6 simplified DIY tutorials for how to hang outdoor string lights without trees around a fire pit, around a pool, on a fence, on a porch, from siding, around a patio, or anywhere in the backyard.
Ultimate Guide: How to Hang Outdoor String Lights
I have no idea why it takes so much brain power to hang outdoor string lights (power… har har… electricity humor… I’ll see myself out).
But if you’re new to this would-be simple backyard lighting DIY, it can be rather complicated.
It’s so hard to know all of the technical details when it comes to running a working circuit, rigging posts, brackets, and cables correctly, setting up convenient extension cords and timers while still making it look pretty.
Over the years though, Robert and I have done every single outdoor string light hanging scenario in our backyard that you can imagine, so I’m breaking down all of the steps for each one no matter what your situation is in your backyard.
The Best Backyard String Lights
There are all kinds of different string lights out there, and it’s hard to know which ones will work best for you.
In our experience, the best lights to use outdoors are shatterproof, soft white LED string lights.
- The Best Cafe String Lights for Hanging Short Distances (less than 8′ spans)
- The Best String Lights with Edison Bulb for Hanging Long Distances to Use with a Cable Kit
- The Best Solar String Lights Without a Plug-In Power Source (note: solar lights emit a soft glow and are not ideal as a single source of light for visibility purposes)
Why Shatterproof?
You definitely don’t want glass bulbs shattering underfoot, especially where they can cause injuries. If you live in an area with windy conditions, this is especially important.
Why Soft White?
Soft white or warm white lights create that beautiful cozy glow to make a backyard feel inviting because they have a yellow/orange hue. (I prefer soft white at around 2700 K.)
Choosing daylight or cool white light bulbs isn’t ideal because they create the feeling of a cold, stark environment resulting in less-desirable conditions for relaxation.
It’s best to use LED bulbs rather than incandescent bulbs since they use less energy and are less likely to overheat.
When to Use a Cable Kit?
For any situations where lights need to span long distances of 8 feet or longer, it’s best to use a string light cable kit to prevent the strands from sagging.
Where to Use Outdoor String Lights
Note: Hang lights away from any water source to prevent code violations or safety hazards.
Some of the best places to hang outdoor string lights for added ambience in a backyard are:
- Under a covered porch
- Around the perimeter of a fire pit
- Over an outdoor dining table
- Above or around a patio
- Along a fence
- Hanging from trees in a yard
- In a playhouse
- Over a deck
- Spanning across buildings
- Under a pergola
- Around a gazebo ceiling
What to Hang Lights From
You can hang lights from all kinds of objects in the backyard, and unless you have trees placed JUST in the perfect spot every time, you’ll most likely need some of these objects to rely on for support.
- Porch/pergola/gazebo ceiling
- Fence
- Retaining wall
- House/shed/building
- Deck railing
- Vinyl siding wall
- Trees
- String light poles (DIY tutorials below to make your own)
What to Do Before Hanging String Lights
Plan Around Your Outlet Access
Check your backyard to see where your outlets are placed. Plan to hang lights with the starting end of your string lights near an outlet. (We placed our outlet access point directly behind our outdoor kitchen so it’s tucked out of the way but still convenient to access as needed.)
Measure Your Route
Plan where you want your lights to hang and measure the route with a tape measure to know how many strands you need to buy.
How to Hang Outdoor String Lights Around a Fire Pit
Supplies
- 5 – 3/4″ x 10′ metal conduit pipes
- Drop cloth
- Black or gray automotive primer (optional – I’ve found it does the best on metal in the outdoors)
- Black spray paint (optional)
- 1″ x 10′ PVC pipe
- PVC cutter
- Small level
- 3/4″ zinc squeeze connector
- Mounting tape
- Black electrical tape
- Post hole digger
- String lights
- String light cable kit (optional – but helpful if you want to prevent strands from sagging)
- Outdoor extension cord (if using plug-in string lights)
- Outdoor light sensor timer with remote (if using plug-in string lights)
Steps to Hang Outdoor String Lights Without Trees Around a Fire Pit
Step 1 Lay Out Conduit to Paint on Drop Cloth
Choose a warm, sunny day to paint your conduit pipes (though this is entirely optional if you don’t mind the metal showing on the poles).
Step 2 – Prime Conduit
To make sure the spray paint sticks to the conduit, apply a thin, even coat of automotive primer. I’ve found over the years that it has the best adhesion on metal, especially in the elements in outdoor spaces.
Step 3 – Paint Conduit
Once dry from the primer coat, give the conduit pipes 1-2 thin coats of black spray paint.
Step 4 – Dig Holes for DIY String Light Poles
As the paint is drying on the conduit, decide where you want to place your string light poles around the fire pit, mark, and begin digging 2 feet below the surface with a post hole digger.
Step 5 – Cut PVC Pipe
Using a PVC cutter, segment the 10′ PVC pipe into 2′ length each to end up with five 2′ long PVC pipes.
Step 6 – Place PVC Pipe
Drop the 2′ length of PVC pipe into the newly dug hole. Use a level to make sure the PVC pipe is straight. Pack tight with dirt.
Step 7 – Attach Squeeze Connectors
To give each pole a place to anchor the string lights, attach a squeeze connector to the top using 3M shelving tape to keep it secure.
Step 8 – Hang Cable
Using the materials from the light hanging kit, make a loop in the cable and attach it to the squeeze connector. Pull the cable tight between poles as you repeat placement on the other string light poles.
Step 9 – Begin Hanging Lights
Plan where you need to plug in your first strand of lights to a nearby power outlet and start hanging the first strand from the nearest conduit pole.
Attach the lights to the cable wire using the provided small zip ties in the string light kit.
Snip any excess zip tie ends.
Step 10 – Wrap Plugs with Electrical Tape
To keep the plugs from pulling apart as the strands are placed tightly with tension on them, wrap the ends in black electrical tape.
Step 11 – Run Extension Cord and Set Timer
Repeat the process until you have added lights all around your fire pit. Run the outdoor extension cord from the end of the string light strand down the pole and to the power outlet.
Set the timer as you would like or use the remote control manually if you don’t want to your string lights to turn on automatically every night at dusk.
Magic! Isn’t it so beautiful?!
It’s amazing how much they add to a fire pit!
How to Hang Outdoor String Lights on Fence Without Damage
I originally got this tubing idea from this string light tutorial from Maison de Pax, but I adapted it a little by adding hooks to the top of the poles and stringing cables for longer distances.
Follow her tutorial, if you want a less permanent, faster solution that spans shorter distances between light poles without the use of a cable system.
Supplies
- 1″ x 8′ aluminum square tubing (in whatever quantity you need for your fence and number of strands of string lights you want to hang)
- Automotive spray primer (optional if you want to change the color from plain metal)
- Spray paint (in any color that matches your fence)
- Drop cloth
- 26″ zip ties (or whatever necessary length to wrap around your fence posts)
- Wire cutting pliers
- Drill and drill bits
- Cup hooks with safety buckles
- String lights (I like these LED plug-in string lights because they’re brighter than solar.)
- String light cable kit
- Outdoor extension cord (if using plug-in string lights)
- Outdoor light sensor timer with remote (if using plug-in string lights)
*If you’re planning to hang string lights near a pool, do NOT hang them directly over a pool. It is against code and a safety hazard. Instead, choose to hang string lights around the perimeter of a pool far enough away to avoid the risk of any electrical wires from falling into the water.
Steps to Hang String Lights on a Fence
Step 1 – Prime Tubing
Apply a thin, even coat of automotive primer to the 1″ aluminum square tubing.
Step 2 – Paint Tubing
Once dry from the primer coat, apply 1-2 thin, even coats of spray paint.
Step 3 – Attach Tubing to Fence
Decide where you want to place your string lights to your fence, and attach the square tubing to fence posts using zip ties.
Step 4 – Snip Zip Tie Ends
For a clean look, use the wire cutting pliers to snip the excess ends of the zip ties.
Step 5 – Screw Hooks to Top of Tubings
Using a 5/32 drill bit, drill a pilot hole through one side of the square tubing end. Screw in the hook until secure.
Step 6 – Determine End Points and Attach Brackets
Walk around your property and decide where you want your string lights to attach to eaves, soffits, or sides of any nearby buildings, if any.
Use the brackets from the string light hanging kit and attach them to those points with a drill.
Step 7 – Hang Cables
Using the cables from the string light kit, attach them to the brackets on buildings and hooks on tubings using the kit’s recommended hardware. Pull cables tight between end points so string lights don’t sag in the next step.
Step 8 – Hang String Lights
Plan where you need to plug in your string lights to a nearby power outlet and start hanging the first strand from the nearest bracket or tubing hook. Zip tie each string light bulb to the cable using the small ties from the kit. Use the wire cutting pliers to snip excess ends.
Step 9 – Wrap Plug Ends with Tape
To prevent string light strand ends from pulling apart, wrap the plugs with black electrical tape. Repeat Steps 8 and 9 until you reach the end of your last cable with string lights.
Step 10 – Run the Extension Cord and Set the Timer
Run the outdoor extension cord from the end of the string light strand down the pole and to the power outlet.
Set the timer as you would like or use the remote control manually if you don’t want to your string lights to turn on automatically every night at dusk.
You can see this post for more backyard lighting ideas like solar pendant lights and lanterns that we used all around our pool deck!
How to Hang String Lights from Trees
We used a similar method from above relying on part of our fence at the back of our yard for our DIY beer garden two years ago to hang string lights from trees.
Supplies
- Solar string lights (it’s rare that a power outlet is accessible from a wooded area, so solar lights are usually the best way to go)
- Screw hooks with safety buckles
- Drill and drill bits
Steps to Hang String Lights from Trees
Step 1 – Attach a Hook as a Starting Point
Use a drill and 5/32 drill bit to start a pilot hole in the trunk of a tree. Screw in a hook until secure.
Step 2 – Weave and Wrap Strands Through Branches
As you run your string lights, weave strands through limbs and wrap cords around branches. You can add more screw hooks into branches and tree trunks for added security to run more strands.
Because solar string lights don’t need to be plugged in, you have more flexibility where you’d like to place them in trees.
However, solar lights add more of a soft glow than fully functional light, so it’s difficult to rely on as your only light source.
How to Hang Porch String Lights
Supplies
- Cafe or globe string lights (I used these cafe style lights for this porch string light method since they’re less bulky)
- Command hooks
- Outdoor extension cord (if needed)
- Outdoor timer and remote (optional)
Steps to Hang Cafe Lights on a Covered Porch
This porch string lights method is SO simple and there is really just one step. Place the Command hooks where you want around the soffit of the porch. Be sure to follow the directions on the Command package
I clean the porch soffit surface with rubbing alcohol, press the adhesive strip on the hook firmly for 30 seconds, and press the hook onto the soffit firmly for 30 seconds. Let the hook set up without any weight of string lights on it for an hour. Then, hang your porch string lights as you wish from the hooks.
Use the extension cord if you need to connect the porch string lights to a power outlet. Set the timer, if you want the lights to turn on automatically at dusk each night.
How to Hang Outdoor Patio Lights from Siding
Supplies
- Shatterproof string lights
- Vinyl siding clips
- Outdoor extension cord (if needed)
- Outdoor timer and remote (optional)
Steps to Hang String Lights on Vinyl Siding
This method is really straight forward too thanks to the use of vinyl siding clips.
Step 1 – Place Siding Clips
Determine where you want to attach string lights to your siding and place the siding clips between siding slits.
Step 2 – Hang Patio Lights Looping Around Hooks
Hang the string lights as you wish from the hooks, looping the strand once around the bend in the hook.
We had these hooks on our vinyl siding for a couple of years and were able to remove them without any damage at all! Despite many thunderstorms, the light strands never fell off.
How to Make Planter Posts for String Lights Around a Patio
We made these planter posts to hang string lights around our small outdoor patio at our old house. It worked perfectly!
Follow this tutorial to learn how to make planter posts for string lights as an alternative to digging posts into the ground (like in our fire pit string light tutorial).
Supplies and Steps to Make Planter Posts for String Lights
If you are a renter or can’t hang string lights permanently, making planter posts is a great solution.
You can also plant citronella, lemongrass, and lavender in the planters to help keep mosquitos at bay.
In our old house on our small patio, we combined the use of these planter posts with vinyl siding clips.
There you have it! Just about every way of hanging string lights you can think of.
If you’ve ever felt stumped on hanging outdoor lights, I hope these tutorials helped! Let me know in the comments if you end up using any of these yourself.
More Backyard Ideas
- Backyard Lighting Ideas You Can Install Yourself on a Budget
- How Much Did the Backyard Renovation Cost?
- The Best Better Homes and Gardens Patio Furniture + DIY Pool Cabana Setup
- Backyard DIY Fire Pit Done in a Weekend
- Our Back Porch Refresh
The post How to Hang Outdoor String Lights Anywhere in a Backyard appeared first on Bless'er House.