How to Install Outdoor Light Fixture on Brick

Installing an outdoor light on a conventional dry wall is straightforward. The electrical box is enclosed inside the dry wall.

However, when you have to install a light on a brick wall, it is not practical to curve a cavity in the brick to enclose the electrical box.

Moreover, running wires through the bricks won’t be the best option. With that in mind, option one is to mount the light box on the brick wall.

You may then run a wire through a conduit to the box. Alternatively, you may drill a hole through the brick at the point where you intend to mount the outdoor LED light.

You may then run and mount the electric box on the inner side of the wall. Read on to find out how you can install an outdoor LED light using either of the two options.

How to Install Outdoor Light Fixture on Brick -Two Ways

Tools Need to Install an Outdoor Light on Brick Wall

• 1/2″ and 1/4″ masonry drill bits.
• Drill
• Hammer

Materials Needed to Install an Outdoor Light on Brick Wall

• Conical screws
• Wire Connectors
• Electric cable
• Pipe clamps
• Silicone caulk
• Electric box
• Switch
• Pipe clamps
• Piping elbow
• Plastic anchor screws

Install Outdoor Light with Wires behind the Wall

1. First, you need to identify where you want to mount the outdoor light.
2. Next, you need to drill a hole at that point, using a 1/2 inch masonry drill bit.
3. Take the electric box and nail it from inside the house, aligning the box’s knockout hole with the hole you drilled.
4. The electric box’s front side will be flush with the dry wall’s surface.
5. Next, take the outdoor light and position it the way you plan to mount it over the brick wall. Its base or bracket should allow it to be wired through the hole you drilled, and cover the hole as well.
6. While still positioning the light where you want it, mark where you will drill the anchor holes for mounting the screws.
7. Remove the outdoor LED light and using a masonry drill bit, drill the holes right through the points the points you marked.
8. Next, run the cable from the light switch, through the brick wall via the hole you drilled, and connect it to the outdoor light terminals.
9. Note the color codes when connecting the wires to their respective terminals.
10. Place the outdoor light over the mounting holes you drilled, and mount it using plastic anchor screws.
11. Finally caulk the area around the base to seal the space between the base and the brick wall.

How to Wire a Switch

Wiring a switch is quite easy, and all you need is wire connectors and a wire cutter. The thing to remember is that it is the hot wire that is switched, not the neutral or earth wire. So let us wire the switch!

1. Connect the one wire from outdoor light to “exiting terminal” of the switch.
2. If there is an earth wire from the outdoor light, terminate it with a wire connector, and do the same thing with the neutral wire.
3. Next, switch off the power, then run a cable from the power distribution panel -where the circuit breaker is- to the switch box.
4. Connect the neutral wire from the power panel to the neutral wire from the outdoor light, using a wire connector.
5. Next, connect the earth wire from switch housing and outdoor light if any to the one from the power panel.
6. Connect the hot wire from the power panel, with a second short wire from the “incoming terminal” of the light switch, using a wire connector.
7. Close the switch box and screw it in securely.
8. You switch is now wired.

Install Outdoor Light Fixture on Brick Surface

1. Position the electric box where you intend to mount it, and using its screw holes mark where to drills the screw holes.
2. Next, remove the box and drill holes using a masonry drill.
3. Screw the box onto the brick wall using the plastic anchor bolts -tap the plastic anchors first.
4. Choose a path you will use to run a conduit from the nearest access point into the wall to where you just mounted the box.
5. Run the conduit from the entry point you found to the electric box, and use pipe clamps to support it. Screw the clamps into the bricks using the anchor bolts.
6. Terminate the conduit at the entry point with a suitable fitting such as a piping elbow.
7. Run a cable through the conduit from inside the wall to the switch box. Connect the wire to the outdoor light, and mount it on the electric box. You may need to add a gasket to waterproof the mounting.
8. On the other end inside the wall, connect the cable to the switch, and ultimately to the power panel as we discussed above.

That is How You Install Outdoor Light Fixture on Brick

We hope that you found this guide to be informative, and you will install your outdoor light on the brick wall with ease. Overall, if you are comfortable doing this or you aren’t sure you can do it, call a certified electrician to do it for you.