Solution for mounting lights on metal building

[toyotadriver]

I know this has been talked about in the past. I have a new house I've built and we sided it with metal. Of course, we are mounting lights on the outside of the building. I searched long and hard for something that would work to mount lights on the metal siding.

I finally found some Trex type decking material (not sure the brand) that had some grooves cut in the back that perfectly matched my siding. I cut pieces slightly larger than the lights we would be mounting, drilled a 1/2 inch hole in the center, and then screwed it to the metal. Mounted the lights to the decking material.

I was able to get a color that closely matched the siding.

Here's a couple pics:

 

[Rookie2]

Thats neat ! cauk them holes, or you'll have insects/bees living there.

 

[cajunfirehawk]

Very creative! Kudos! More pics of house please...

 

[toyotadriver]

Thats neat ! cauk them holes, or you'll have insects/bees living there.

I might later.

I couldn't find any GOOD way to mount them and then one day, I was in the local hardware store and saw the deck material. The deck material was pretty expensive but I only needed 1 piece of each color that I needed.

 

[bandaidmd]

one of the brands lowes sells is the same color all the way through and is available without the groove in the edge. It also is flat on both sides. I would rather sit on top of the small ribs and have a nice even 1/4"bead of caulk all around my block than those groves in the back.

 

[cory58]

Toyotadriver - Just got my metal garage erected and your solution looks good. Did you get the decking at Lowes, HD, or some other store?

Thanks, Cory

 

[cory58]

Update: toyotadriver helped me find a composite decking material either identical or very similar to the product he used. Here is the result on my building.

MountingBlock2_zpsuop8jknr by cory58f5, on Flickr
MountingBlock01_zps0is765ix by cory58f5, on Flickr

The product is TimberTech Terrain. It comes with grooved edges or straight edges. I will post more pics after I paint it the same color as the siding.

Thanks again toyotadriver.

Cory

 

[2story30x50]

you could have mounted them directly and used half as much silicone.......

 

[cory58]

you could have mounted them directly and used half as much silicone.......

Ha! I don't 100% agree, but point is valid. It does take some caulk to seal up the sides.

Since the profile of the siding is very common, I was hoping to find a product made for the purpose, with the reverse profile of the siding. Best I can tell it does not exist. This is the closest I've found so far.

Maybe I'm paranoid about future leaks, but I think the majority of this mounting block being flush against the siding gives a much better chance of preventing leaks than a bunch of caulk all around the back of the junction box or anything else flat.

I also think it will look fairly clean once it's painted. We'll see about that.

Cory