Porch Lighting at KES

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Porch Lighting

The porch light is the one fitting visitors see before anything else, and the one that has to survive a British winter while doing it. It is worth more thought than it usually gets.

Getting the IP rating right

A covered porch and an exposed front door are not the same job. Under a deep, sheltered porch, IP44 is generally enough: it is rated against splashing water from any direction. On an exposed wall taking driving rain, or anywhere near the coast, go to IP65, which is rated against jets of water. Every fitting here lists its rating on the product page, and if you are unsure, size up rather than down. Replacing a corroded lantern in February is nobody's idea of a good afternoon.

Scale and height

The most common mistake is buying too small. A lantern that looks generous in the box often looks mean beside a front door. As a rough guide, a wall lantern should be about a quarter to a third of the height of the door, and mounted with its centre around eye level, roughly 165cm to 170cm from the ground.

What we stock

Wall lanterns, flush porch lights and hanging lanterns from Astro, Elstead, Kichler, Hinkley, Feiss and Norlys. For the full outdoor range see our outdoor wall lights.

Porch Lighting Recommendations & Buying Advice

For most front doors, we would choose a wall lantern beside the door, or a matching pair either side of a wide one. A porch with its own ceiling can take a hanging lantern, a flush fitting or, under a low soffit, a recessed exterior downlight such as the Astro Kos. Whichever you pick, match the IP rating and the maker's stated use to how exposed the spot is. Our outdoor wall lights give you more choice.

Beside the front door, with the centre of a wall lantern at roughly eye level, around 165cm to 170cm from the ground, as a starting point. That puts light on faces, keys and the lock. Adjust for the door's height and the size of the fitting, and hang a pair level with each other. Under a porch roof, centre a hanging lantern over the step and allow about 2.1m of clear headroom below it where people walk.

Usually a larger one than you expect. As a starting point, a wall lantern beside a front door looks right at roughly a quarter to a third of the door's height. Measure the door, then check the dimensions on the product page rather than judging from the photograph. Some designs here come in more than one size, such as Elstead's St Martins coastal wall lantern, which also comes in a large version.

IP44 fittings are protected against splashing water from any direction; IP23 fittings only against spray falling at up to 60 degrees from vertical. That makes IP23 a choice for a deep porch roof where rain cannot blow in, and IP44 the better pick if the fitting can get wet from the side. For an exposed wall, we would choose IP65. Neither rating covers salt air, so near the sea choose a model the maker labels coastal.

Warm white, around 2700K to 3000K, is what we recommend for most front doors because it flatters brick, stone and painted doors. Cooler white can look stark on a house front. Most fittings here take a standard E27 or E14 bulb, bought separately, so the colour is your choice; the few with built-in LEDs have a fixed colour, listed on the product page. Our guide to warm white vs cool white LED explains more.

We always recommend one, though the legal position depends on where you live and the work involved. In England, replacing an existing light like-for-like is not notifiable, but a new circuit is; Wales has different rules. Outdoor fittings run on mains power in the wet, and most porch lights here are Class I, which means they must be connected to earth. Send your electrician the product page so they can check the fixing and IP rating.

Whenever weather can reach it. An indoor fitting can suit a fully enclosed, dry porch, but if the outer door is often open, rain blows in or the space gets damp, choose an outdoor-rated light. Every porch light here with a listed rating is IP23 or higher. A rating covers water and dust only, not condensation or frost, so check the maker's stated use for an unheated porch.