A practical buyer guide to LED wall washers for facade lighting: beam angle, wattage, IP rating, colour temperature and glare control explained.
Choosing the right LED wall washer for a building facade is less about picking the brightest fixture and more about matching four variables to the surface you are lighting: beam angle, mounting distance, output level and glare control. Get these wrong and even premium fixtures will look uneven or produce complaints from neighbours.
The beam angle and the mounting distance together decide how tall a band of light each fixture produces. As a rule of thumb, a 30° fixture mounted 0.5 m from the wall creates a wash roughly 2 m high; a 10° fixture at the same distance gives a much tighter, more contrasty band. Always calculate the target wash height first, then select the beam angle that achieves it from the actual mounting position.
Warm white (2200–3000 K) flatters natural stone, brick and warm-toned render. Neutral white (4000 K) suits concrete, glass and modern metal cladding. Cool white (5700–6500 K) reads as clinical and is rarely the best choice for heritage or hospitality facades. For commercial and media facades, RGBW gives you white plus colour from the same fixture.
Glare is the single most common complaint after handover. Deep-shield and louvre options reduce the direct view of the LED source from street level and from upper-floor windows. If the facade sits opposite residential buildings, specify an anti-glare accessory from the start — retrofitting is expensive.
For permanent outdoor installation, IP65 is the practical minimum. Where fixtures face driving rain or are mounted low with splash exposure, specify IP66 or a structural waterproof design. Look for silicone gaskets rather than foam, and check that the cable entry uses a proper waterproof connector, not a gland and tape.
Photometric uniformity (the ratio of minimum to average illuminance) is what makes a facade look professionally lit. Ask suppliers for a photometric file (IES/LDT) and a simulated layout. A slightly dimmer installation with even coverage always looks better than a brighter one with hot spots and scalloping.
Confirm the expected lifespan (50,000 hours is standard for good fixtures), the warranty period, and whether spare parts will be available in three years. For tall or difficult-to-access facades, the cost of a lift is often higher than the fixtures themselves.
If you are specifying a facade project, send us the elevation drawings and we will return a fixture layout, photometric simulation and quotation — usually within 24 hours.
Send us your facade drawings or reference photos — we'll reply with a fixture layout proposal and quotation within 24 hours.