I’ve wanted to add outdoor string lights to my deck for a long time. At the end of each school year we host an outdoor party for our kids and let them invite their friends. This year, we hosted a Luau for them.
I decided this was the perfect excuse/opportunity to add party lights. Honestly, I’ve put it off, thinking it was going to be a long difficult process. Once we started, I couldn’t believe how quick this project went.
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The first thing we did was measure our deck, to determine how many strings of lights we would need. This forced me to come up with a layout before we ordered the lights. Our deck is 18′ by 20′. We started at the outlet and worked our way from there. You can see our layout in the image below. The numbers represent the direction we strung the lights.
Once we were done with the layout, we ordered the Edison Vintage String Lights with Bulbs from Amazon. The string lights were heavy duty and good quality. We also ordered Gutter Hanger Clips and Zip Ties.
Next, I headed over to a big box store and purchased 4″ decking screws, cedar or pressure treated 2X2‘s and screw eye hooks. We decided to use coat hooks instead of eye hooks. Keep in mind that the coat hooks are not weather resistant, so they will rust over time. I was OK with that because I liked the style/design of them.
STAIN OR PAINT 2×2’S
Sand the surface of the 2X2’s to remove the mill grain. This will help your stain absorb into the wood. Then wipe the dust from them. I used a cheap throw away brush from the dollar store. Then I applied the stain and lightly wiped it down with shop towels to make sure the stain was even with no drips. If you want to know what deck stain I use, I wrote an article about deck maintenance here.
I was originally going to paint the 2X2’s black, but decided to use the stain I had. If you want to paint pressure treated wood, you need to prime it with a good outdoor primer and then use an exterior paint. It would probably be easier to use a dark solid stain. Both of these options are prone to peeling over time.
Next, add your hook to one end of the 2X2. I inspected all the sides of the wood and had the nicest side face the deck.
Install the 2X2’s
Our deck has post caps on the 4X4’s, so I decided not to install the 2X2’s there. Here is a picture of our deck rail.
Since our hand rail sticks out from the rails, we added spacers. These are just extra pieces of pressure treated lumber to fill the gaps. I measured the combined thickness of the 2X2, spacer, and rail. For our project, a 4″ deck screw was the right length. Note: If your screw is too long, it will go through the face of your rail and show on the nice side.
You’ll need a second person for the next step.
Hold the spacer and 2X2 in place. Check the front and side of the 2X2 for level and drill a pilot hole for your deck screw. These are self driving screws, but I always start with a pilot hole to avoid splitting the wood. It’s just easier for me. Then drive your 4″ deck screw into the rail. I put two screws on the top and bottom rail for each 2X2. The end of the 2X2 rests on the deck platform. Here is a picture.
WARNING AND DISCLOSURE
Because I care about the well being of my readers, I would like to start this section with a quick warning. I am not a contractor or professional in this field.
We made a decision to attach our string lights to our gutter. We made this choice because I did not want to drill holes in my vinyl siding and it made the string lights a bit higher. My husband is 6′ 2″ and he can walk under the middle of them easily with extra clearance.
Our plan is to only have our lights up for the summer season. Gutters take a lot of pressure from water, snow and ice, so I won’t leave the party lights up during the winter. I would also use caution in extremely hot climates, like Arizona or Texas, as the zip ties could fail with extreme heat.
Inspect your lights and wire before and after you put them up and take them down. Look closely at the lights and wire to make sure there is no damage and never leave them up permanently. This post is meant to show you how we hung our lights for a seasonal get-together. Also, never leave your lights on while you are away.
Consider how long your string of lights will be. The longer the string, the more pressure on the gutter. Our deck is sheltered from the wind on the northeast corner of our lot. We first inspected our gutter to make sure it was secure with no loose screws. Please be sure to check the integrity of your gutter and consider the different elements I mentioned above. If you would like to use a more industrial installation or permanent method, there is a good tutorial here.
We didn’t install the bulbs until we were done stringing the wires. We did test the strings with one bulb before beginning the process to make sure they were in working order.
HANGING THE STRING LIGHTS
Begin the string at an outlet. Our outlet was professionally installed by our builder and is located near a corner, just outside our door. We ran an extension cord up to the roof behind the inside corner trim of our vinyl siding. Keep the connection point under the overhang, so it is not exposed to the weather. We also wrapped it in electrical tape.
Using a zip tie, we secured the lighting to the gutter hanger. Use care not to over tighten the zip tie and pinch the wire. I will use two zip ties next year for added safety.
As an extra backup and to secure extra wire, we also used gutter hanger clips.
Then we strung it out to the first 2X2 and again secured the string to the hook on the 2X2 with another zip tie. Here is another picture of the layout we used.
Then, back to a middle gutter hanger and out to the corner of the deck. Next, out to the other 2X2 and back into the center of the gutter. Note: We did not attach it to the same gutter hanger on the way back. This spreads out the weight on the gutter.
The process of hanging the lights, including installing the 2X2’s only took about an hour and a half. This did not include planning the design, staining the wood or purchasing the supplies.
I will post a quick update at the end of the season, to let you know how they held up.
OTHER OPTIONS
I also considered using the pot and Quikrete method for installing Bistro lights. Here is a picture of our neighbors patio.
If you are interested in this method, you can find a good tutorial here.
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RELATED
This looks fantastic! Excited to give your instructions a try this weekend. Thank you for posting.
Hi Stephen. It’s so nice to be heading into nicer weather again. You’ll enjoy having patio lights. We should be setting ours up again in the next couple of weeks. I can’t wait for summer evenings out on the deck with family and friends. Best wishes with your project!
Hello,
I was wondering if the 2×2’s are the exact same height as your gutters? I bought some 2×2’s but they ended up being a little shorter than the height of the gutter. Do you think it would still look okay using your layout?
Thanks!
Hi Lauren. The 2 X 2’s are 8 feet tall. They are shorter than the gutters, but as long as you don’t leave too much slack, they work out fine. My husband is 6′ 2″ and he can walk under them with no problem. Also, I think it looks good having the lights slant slightly downward. Hope this helps!
What did you to connect the light sockets of the two light? I used black electric tape but it keeps coming apart?
Hi Russell. The connection between the two strings of lights is before the last gutter hanger. We connected them, covered with electrical tape to keep them dry, and then attached the 2nd string to the gutter hanger. The pressure is not on the string connections, it’s on the zip tie. We haven’t had any problems with them coming apart. I hope this helps!
Laura: NEVER use the light string’s own electrical cord to suspend the light string. Repeated movement from wind can cause your means of attachment to abrade the cord’s insulation and expose bare wiring, resulting in an electrocution or fire risk. Not only that, but making the electrical cable do double duty as the suspension cable puts too much stretching stress on the cable itself, a tensile force it is NOT designed to withstand. Incidentally, rain and snow can add ADDITIONAL weight to the cable, putting even MORE tensile stress on the cord. And that’s not good. There is a small hole molded into each cord junction ”tee” (where the short socket cords connect to the main cord). Those holes are designed to have airline cable passed through them (or “S” hooks that hang from an airline cable). It is the airline cable, NOT the actual electrical cord, that is secured to the structural anchor points with hardware (screw eyes, screw hooks, turnbuckles, carabiners, etc.) and supports the weight of the lighting cable. Here is the link to a kit that helps to properly install a string of bistro lights: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MJXB22B?ie=UTF8&psc=1&linkCode=ll1&tag=heartfilledsp-20&linkId=0a9d419663f2121ceebd82f32aa3a735&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl. That is a kit with 82 ft. of airline cable but there are other lengths available. Simply search for “Bistro Light Suspension Kit.” The professional installation video link with Shane and Chris demonstrates the ONLY way a person should install these kinds of lights. Please follow their instructions.
Hi Tim. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I appreciate the thoughtfulness and detail you put into this comment. I do agree with you that this is not meant to be a permanent solution for hanging outdoor lights. This is just the way we hung our lights for a seasonal get-together. I think as a general rule of thumb, these should be thought of as seasonal (think Christmas lights). I was careful to include a link to a permanent, more industrial installation for those who have the time, skill and/or money to complete the project in this way. We inspect our lights both before and after we take them down and so far they are in really good condition. They are not meant to be hung for long term or permanent use and each person should know the risk involved any time they take on a home improvement project. In addition, different seasonal conditions (more extreme) may cause the lights to wear faster. This post is meant to provide some helpful ideas and temporary party solutions. Please read the warning and disclosure section in the middle of this post.
Thanks for sharing your process! Did you seal your 2×2 after staining them or is the pressures treated wood okay to leave unsealed after staining? Thanks for your guidance!
Hi Maddie. We didn’t seal the 2X2. The stain we use is a sealer. We do re-stain them when we do regular deck maintenance. You will have to refer to your stain instructions as all products are a little different.
Hi! We are struggling with attaching to our gutter. I see you used a gutter hanger and gutter clips. Are they different and where can I find them gutter hanger?! Help!
Hi Sara. I’m sorry you’re having trouble. The gutter hangers are already a part of the gutters. It is possible that you have a different type of gutter system. The hangers are the mechanism that attaches our gutters to the house. Your gutters may be different or it’s possible that you have leaf guards on your gutters that would cover the hangers. I would not recommend using the gutter clips as your only means to attach the lights to the house. They are not that secure. We used them as a back up only. I would suggest putting eyelets into the wood of your house and securing the lights with a cable. Here is a link to a string light suspension kit for reference.