Outdoor Wall Sconces

An outdoor wall sconce gets the hardest weather of anything you own. Direct rain, ice, freeze-thaw, road salt, and a range from +35°C to -35°C in a single year. Most fixtures sold as "outdoor" are not built for that.

Wet-rated, not damp-rated

This is the whole decision. A damp-rated sconce belongs only under a soffit or covered porch ceiling that never takes direct precipitation. On an exposed wall — a garage side, a deck, a front elevation with no overhang — you need wet-rated.

The failure mode here isn't rain, it's the freeze cycle. Water finds the gasket, freezes, expands, splits the seal. Look for sealed housings with silicone gaskets and finishes that are powder-coated or marine-grade rather than thin paint over steel — once painted steel is breached it rusts from the inside and no touch-up saves it.

Mounting height and pairing

Beside a front door: centre of the fixture 66 to 72 inches from the threshold. For a pair flanking the door, each should be roughly one-third the door's height. For a single sconce above the door, one-quarter.

Along a garage wall: same height, spaced to cover the run. On a double garage, two sconces flanking the door beat one centred above it.

Outdoor sconces are the fixture people most reliably buy too small, because they judge scale from a product photo instead of against a full house elevation. Step back and look at the whole wall first.

Down-facing vs open designs

Down-facing shades put light on the path and cut glare into a neighbour's window — increasingly relevant in Canadian municipalities with dark-sky or light-trespass provisions in their bylaws.

Open-top designs look better lit, but they throw light upward and in winter they collect snow and ice inside the shade.

Installation and certification

Exterior sconces are hardwired and run on 120V at 60Hz. Replacing an existing fixture on an existing exterior box is reasonable with the breaker off. A new location on an outside wall means running cable and, in most provinces, a permit and inspection.

Check for the CSA or cUL mark — an uncertified fixture in a wet exterior location is an insurance problem, not just a safety one.

From a Canadian company that knows what a February looks like.

Frequently asked questions

Do outdoor wall sconces need to be wet-rated?

On any exposed wall, yes. Damp-rated is only sufficient under a soffit or covered porch ceiling that never takes direct rain or snow.

How high should outdoor wall sconces be mounted?

Centre of the fixture 66 to 72 inches from the threshold. A pair flanking a door should each be about one-third the door's height.

Will they survive a Canadian winter?

Wet-rated fixtures with sealed silicone gaskets and powder-coated or marine-grade finishes will. The usual failure point is the gasket splitting during freeze-thaw, not the fixture body.

One sconce or two beside a door?

Two flanking the door gives even, shadow-free light on faces and looks balanced. A single fixture above the door works but casts downward shadow.

Can I install one myself?

Replacing an existing exterior fixture on an existing box is a reasonable DIY job with the breaker off. A new exterior location requires running cable and generally a permit.