How to Hang Christmas Lights on Brick: 4 Methods to Try

Decorating your home is a beloved holiday tradition—but not everyone knows how to hang Christmas lights on brick without causing damage. Before you give up on your dream of a merry and bright home this season, you’ll be glad to know there are a few easy methods you can use. Learn how to easily attach Christmas lights to brick without harming your home’s exterior or interior.

How to Hang Christmas Lights on Brick

If you’re ho-ho-hoping to deck your home out without harming your brick exterior, you’re in luck. Choose any of the methods below to hang Christmas lights on brick this holiday season with ease. Decorating indoors instead? These methods will also work on interior brick walls.

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Glue Gun Method

One of the easiest ways to attach Christmas lights to brick is by using a hot glue gun. Not only is hot glue a temporary solution, but it dries clear, so you won’t have unsightly globs of white glue mucking up your home.

Here’s how to hang Christmas lights on brick using a glue gun:

1. Heat your glue stick: Once you’re ready with your lights and glue gun, place a glue stick in the gun and plug it in, allowing it to heat for two minutes before you start.

2. Put on gloves: Hot glue guns can get toasty, so wear thick gloves to avoid burning your fingers. The gun is ready for use when the glue is hot and flows easily out of the tip.

3. Use a thin layer: To begin, gently squeeze a thin layer of hot glue onto the plastic base of the first light. Make sure the entire base is covered.

4. Avoid the wire: Try to avoid getting glue on the electrical wire inside the plastic or on the bulb itself so you don’t ruin the lights for next year.

5. Pick your style: If you want your lights perpendicular to the wall, apply glue to the bottom of the base; if you want lights that lie flat, apply glue on the side of the plastic casing.

6. Press and hold: After you’ve applied the glue, press it to the brick and hold it in place for at least 20 seconds to allow the glue to set.

7. Check for security: If the socket looks secure, you’re good to go; if not, you may need to pull it off and apply more glue, then repeat the press-and-hold process.

8. Repeat for each socket: Repeat the gluing process for each socket. Leave a little slack in the cord between each light, but not so much slack that the cord pulls the bulbs off the wall.

9. Removal: You should be able to pull the light sockets off the wall. Use a little rubbing alcohol on a cloth to remove glue from the sockets.

Outdoor Mounting Tape Method

Outdoor mounting tape comes in both permanent and temporary options. While this is an effective way to mount your Christmas lights, outdoor mounting tape can be more challenging to remove than hot glue and cause damage to your home’s exterior paint.

Follow these steps to attach Christmas lights on brick with outdoor mounting tape:

1. Clean the brick: Clean the surface of your bricks to ensure the tape will stick through the holiday season.

2. Apply the tape: Tear off a small piece of the double-sided tape and apply to the brick where you want to hang the first light.

3. Stick on: Place either your light socket or your cord against the tape and hold for several seconds so it stays put.

4. Double-check: If your light looks secure, move onto the next area of the string that you want to secure. If not, tear off a new piece of tape and repeat step three.

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   Repeat: Repeat the process all the way down the line. Leave a little slack in the cord between each light, but not so much slack that the cord pulls the bulbs off the wall.

6. Removal: Carefully pull the lights off the wall. Use rubbing alcohol on a cloth to remove residual stickiness from the lights or the cord.

Brick Clips Method

Considering brick clips for Christmas lights? With this method, you use metal brackets that fit over individual bricks as a temporary option for hanging Christmas lights. For brick clips to work, your bricks need to stick out from the mortar at least ⅛ inch. But if you have perfectly flat brick walls, brick clips won’t work.

Here’s how to hang Christmas lights on brick using brick clips:

1. Measure the height of the bricks: To choose the right brick clip size, you’ll need to know the height of the individual bricks in your wall.

2. Get the appropriate clips: Standard brick clips fit bricks between 2 ⅛ and 2 ½ inches in size; queen brick clips fit bricks between 2 ½ and 2 ¾ inches. For bricks larger than 2 ¾ inches, use max-size clips, which fit bricks up to 3 ¼ inches.

3. Measure your display area: After you’ve decided where you want to display your lights, measure the exact width of the wall you plan to cover. Measuring accurately will help you know how many light strands you’ll need.

4. Space out your clips: Across the span of your wall, you’ll probably need between six and eight brick clips for your light display. The further apart your clips, the more your strand will hang down.

5. Attach the clip: The bottom of each brick clip has a U-shaped spring. Lay the clip on the brick vertically, then push the spring into the mortar on the bottom of the brick and up slightly into the brick.

6. Press and hold: After you’ve maneuvered the bottom, press on the clip until the top teeth catch the upper end of the brick. You’ll know that the clip is attached correctly when it lays flat against the surface of the brick and feels sturdy and hard to move.

7. Repeat: Repeat with the rest of your brick clips across the wall.

8. String up your lights: Each brick clip has two prongs that stick out from it where you can tuck in the wire from your lights. Going along the wall, simply slide your wire into place, pressing the wire firmly into the prong so it won’t come loose.

9. Remove your light strand: To remove your display post-holidays, take down your light strand before removing the brick clips, or you could damage the lights.

10. Remove the brick clips: Press on the spring end, and the top should pop off. If you have trouble, use a screwdriver to get more leverage on the spring.

Anchor Plugs Method

Anchor plugs are small plastic tubes you can stick into holes drilled into the mortar. Once you’ve installed your anchor plugs, screw in cup hooks to hold up your lights. While the hooks can be removed at the end of each holiday season and reinstalled the following year, keep in mind that anchor plugs are permanent.

As long as you don’t mind leaving them on your wall year-round, these are a solid option and can save time and money on Christmas lights in the future.

Here’s how to hang Christmas lights on brick with anchor plugs:

1. Measure and mark: Pick the spot where you want to hang your lights. Then, using chalk, mark where you want to drill your holes in the mortar. Don’t put your holes more than 1 foot apart.

2. Wear personal protective equipment: Wear safety glasses for this portion to protect your eyes from mortar dust. Put on work gloves and a long-sleeved shirt too.

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   Select your anchor plugs: Christmas lights aren’t too heavy, so you can use anchor plugs that are on the smaller side. A 13/64-inch drill bit fits the smallest available anchor plugs.

4. Drill holes: Using a masonry bit with a measurement that matches your anchor plug, drill a small hole on each chalk mark, holding the drill steady so you only drill into the mortar and not the brick.

5. Insert anchor plugs into holes: Along your drill path, push anchor plugs into each hole. Keep pushing until they’re flush with the wall.

6. Use a chisel: If you have trouble getting the plugs flat, use a chisel and a hammer to get the plug in all the way. Be careful not to hammer too hard, or you could break the plastic.

7. Screw in your hooks: Using 3/32-inch screw hooks that are roughly the same length as the anchor plug you’ve used, twist a hook into each plug until they’re secure and facing up.

8. Hang your lights: Secure your lights to the screw hooks, using a zip tie or twist tie if they feel insecure. Do not wrap twisties or zip ties around the bulb; always attach them to the wire part of your light strand.

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Tips to Make Hanging Christmas Lights Easier and Safer

Putting up your Christmas cheer doesn’t have to be a chore. You can do a few things to make your holiday light-hanging process easier and safer.

• Plug in your lights to make sure they’re all working.

• Opt for LED Christmas lights since they tend to burn out less and use less energy.

• Check all Christmas light cords and extension cords for damage before use.

• Ensure you have the correct type of lights—outdoor projects require outdoor lights, and not all lights are graded for the outdoors.

• Buy outdoor lights that have been safety tested.

• Figure out where to hide your extension cords, so they’re not in walkways or on your driveway, creating a tripping hazard.

• Plug outdoor lights into GFCI grounding outlets.

• Turn off lights when you’re not home.

DIY vs. Hire a Pro

Hanging Christmas decorations may be part of your family’s holiday tradition, but if you have to use a ladder or work on the roof, you may want to consider hiring a pro instead. Unless you’re experienced working at heights, stay firmly (and safely) on the ground while you let a local Christmas light installer do the rest.

Also, if you’re planning to install anchor plugs permanently and are concerned about damaging your home’s facade, hiring a holiday lighting professional would eliminate the headache. The cost of professional Christmas light hangers is around $410, depending on the scope of your project and where you live.

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Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Outdoor