That’s been my experience too—anything “halfway” just ends up looking like a patch job, especially on older homes. I went with hardwired for our 1910 place, even though running the conduit was a pain. Have you found any tricks for hiding wiring along brick? I tried painting to match but it’s still kind of obvious. Solar was tempting, but with all the shade from mature trees, it just didn’t cut it for us. Low-voltage crossed my mind, but I worried about enough brightness—does it really hold up over a few years?
Wiring on brick is such a pain, right? I’ve tried those little adhesive raceways and they just end up popping off after a couple seasons. Painting helped a bit for me, but you’re right—it never fully disappears. As for low-voltage, I was skeptical too, but the newer LED stuff is surprisingly bright and seems to last. My neighbor’s been running his for five years now and it’s still going strong, though he did have to swap out a transformer once. Solar’s just a no-go in the shade... learned that the hard way with a bunch of sad, dim path lights.
- Totally agree about wiring on brick—I've tried hot glue, command strips, even those supposedly “heavy-duty” adhesives. None lasted more than a year for me.
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Same here. My yard's got a ton of trees, so solar was basically a non-starter.“Solar’s just a no-go in the shade... learned that the hard way with a bunch of sad, dim path lights.”
- Low-voltage LED is what I ended up using. It felt intimidating at first (I’m not super handy), but honestly, it was easier than I expected:
- Drilled tiny pilot holes for the clips—way less noticeable than raceways.
- Ran the cable along the mortar line, then painted over it (not perfect but blends in way better).
- The transformer lives in a weatherproof box behind some shrubs.
- One tip: If you go low-voltage, spring for decent connectors. The cheap ones corroded after one winter and I had to redo them.
- Haven’t tried battery-powered puck lights yet, but my cousin swears by them for spots where wiring is impossible. Only downside is swapping batteries every couple of months.
If you find something that really disappears on brick, let me know... I still haven’t quite cracked that part.
“Solar’s just a no-go in the shade... learned that the hard way with a bunch of sad, dim path lights.”
That line made me laugh—my first attempt at solar was a graveyard of flickering bulbs under the old oak. Low-voltage LED has been my go-to too, though I’ll admit, drilling into 1920s brick felt like vandalism at first. I’ve had some luck tucking wires behind downspouts and using a dab of mortar-colored caulk to hide them. Not invisible, but it passes the “glance test.” Battery puck lights are clever for tricky corners, but swapping batteries gets old fast. If anyone ever invents a truly invisible solution for historic brick, I’ll be first in line.
I hear you on the “graveyard of flickering bulbs”—I had a whole row of solar stake lights that basically turned into garden decorations after a month under my maple. Ended up running low-voltage wire along the fence, but I used those cheap plastic cable covers and painted them to match. Not perfect, but it’s way less noticeable than I expected. Battery lights were tempting, but I just knew I’d forget to swap them out until they died at the worst time. Sometimes you just have to pick your battles with old houses...
