If you're looking for festoon lights for your patio, you'll quickly be confronted with thousands of options. And they'll all say… "We have the BEST festoon lights." Which is not true.
So let's break this down for you and make it easy to determine which festoon lights are best for your patio area.
First, let's start with…
What's Your Patio Area Look Like?
Here's why we start with what your outdoor entertaining area looks like.
- Is there a roof, or is the area exposed to the weather?
- Are there exposed rafters, or is the roof flat?
- Is the roof high-pitched or set lower?
- How high off the ground will the outdoor festoon lights get hung?
Here's why these questions are important…
Because patio lights are exposed to the elements, direct and indirect. You must choose Waterproof festoon lights. Forget about any festoon lights that are labelled weather-resistant lights. You want IP65 festoon lights because they handle harsh weather conditions.
If your patio is exposed to the elements, you're better off with 24V low-voltage lights.
And if you want to create a stunning patio area, you'll want LED filament bulbs.
Should You Get 24V Low Voltage Or 240V Festoon Light?
You probably don't even know what I'm on about. What's 24V low-voltage and 240V?
Let me explain…
98.6% of the customers who buy festoon lights from us get low-voltage lights.
Why?
Because low voltage is safer and the bulbs are shatterproof. The bulbs are clear PVC. A 24V transformer plugs into your power point, and the festoon lights plug into the transformer. Easy and safe. And easy to operate with a remote control dimmer.
The 240V plugs into your power point, and the bulbs are Glass.
If you like the idea of safe, low-voltage lights with shatterproof bulbs, you're looking for 24V low-voltage festoon lights.
And don't worry about low voltage not being as bright as 240V. All our customers who get the low voltage festoon lights add a dimmer to their order.
The Number One Secret To Beautiful Patio Lighting
The colour of the light is critical. Festoon lights are mood lights. They should create a beautiful ambient, inviting glow.
The best colour is Warm White 2200K. So when looking at festoon lights for your patio, you want bulbs that are Warm White 2200K. If you got a warm white bulb 2700K - 3000K, the light colour is a warm white, closer to cool white. What you'll find is it makes your patio area look sterile, like a dentist's surgery.
If you want that beautiful, stylish, vintage look and vibe, you can only get that from Warm White 2200K
Now you know what colour light to get; you can instantly rule out 98.9% of string lights on the market.
Get Dimmable String Lights
DIMMABLE lights are just as important as the colour of the light. Because if you can't dim your festoon lighting. You don't have festoon lights. What you have are spotlights that punch your eyeballs with bright light.
How can you set the mood for special events if you can't control the light level? The fact is, you can't.
With dimmable festoon lights, you can dial the light level up or down depending on what's happening and how much light you do or don't want.
What Bulb Spacing Should You Get?
Okay…
You can get 500mm, 900mm and 1m socket spacing string lights.
The two best spacings are 500mm and 900mm. Now depending on how big your patio area is. 500mm gives you twice as many bulbs as 900mm. For a lot of patios, 500mm can be a bit excessive.
For a beautiful free-flowing festoon lights patio, 900mm spacing is the way to go.
Here's Your Checklist When Choosing String Lights For Your Patio
Run your eye over this list; then, when looking at lights, you'll know if you're getting the best ones.
The Best Outdoor Festoon Lights Checklist…
- LED Bulbs
- Dimmable Bulbs
- Warm White 2200K
- Connectable lights
- Get String Lights Made For Commercial Applications because when you use them in residential applications, you get the same high-quality lighting.
- The best option is IP65 Waterproof Rated; this is the Gold standard
- Lighting design is suited to your patio layout (call us if you need help)
- The string lights are made for outdoor use
- Shatterproof Light Bulbs
- Low Voltage
What Are Outdoor Patio Lights Called?
Get Help Lighting Your Pation: Acess A FREE Patio Lighting Plan
If you'd like a free lighting plan for your patio, send through some photos of your patio area and the measurements, and then our lighting expert can take a look and work it all out for you.