How to Make LED Deck Lights

by beedee2

11K518

Intro: How to Make LED Deck Lights

Make LED Deck Lights

What you'll need for each light:
1 - 1/4 inch white hinged screw cover.  About 70 cents for 2 at any Hdwe store.
1 - Little Dot SMD LED Accent Light ($1.99) with built-in resistor for 12 Volt DC operation (9~14.8 range)
      Purchase from http://www.superbrightleds.com

After rebuilding my deck, I needed some step lights for accent.  The ones I found on the net cost more than I thought they were worth.  ($80 to $140 for ten. See photo example)  The manufactured kits also required large special size holes (some up to an inch), and being able to get an exact replacement to fit the existing hole when one of them died concerned me.  Since I like to DIY it, I decided to build my own.

Searching thru the specialty hardware drawers at my local Lowe's, I decided  a round, hinged screw cover  would be what I could use to enclose a small  LED.   I found  an LED  at Superbrightleds.com.  The small, flat Little Dot SMD LED  was just what I needed.  The screw cover needed just a slight modification to allow centering the little LED.  Although the Little Dot had a sticky back, I added some hot glue just to make sure it stayed in place.  

Installing them to my deck steps required just a small hole to stick the wire thru and more glue to hold the screw cover in place. 
A small screw could also be used.   I didn't do any current/voltage calculations, I just connected them to the existing old 12VDC
low voltage transformer that I had used for the incandescent post lights on my old deck.  You can buy 12VDC power packs at Superbrightleds.com  My lights (25 total) have been working now for about 5 months without any problems.

Each light cost me about $2.35 instead of $8- $14, and buying  a few extra  LED's to took care of future replacement concerns.



6 Comments

MelanieLydia 10 years ago

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Sea2Ski 11 years ago

How is the durability of these? I am looking for the brightness of about the LEDs that are at the business end of a screwdriver, or perhaps a bit brighter. Any problems yet? It looks GREAT!

beedee2 11 years ago

Only problem was the flat cable that was connected to the little led would sometimes break loose. When I reordered some about a year later the manufacturer improved this connection. These led's are not real bright, just give the accent you need to identify that a step is there. I haven't had any burnouts after 2 years of use.

Swampman 11 years ago

Thanks beedee2! For less than $130.00: I used your instruction and installed 40-(1- Little Dot SMD LED Accent Lights) and used a Portfolio outdoor 120-Watt Magneric Power Pack that is for 12volt Led`s from lowes. I did not use screw cover just glued them to the deck using glue hot gun. See pics.