Looking for a novel way to create a pleasing impression with your home’s outdoor Christmas lighting? We have just the tip - try ridge lighting, if you never have before. It’ll make your home shine larger than life! Get started with this helpful guide.
What Is Ridge Lighting?
It’s actually a lot more popular than you might think. Have you ever been driving around at night during the Christmas season, or perhaps just walking around the neighborhood, and you see the top of a home all lit up? That’s ridge lighting! Basically, it’s when you install outdoor Christmas lights along a house’s ridgeline, making it light up and creating the impression of an illuminated silhouette.
Why Light the Ridge?
Why light your home’s ridgeline? That’s easy! Ridge lighting helps complete and balance the rest of your light display by bringing the top of your home out of the shadows.
Ridge lighting is also great because it emphasizes your home’s architectural features, adds interest and depth to the lighting project, and brightens the overall display! And all this is done just by adding extra lights.
This type of lighting is especially beneficial on dark roads as well as in cul-de-sacs where there isn’t sufficient street lighting.
Ridge Lighting Basics and Installation
The best way to add ridge lighting to your home is with C9 Christmas lights and some ridge clips.
Ridge clips are by far the best way to add ridge lights to your home, for a variety of reasons. These clips are specifically designed to grip ridge shingles of various lengths while also holding the C9 bulb in the desired upright position.
These ridge clips also avoid lifting the shingle, utilizing quarter-inch prongs that do a better job of gripping the shingle. Not only do they hold on tightly on various sized ridge shingles, but they can also be used on ridge vents.
Before getting to that point, though, you’ll have to give some thought to light color. There are a few things to consider here.
Ideally the ridge lighting color should match the bulbs that are lighting the drip edge. At the very least, they should be in a complementing color - for instance, all white, or red for the drip edge and green for the ridge, since these colors work nicely together. Red and white also look nice together.
Another thing to remember is that if the drip edge has a pattern going, repeat that in the ridge lighting for the sake of consistency. Doing so really adds a lot of pop to your lighting project.
Before installing, make sure you give some thought to where your power will be coming from. To run power from the drip edge you may need some lamp cord. Inline female plugs can also help with power distribution.
To complete the light assembly, screw the bulbs into the socket cord, attach the ridge clip to the socket, place one prong on the side of the ridge shingle, then pull the other side of the clip and attach it to the other side of the shingle.
Repeat the process until you have the ridge lighting completed, then switch the power on and admire your handiwork.
What Do You Need?
Before getting started with a ridge lighting project, you need to be ready with the right materials. These include:
- C9 lights: While you can theoretically use any string lights for ridge lighting, we recommend C9 LED lights. The C9 lights are larger, making them more visible and pronounced from a distance, and LEDs are long-lasting, even outside in the elements. Remember to coordinate colors!
- Cord: For a ridge lighting project, you will need a socket cord, lamp cord, and quick connects.
- Ridge clips: We recommend Pro-X2 ridge clips because of the aforementioned reasons. Some people use shingle tabs or smart clips to attach ridge lights, but we advise against this as once the shingle is lifted and the adhesive compromised, over time it will become more susceptible to seepage and eventual damage. These ridge clips that we’re recommending don’t require you to lift the shingle and are the best solution not only for creating a nice lighting arrangement, but also for protecting the integrity of your home’s ridge shingles.
- Ladders: You’ll need to be able to get on the roof to do this! Just make sure you’re safe and always have a helper nearby on the ground to assist.
Ridge Lighting Considerations
One thing to consider with a ridge lighting project is what exactly to light. Starting with the home’s ridge itself is obvious, but some people also light the roof’s hips - these are the ridges that span the roof from the eaves to the main crest ridge of the house. On a gabled roof, just light the crest, the eaves, and the rakes.
For a ridge lighting project, there’s pretty much no way around the fact that you’ll have to work from the roof. Remember to keep safety first. Use a harness if the roof has an extraordinarily steep pitch.
Also, there are assistive devices you can use to help with steeper roofs, which will provide both comfort and safety. Consider devices like Pitch Hoppers and Goat Steep Assists, both of which improve access to steep grades. You can also consider Cougar Paws for your boots, which slip over them and provide a better grip on asphalt shingles.
Two more considerations: try to avoid installing ridge lights on Spanish tile roofs, and when it’s wet out, conditions will be much more slippery. Don’t attempt to install ridge lighting until the weather clears up!
Your Best Christmas Ever Starts Today!
Now that you’re ready with these tips for ridge lighting, you can get started planning your vision today. You still have several months left before the Christmas season so now’s high time. Plus, we have the cord, ridge clips, and C9 LED lights you need to complete the project. Shop our online store and if you need additional assistance or guidance, get in touch with us directly for more help!
And, when your ridge lighting project is complete, share it on your socials and tag us with @decoratorswarehouse for a chance to be featured!