Installing lights on siding

[lumbajac]

Anyone have experience installing wall lights on LP Smartlap siding, beveled wood siding, or cement board siding? I have sided my new home with LP Smartlap and am wondering now how to install the lights over the siding without cutting in 4" holes for round electrical boxes. I would like to use the low profile "pancake" round electrical box mounted directly to the siding. However, with the lap, there is a slight pitch to the siding which I fear may make the light look noticeably out of plumb.

 

[imiller1974]

Check out hammerzone.com. I really like that site, it may give you a few ideas...

 

[lumbajac]

Excellent site that I'll probably use in the future... but nothing on what I'm working on. Thanks.

 

[junksta]

If it's beveled siding, and you can get a spare piece of it, cut out a small piece and reverse the angle to get you back to even. Straight hardiplank may require you to fabricate a little piece to get your angle just right.

 

[lumbajac]

Its single thickness lp smartside. I've been considering making my own beveled block using a piece of Azek plastic board... possibly running across a jointer with the bed beveled accordingly.

 

[Cluttermagnet]

They sell special injection molded foam lamp blocks that fit overlapping siding such as the vinyl and aluminum stuff you often see. But such a block could also be used to level an outlet box for flood lamps. Look in Home Depot, Lowes, etc. They are octagonal in shape and about 7x7 in or so. You will see a zig zag shape in the back, viewed across either side edge. Pretty cheap, too- only a few dollars for these, if I remember right. Shims are actually the harder way to do this. You just fit them over the 'nose' made by the lower edge of a course of siding, spanning it onto the next, lower course of siding. Or is your siding type just dead flat?