Spring is here and beautiful summer nights are just around the corner! Today, I wanted to share some really easy quick tips and layout ideas for hanging outdoor string lights. I’m also sharing my favorite sources for lights and things you’ll need to consider when purchasing outdoor string lights, bistro lights or cafe lights.
Over the years, I have designed outdoor lighting layouts for outdoor events, client spaces and in my own outdoor space and it can be very challenging. I have learned so much over the years what works and what doesn’t work and you’ll find all of my tips below.
Choosing the Right Outdoor Lights
When it comes to choosing the right outdoors, this is the most important thing to consider. There are so many varieties of outdoor string lighting out there that it can be so confusing.
1) Choose a staple brand of lights that are in stock all year.
I have tried pretty much all big brand lights out there but I now only buy my outdoor lights from Home Depot because they keep them in stock all year (year after year). If you buy off brand string lighting, you will run the risk of the lights not being available for replacement bulbs or if you want to add more strings over time. I also buy two extra boxes for replacement bulbs because at $12.00 a box, it’s cheaper for me to just buy more string lights than buy replacement bulbs.
2) Glass or Plastic?
As you choose string lights, be sure and double check to see if the lights are glass or plastic. I personally prefer glass bulbs because there is such a big difference in the way the lights look. While it’s hard to tell when they are in the box, I do think that plastic bulbs can look like plastic when they are hung and turned on. It’s just a personal preference for me but glass just illuminates beautifully!
3) Choosing Size and Style of Lights
If you’re going to buy staple string lights from Home Depot, Target and Walmart that are available all year, they are most likely going to be round blubs that are called bistro lights or cafe lights.
Again, this is personal preference but I just love the look of traditional bistro/cafe lights at night. I also think about what the space will look like in the daytime and I want the lights to sort of fade into the landscape and not stand out. The bistro/cafe lights from Home Depot that I use are not terribly large and they are on a brown cord.
Tips for Hanging Outdoor String Lights
I have also learned the hard way over the years how to hang outdoor lights and what works best for securing them, tips for draping the lights and securing the connections.
1) Remove glass bulbs before hanging!
If you are using glass bulbs, it’s much easier to remove all of the glass bulbs before starting to hang. If you’re just hanging one or two strands, you do not need to do this but if you are hanging multiple strings and criss-crossing, it is much easier to do this when you’re not having to be careful of breaking the bulbs as you connect, drape, etc..
Once you have all the strings hung and connectors secured, you just simply add the lights back in.
2) Coaxial Staples Work Best
Coaxial staples are the best things to use if you are securing lights to wood like the side of your home or trees.
As you can see above, the cord is secured by the staple opening.
You can buy Coaxial staples (for wood) at Home Depot, Lowes, etc.. in various sizes. Just check the size of your string light cord to get the right size.
3) Securing the connectors
Because of the way the string light drapes and the number of strings on one line, often times if you have more than two connected, the end connectors may not be as secure as it should be because of the weight. You will need to secure the connectors and we secure just by wrapping the connectors with electrical tape in the same color as the cord.
4) Tips for draping lights
I personally think outdoor lights look so much better when they are draped in the middle and sort of slack down some. The way to do this is make sure that your two hanging points (start and end) and exactly secured at the same level and give the string lights just a little slack.
Layout Designs for Outdoor Lights
Choosing a layout design for hanging outdoor lights can be challenging.
1) Start by identifying trees/side of home to secure lights
I always start by looking for trees and the side of homes as I start a layout plan to avoid having to install posts. Sometimes there is no other option but to have posts installed. It really helps to draw a quick sketch of your space on paper and make an “X” at trees and areas that you could secure the lights.
You’ll also need to factor in power sources. The lights that I use from Home Depot allow for up to five strings to be connected, which is 60 ft. So 60 ft. is a lot of length to begin and wrap around a tree and come back and usually enough for me to one need one power source.
2) To criss-cross or not
Next you will need to decide if you want your string lights to criss-cross or not. If you have a square or rectangular space, criss-crossing looks so pretty and you can quickly draw out your plan on paper for starting and ending points and be sure an factor in slight draping/slack.
3) Challenging Spaces
If you have a non-square/rectangular outdoor space, it works best from a design standpoint to keep the light layout basic. For example, my outdoor side patio is a wedge layout and when I identified and highlighted areas where I could secure the lights on a quick sketch on paper, I immediately was able to envision my string light layout plan. If the layout isn’t immediately clear, sketch lines for lights in pencil and try different combinations. Here is basically what my sketch looked like.
After you settle on a light layout plan, add the measurements between secure points to your sketch and then you will be able to determine how many string lights you’ll need. It’s that easy!
I hope this helps as you set out to create a beautiful outdoor space! I’m always here if you have any questions. By the way, if you haven’t seen our newly finished outdoor space/pool house, you can see the rest of it here.
Thanks for stopping by today friends!
Cheers!
Cyndy
Nancy says
Thank you for a wealth of detailed information. You’ve made this process so much easier.
Julie says
How do you store your bulbs so they don’t break? Thanks!
Cyndy says
We keep our lights up all year, so we do not store them. We live in Texas where it’s always warm. However, when we remove the bulbs to hang the string, we just put in a cardboard box until we are ready to screw bulbs back in. If you live in cold weather area where it snows and you need to take down lights early winter, I would hold on to the original boxes and store them in the box. 🙂
Capitolah says
Would you remove the strings or just the bulbs? It freezes where I live in Tennessee but we don’t have snow often.
Cyndy says
We had two hard freezes last year and I didn’t remove bulbs and nothing happened. I guess if I lived where the freezes were longer, I would leave the strings up and just remove the bulbs. I saw your note of FB and great news!! They are still carrying the bulbs at Home Depot and I went in and updated the link broken link. 🙂
Maureen says
Thanks, this is very helpful.
Anne says
Thank you. I have always wanted to spruce up my little summer porch with these.
Kristi says
How do you keep squirrels from chewing through the cord?
Cyndy says
I have never had that issue at all. I keep lights up all year and have a yard full of squirrels but they have never bothered the cords.
Karen says
Suggestions for hanging lights on an L-shaped covered deck? Should I swag back and forth across the space or just out line the sides of the porch along the ceiling? Or just highlight seating areas?
I appreciate any suggestions.
Toni M says
That was very helpful. Thank you. When will you be posting your detailed Outdoor Kitchen/Pool House makeover? We are considering doing a covered area by our pool and would be very interested in getting the cost break down and source list. Your area is just beautiful.
Rebekah {A Blissful Nest} says
We are getting ready to hang these up in our back patio and they make such a difference.
SJ says
Nice! We plan to do something similar at our house. Question: Did you do just one continuous strand (with multiple strands taped together). If so, where did you start and how to you drape it back and forth. I’m trying to figure out where the starting point was, and the order, how you went back and forth from the secure point with the electrical, to the tree. If that makes sense. I want it in this exact configuration and I’m a little confused about the order of connecting between each secure point. Thanks in advance for your help!
Tracey Goranson says
This is exactly what I want to do on my patio! Three or four strands coming to a point on my garage but I don’t have a tree or anything to attach them to at one point on the end of the potion. Wondering if you have any suggestions what would work and what would look good?? A metal pole or a wood pole/beam?? And did you find any certain brand of lights at Home Depot that are the Best Buy for all the lights you need? There’s so many to pick from! Thank you!
Cyndy says
I would do a permanent metal post if your plan is to put them up every summer. I would also dig a hole with a post hole digger and cement it so it will hold up to wind and storms. The lights I use are from Home Depot here:https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hampton-Bay-12-Light-Large-Cafe-Clear-String-Lights-L0012001CU01/207195804
Dianna Muscari says
I usually leave most “Tips for XYX” posts feeling like they weren’t much help at all, but this post was super helpful! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise, I’m excited to buy & hang lights in our new yard. Well… make my husband hang them. But you know what I mean. 😉 Thanks again!
RLW says
Thanks Cyndy,
We have a frontal courtyard home- basically the entry is in the center of a U with house on both sides. Do you think the hanging light is too messy to hang in the front area? It is actually our outdoor porch area of the home. The back is a screened in under truss patio. I have considered making it into a cafe-like living area but have been reluctant putting things into the front entry area might look tacky.
Cyndy says
I think you could absolutely do it at the front area without it looking tacky! I would just hang maybe 4-5 rows of them (with slack so they slightly drape) from one side of the house to the other and use the smaller cafe bulbs. I think as long as you do not criss-cross or use huge bulbs, I think it would be beautiful and not as obvious during the day. As night it would be stunning!! I hope that helps.
Nicky says
How do you cross-cross the lights ? My space is a rectangle ! Thank you!!
Sally Graef says
How high should you hang the lights
Lydia K says
Your suggestions and ideas are very helpful. I have a square open cement patio with a fire pit on one side not quite in the middle, I have a tree I can run 3 strings with a wire & connect to 3 posts 12 feet ea. munis 1 foot under ground (11) the string closes to the fire pit is about 4 feet away…. my question is how high should go? & how far to stay from the fire pit?
Thank you
Cyndy says
That’s a tough question Lydia! 4 feet away from the fire seems like a lot but if the wind changes directions and you’ve got a big fire, you could have an issue. I would for sure go about 10-12 feet up and I personally might stay away from the fire at a minimum of 6 feet. Maybe you could hang fishing line first with you light layout and have a really big fire before you hang lights and see if the line melts? I wish I had more info for you but I think you’re going to have to test just to be safe. Keep me posted on what you determine.
Lisa R says
I have already hung the lights in my backyard and love the look! What I don’t like is the “gap” in lights where two strands come together. It appears like a bulb is out. What is the best way to “shorten” the connection to keep the space between lights consistent for a big area?
Ellen says
Hi Cyndy,
I really enjoyed this post. I am thinking of putting up string lights at our wedding venue on the deck of a house. The deck is large but there are no trees or posts around it to secure the lights to. Do you have a favorite temporary post that can be constructed ahead of time?
Liz says
Do you have 4 separate strands that go from the tree to the house? Or Is it one big strand with sections that run along the side of the house? Can you post a picture of how the strands look attached to the house?
Becky Dickerhoof says
The house we just moved into has the draped bistro look lights. I like it but it is a bird roost and droppings under all the lights. I got an owl but it doesn’t seem to be helping. We tried rolling tape sticky side out on the worst site but nothing seems to be helping. How do you handle the roosting birds?
Talin says
Do you wrap the lights around the tree post or did you nail a coaxile staple to the tree?
Audrey Simpson says
Hi Cyndy,
I’m trying to recreate your design on my covered back patio. Where in your diagram do you start and end? Thanks for sharing your tips!
Kate says
Hi there. We are renting a townhouse temporarily but want to hang lights. There isn’t a y’all structure to attach lights to. What would you do?
Darlene says
Hi
We will be stringing the lights from house to garden shed, seems to be our only option. Did you use the coaxial staples to connect the lights to the tree and house?
Thank you for your time
Lori says
Thank you for the tips! How would I do this if I don’t have wood near the soffit? Also, how can I achieve this streamlined look without that gap when I string the lights together? I already bought my lights from Lowes and they are 28 ft long. From your article, it looks like I overpaid at 25$ per box! I can’t return them since I’ve already broken 3 bulbs…
Thank you,
Mandi says
Hi! Thanks for the information! I have exact patio shape with tree in same place! Do you recall how many of the boxes of lights you have linked?
Al says
I have a problem: my light strings run from the house to a tree. When the tree sways in heavy wind, the connection holding the light string breaks. I’ve thought about connecting the string with a spring ( like used on a hanging hammock). Any recommendations for this problem?
(I can not mount to a part of the tree that won’t sway, because the tree is not yet large enough for that (the lights are above a deck that is 10 feet off the ground! So the trees start 10 feet below the deck – I’m attaching the light string at about 20 feet off the ground to keep it above our heads on the deck. So, yeah, These branches move in good wind)
Bethany Hudson says
What do you suggest using if I am looking to hang bistro lights and only have the outside of my house (stucco) to hang them on?
Tenille says
Hi there. What do you think of solar hanging lights?
Matt says
Hey, I’m in Dallas. I appreciate your work. Curious on yalls power source? Did y’all do an extension cord and staple it under the roof? Did y’all intentionally add the power source where it was at?
Thank you!
Ali says
Did you create two separate Vs and end up with two male ends to plug in?
Jess says
For those concerned with cold weather, I used very similar bulbs (Amazon) and we live in Minnesota. They survived over 5 years just fine without taking them down in the winter. Several bulbs broke during a hail storm but simply replaced the bulbs. No need to take them up and down with changing seasons.