealed against water from any direction. A fixture with neither marking is for dry indoor rooms, whatever it is made of. IP55 and IP65 appear across this page.

How much does an outdoor wall light cost on this page?

This page holds 78 fixtures between $100 and $999. $200 is the midpoint and $340 the level nine in ten stay below. Shipping is free and installation is not included.

What are the common mistakes with outdoor wall lighting?

Four. Mounting too high, which spreads light thinly and puts the lamp in view from the street, where 66 to 72 inches to the center of the fixture lands it correctly beside a door. Using one fixture where the door is wide enough for two, which leaves the face of whoever is at the door in shadow. Choosing a clear glass fixture with a bright lamp, which blinds rather than lights. And mixing color temperatures along one facade, which is the most visible error of the four from the sidewalk.

Buying guide reviewed October 2026 by the OroDwell editorial team.