Categories: Outdoor

How we hung our Deck String Lights, Privacy Screen and Artwork Outside

Published by
James marcus
Video how to hang string lights on siding

Sharing how we hung our String Lights or rather our Deck Lights today. I am a accent lighting fanatic! We live in a 1950’s home that really hasn’t had any major updates to the exterior besides the small ascetic things we have done. So you aren’t going to find an outlet outside. If you are building a new home- this is where you make a mental note to add a plug in several spots outside. The plug issue wasn’t going to stop me from having a glowing strand of String Lights off our back deck. Also added a privacy screen that I will share the details on this post too!

Disclaimer- this is what WE did. It has worked really well for us but might not for you. Below is what we did and hopefully it will give you an idea that would work for you!

Hanging String Patio Lights what we used-

  • String Lights(we used one strand)
  • Zip Ties(In BLACK! Which we should have done)
  • ***60″ Wooden Garden Stake
  • Spray Paint that matches your deck
  • Mini Hooks
  • Large Hooks
  • Long Screws

**We went to Home Depot (it is the closest home improvement store to our home). We found some wood trim that we cut in half right there. Got home, spray painted them all. Installed them. Then realized they were too thin and not supportive enough. So we started over. That is when we used the 60″ Wooden Garden Stake because they are thicker and taller. You could also use a plumbing pipe or a metal fence pole. We found that these worked just fine for our lights.

In the above image you can see the Garden Stakes we used. How we spray painted them FIRST. Then attached mini hooks to the garden stake so we could loop the string lights around them.

Before we attached the garden stake to the railing we attached mini hooks and had them face the house. This is where we looped the lights and secured them with zip ties (wish we had the black zip tie!).

We attached the 60″ Wooden Garden Stake with screws that were long enough to go thru the top part of the deck railing and again down lower for extra support.

This photo shows the two points that we attached the String Lights to the house. We used large hooks on the house and hung them high so the string lights would be tall enough to walk under. And we wanted the lights to go into the second floor window so we could plug them in! (remember old house perk?!)

Kevin was able to just twist the large hook into the vinyl without any tools. If you have siding or brick you will need to drill a little hole to get it started. Again we secured the lights with a zip tie.

That round hook was already in our house! Who knows why? So Kevin just looped the lights around the hook and then used a zip tie to keep it in place.

This is what it looks like at night! We did try to do the string lights off the kitchen door and then along the deck railing. It felt way too busy, like a crazy web. So we took it down. We ended up using only one strand of lights! I would reccomend STARTING your lights where you will be plugging them in. Then play with the height and how many garden stakes you will need. Like I said we tried the first round with all over the deck and didn’t like it, so it might take a couple tries to get it right. The lights go low above the coffee table because that is not where someone would walk under.

Below you can see how we finished off the end part of the lights. Just layered the string lights and used a zip tie to keep it in place.

How to hang a Privacy Screen

Next up I will share how we hung our Privacy Screens. I bought two of white privacy screens online and they are showing not available anymore. I did find another option HERE that you could spray paint if the color doesn’t work for you. They are light weight and flexible. (beware they sell out fast! and I don’t see a ton of options).

  • Privacy Screens
  • Trim Head Screws (in the color of your screen)
  • You will need a special drill bit for the trim head screws
  • Garden Stakes (we used the same garden stakes that we used for our string lights, two on each side of the privacy screen)
  • Long Screws (to attach to the deck and also in the below photo you can see how we attached the screens together by putting a screw thru the garden stakes)

Kevin didn’t want me to show the below picture! ha! Because he needs to cut the screws that are sticking out in the back (we need to get something to cut them). But at least you can see how we attached it to the deck railing.

BEACH Sign- How to hang art on the outside of your house!

I have been getting asked a lot where this BEACH sign is from. I had it made HERE (we had it custom made). We did just screw it to the vinyl siding. Since then I found THESE hooks you could use that fit right over the siding that doesn’t require any nails or screws. Or brick you could use THESE hooks. Also you can really hang most anything outside. We sealed this piece of art with Helmsman Spar Urethane.

Other ideas on Installing a Privacy Screen

City Farm House Built a wood slated privacy screen and shared the details!

Kindred Vintage used a screen from IKEA and shared how they installed it!

Hope that helped in making your backyard very Hygee! And inspires family time.

This post was last modified on 15/10/2023 05:34

James marcus

Garden Courte is a blog written by [James Marcus], a passionate gardener and writer. She has been gardening for over 20 years and has a deep understanding of plants and how to care for them. In her blog, she shares her knowledge and experience with others, providing tips and advice on gardening, plant care, and more.

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Published by
James marcus

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