If you want to light up an outdoor or indoor commercial space using festoon lights, you're in the right place. That's because you'll discover ten handy tips to light your commercial space using festoon lights.
Let's take a look…
Tip 1: Light Colour Is The Number 1 Secret To Beautiful Lighting
The biggest mistake most make with lighting is they get the wrong colour light bulbs. The wrong colour light can make an area feel sterile, like a dentist's surgery. To create an inviting, stylish atmosphere people love, light colour plays a critical role. You want beautiful lighting that draws people in and makes them want to stay longer.
For festoon lights, warm white light bulbs that are 2200K put out a beautiful warm white ambient glow.
Tip 2: Get Dimmable LED Festoon Light Bulbs
This tip is super important, and here's why…
You'll want the option to control the brightness of your festoon lights. Turn the lights up or down when you want. Why is this important? Because if the lights are too bright, you simply dim them. If the lights aren't bright enough, you turn up the brightness.
If you can't control your festoon lighting with a dimmer, you'll end up with lighting you hate the look of.
With dimmable festoon lights, you get the perfect amount of light in your commercial space.
Tip 3: Get Commercial Festoon Lights
The reality is not all festoon lights are made equal. And many claiming to have commercial festoon lights don't have commercial festoon lights.
So how do you tell if festoon lights are commercial festoon lights?
- Waterproof rating of IP65 or higher
- The copper wires in the Festoon cable are 1.5mm2 or higher (this is critical for long runs of festoon lights to avoid significant voltage drop.)
- UV resistant cable
- They have replaceable festoon light bulbs made specifically for outdoor commercial LED festoon cables
- Festoon cable has a 5-Year or more warranty
- Festoon lighting is suitable for permanent residential and commercial use
If you buy festoon lights that meet these criteria, then what you'll get for your commercial setting is… high-quality festoon lighting made to last. And you get beautiful lighting.
Tip 4: Hanging Festoon Lights In A Commercial Space
For spans of festoon lights over 4m, I suggest you use a wire rope/cable to attach your festoon lights.
Why do this when hanging festoon lights?
Festoon lights attached to a wire cable are evenly supported, and no one point along the festoon cable feels excessive strain or pull. High-quality festoon lights should have an attachment point above each socket. Use this attachment point to attach your festoon lights to the wire cable, and you'll get years of safe, beautiful lighting.
Tip 5: Don't Waste Money On Solar Festoon Lights
Currently, there are no commercial-grade solar festoon lights on the market. The solar festoon lights you can get simply won't last or function how you want them to. They have tiny batteries and tiny solar panels.
One of the big issues with most solar festoon lights on the market is. The lights turn on when they want to, and they turn off when they want. You can't control this. Another thing is you can't control the level of light you get. They are either too bright or not bright enough.
I saw someone online selling solar festoon lights say. "Our bulbs are 400 lumens." Lumens are what light brightness is measured in. 400 lumens is super-bright. Bright as in a football stadium bright. 400 lumens is too bright for festoon lights. You'd probably need welding goggles to shield your eyes from the intense brightness of the lights.
The other thing with most solar lights is they aren't connectable festoon lights. You can't join festoon lighting kits together for long runs, which makes it difficult to light commercial areas.
Currently, no solar festoon lights are suitable for commercial situations where festoon lights are needed. And decorative solar festoons and solar garden lights look cheap and nasty in a commercial setting.
Tip 6: Get Waterproof Festoon Lights
If you want to install your festoon lighting permanently, get festoon lights with a high waterproof rating. Otherwise, you're in for all sorts of issues.
Where people have issues with festoon lights that aren't waterproof is the festoon socket doesn't seal around the bulb. So when it rains, water can get into the socket part.
IP65 waterproof-rated festoon lighting ensures you get great light for years, and your lighting stays waterproof.
Tip 7: Spacing Of Festoon Bulbs What Looks Best
Regarding commercial festoon lights, you can get socket spacings of 500mm, 900mm, and 1 meter.
What looks best?
In most situations, 500mm and 900mm look the best.
- With 500mm socket spacings over 20m, there are 40 bulbs
- With 900mm socket spacings over 20m, there are 22 bulbs
Depending on the size of the area you want to light. 500mm can look a little clustered. For example, if the area was only 2m-3m wide, and the lights are hung at 2.7m-3m over 20m. With 80m of festoon lights, it could look a little clustered and too busy at 500mm spacings.
More festoon lights don't always equal beautiful lighting. The lighting should never be overbearing and dominating.
Tip 8: Light Bulbs, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Light bulbs are a big part of the feature that festoon lights create. When you look at festoon lights, you'll notice different bulb options you can get.
Question is…
What looks beautiful and stylish and creates beautiful light?
LED light bulbs modelled on old-school bulbs are hard to go past. Why? Because of the beautiful LED filaments and stunning lighting they create.
Some festoon bulbs have tiny LEDs that sit in the bulb's base. These look cheap and tacky. Some bulbs have little LED's on stems that come down into the bulb. These look okay but nowhere near as stylish as the LED filament bulbs.
Tip 9: Indoor Festoon Lighting
If you need indoor festoon lights, then your best bet is to get outdoor festoon lighting and use it as indoor festoon lights.
Why would you do this?
Because there are a lot of cheap, crappy festoon lights on the market. Usually, outdoor festoon lighting is made to a higher quality and standard than any "indoor festoon lighting." If you want to invest in festoon lighting once and use it for 10+ years, get quality lighting.
Tip 10: Use Low Voltage Festoon Lights
Hands down, the best option 98.6% of the time is low-voltage festoon lights.
Why?
- Low voltage is safe and gives you total peace of mind when lighting commercial spaces
- All our 24V festoon lights come with shatterproof light bulbs. No glass, so there is no danger of breakage
Will you get enough light from the low-voltage festoon lights?
Yes. Our bulbs are 120 lumens to 235 lumens. You get 22-500 bulbs overhead, and you've got more than enough light. Plus, most of our customers get them set up with a dimmer.
For Help And Advice On Lighting Your Commercial Space
If you need help and advice, or you'd like a lighting expert to run their eye over your plan, contact us, and we'll help you.