Transform your Dark Outdoor Space into your own Little piece of Paradise
AQ Lighting has the outdoor spots and floods that you need to turn your dark unused yard into a beautiful place to hang out and enjoy life. Let us guide you through the world of outdoor lighting and help you make the right lighting choices. Explore a wide range of LED outdoor spotlights, spotlights, and outdoor flood lights at AQ Lighting’s Spot & Flood Lights Page. Learn the difference between spotlights and floodlights to make the right choice for your outdoor lighting needs. Our selection of spot & flood lights offer great lighting output and come in a variety of designs for all your landscape lighting projects. We also have DIY spotlight kits available, which already comes with everything you need to light up small outdoor landscapes or even big commercial lighting projects for hotels, restaurants and events.
Illuminate Where You Want Attention to be Drawn
AQ Lighting’s LED spots and floods make it easy for you to illuminate or highlight specific features in your yard. At night, you can be in control of what people see. Use a tight spot to create a column of light straight up your beautiful palm trees and then fan out and softly illuminate the canopy. Use a wide flood to highlight that perfectly manicured bush or shrub. Whatever the application, AQ Lighting’s spots and floods are up the task.
Discover the Versatility of Spotlights and Floodlights
What makes spotlights and floodlights so versatile? Beam Spread - Beam Spread - Beam Spread. AQ Lighting’s spots and floods range from 15° to 120° beam spreads. No other landscape company offers such an extensive selection of beam spreads.
Spotlight – Floodlight - Potato - Potahto Right?
Can’t be further from the truth. Understanding the difference between spotlights and floodlights is essential to creating the perfect illuminated yard. A spotlight has a tight beam spread 24° or less and is great for creating narrow beams of light that travel a long distance. Floodlights on the other hand have beam spreads greater than 45°. Some floods even have beam spreads over 100°. A flood light spreads light out quickly but doesn’t travel a long distance.
When to use a Floodlight
Typically, you will use a floodlight when the fixture is located close to the object that you want to light up. Because of the close proximity the light has to be spread out quickly so for larger objects you may want the widest beam spread possible. If you’re just trying to light up a small shrub or bush, then maybe a 45° or 60° beam spread would be appropriate. Try to keep as much of the light where you want it.
Where Not to use a Floodlight
Where not to use a floodlight is just as important as where to use a floodlight. A good example of where not to use a floodlight is on tall trees or flagpoles where the light must travel a long distance to light up the canopy or the flag. Because the light rapidly expands, barely any will reach the top and your results will be very poor. You may have created a lot of light, but it just doesn’t go where you need it to go.
When to use a Spotlight
This is a great question for AQ Lighting to answer because unlike other companies we stock true spotlights all the way down to 15°. Many companies carry a standard one size fits all 38° bulb. One size does not fit all. Trying to light up a tall tree or a flagpole with a flood light is very inefficient. You either can’t light it up or you have to use a light that is 3 times brighter than if you were to use a narrower beam spread. Spotlights are great for lighting up tall objects like columns or trees, but they can be used for smaller objects as well. An address sign is a great example. Shining a spot on your address will illuminate just your address not everything else around it. When you want 1 object to be the focal point then put a spot on it.
Spots and Floods: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main difference between a spotlight and a floodlight?
The main difference is the beam spread. A spotlight has a narrow beam spread so the light can travel a long distance or create a very focused illumination on 1 object. A floodlight has a large beam spread. It can be placed close to an object like a bush and still illuminate the entire object.
Can a fixture be both a spotlight and a floodlight?
Yes, this is very possible. Some spot/floods have integrated LED sources where the beam spread and the intensity or wattage is adjustable. Other fixtures rely on the beam spread of the bulb that is installed in the fixture. You could install an MR16 with a 15° narrow spot in the same fixture that you could install a 100° wide flood and receive 2 completely opposite results. The main lesson here is that the beam spread of the bulb is doing the bulk of the work.
Should I utilize both spots and floods into my landscape lighting design?
Absolutely! If you have a house with porch columns you might want to put a spot at the base of each column. Right next to your porch you might want to illuminate the shrubbery with a couple of floodlights. The main thing is that you want to control where the light is going. You may not want to use a floodlight near your house if the light is going to shine in through your windows. Maybe a spotlight in the exact same place will produce a narrow beam straight up your house and not shine into your windows. Once again, you controlled exactly what the light illuminated.
There are so many materials to choose from. Which material is the best for me?
The main materials are brass, copper, aluminum and composite. There are pros and cons to each. Brass and copper are typically going to be the most durable and the priciest. They are usually very heavy duty and they do not corrode so they will last and look great for years. Composite is a material that can handle all weather conditions, last for years and are very affordable. The downside is that they are not usually as heavy duty and they have limited finish options. Aluminum is our least favorite. The impurities in the aluminum allow fixtures to corrode so their lifespan is usually the shortest, however, the price quite often reflects this.
Can I use a spotlight or a floodlight as a downlight?
In some cases, yes, but not all. You want to make sure that when a fixture is aimed downward rain can not infiltrate or seep into the fixture. If the fixture is sealed tight and cannot leak then spotlights and floodlights make excellent downlights. Mount them on a wall with a PBS1 mounting base or on a tree with an AQW-TC3 cast brass tree claw.
