Want to learn how to DIY backyard string lights ? Here is a guide on exactly how to hang string lights in your backyard like a pro! Whether you are looking for how to string lights in backyard or just need some string lights recommendations, we have got your back with everything you need to know about adding lights to your backyard!
As someone who has a dark backyard with little light, I have always been curious how I could hang string lights to make my yard feel cozier and brighter. One day, we decided to come up with our own way to hang string lights in the backyard and we are here to share with you exactly how to recreate this look for your outdoor space.
In this blog post, we will show you how to hang DIY backyard string lights. We cover everything you need to know about installing backyard string lights for your patio and tips for getting it right! We show you the best solar string lights, led string lights, best string lights poles and how to DIY your own string lights! So get ready for your backyard to turn into a cozy retreat!
This post is all about DIY backyard string lights.
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Best Backyard String Lights
Before you begin your DIY, you need to decide what kind of lights you want to use. Here are the best backyard string lights in each category: solar, led, and electric options!
TIP: Make sure your string lights are outdoor string lights and that they are waterproof.
Best Places To Buy Outdoor String Lights
Lowes by far has the best selection of cute outdoor string lights. We bought our string lights from Lowes and let me tell you that they are indestructible!
Best Solar String lights
These solar string lights are perfect for you backyard patio because you don’t have to worry about outlets or extension cords!
Our neighbors have these solar lights and they stay on all year just by using solar energy!
The globe shape makes the bulbs unique and stylish in your yard!
Wow! These lights will make your backyard really glow! We love these solar string lights for your patio because they have 8 lighting modes and are only $16 on Amazon!!
You can change the lights from a warm glow to a cool toned white and even purple color! These backyard solar lights are perfect for a small backyard party or small backyard wedding!
Best LED String Lights
We love these LED lights because they feature a cute Edison bulb and the wires come in white (which is harder to find) and black wiring! Plus these LED string lights are heavy duty and can withstand the weather which is always a plus!
These string lights have a unique smaller bulb that adds a cozy more intimate feel to your backyard patio which is perfect for your DIY backyard string lights project!
Best Electric String Lights
These are the best string lights for the tech savvy person in your life! They have so many features that they are hard to resist! Like being smart app enabled, dimmable and water resistant!
These string lights from Lowes are awesome because they have a warmer glow and would be great for a backyard party!
Electric string lights can be known to get hot at times, but these won’t with only 1 watt of power. They also feature a plug on the ends so that you can connect multiple sets of lights together if needed.
These are the string lights we used in our project and we have never had any issues! They have held up great year after year!
Best DIY Outdoor String Lights Post
If you don’t want to DIY your own backyard light posts, we have got you covered! These are the best string lights posts and stands to check out!
OUTDOOR STRING LIGHTS POLE IDEA
This string lights pole from Amazon makes hanging string lights in your patio so easy! We love these poles because they are adjustable in height and can be secured to the ground to make sure they don’t go anywhere! The poles are thin and sleek and the price point is great!
- If you are looking to install your poles against your fence, check out these string light poles. They come with buckles to secure your poles onto a wooden fence! They have deep forks on the bottom of the poles that make it easy to dip into the ground and secure your poles from moving!
- Our last string light pole idea, is using these planter boxes with the string light holder! These planters are the perfect option if you want to hide the bases of your string lights pole! These planter boxes are perfect because no installation of the bases is required! These planters will weigh your poles down and do all the work for you. They won’t be ideal for our DIY project, but they sure look great!
DIY Backyard String Lights
Now let’s learn exactly how to recreate these DIY Backyard String Lights!
What you will need:
- 3 White vinyl fence posts 8ft
- 3 White fence post caps
- Extension cord
- Zip Ties
- Shovel
- Bag of concrete
- Bucket
- 7 Screw Hooks
- Screw Gun
How to install DIY backyard string lights
- First, we mapped out where we wanted to put our poles. For our yard we chose to put them in each corner of the patio and then place one in between them for extra support. Here is a look at where we placed the string light poles (fence posts).
2. Once we decided the spot for our fence post (light post), we dug into the ground about 16 inches deep.
3. We then made our concrete mixture. Slowing adding water into the bucket with concrete until you get a thicker consistency.
4. Then, we poured the concrete into our hole about halfway full. We then placed the fence post into the hole and stabilized it. This ensures there is concrete on the inside of the fence post and outside for extra support.
5. Now, make sure that your fence post is straight by placing a level on the top of the fence post.
Once it is set in place, do not touch it! The concrete should be set and hard before hanging the lights.
We repeated this step on the other two posts and waited for it to set. Again, do not touch it! This could take a few hours to completely dry so be patient.
6. Once the posts have dried and are secure, it’s time for your string lights. To prepare for our lights, we screwed in the hook screws into each side of the fence post. The post in the middle we only used one hook in the center. These will be used to hang the string lights from.
We also added screw hooks in our fascia to hang the lights from. We placed these directly across from the two corner fence posts.
7. Once all the screws are in, you can now take out your string lights. We started attaching the lights from the first hook we attached to the fascia. Make sure to put the end of the string lights that doesn’t require to be plugged in on the first hook closest to the fascia.
8. Now, take the string lights and drape them across to your fence post and hook them on to the desired tightness. You can then attach the string lights to one another and repeat this process until you reach the end point. Once you have hung your lights, you are all done!
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- At the end, we found we had extra lights the extended past our end point. So we unscrewed the bulbs for these lights so they wouldn’t light up. Once we removed the bulbs we zip tied the wire to our gutters to keep it secured.
- We used an outdoor extension cord to attach the string lights to in order to reach the outlet. The final step is to make your posts look pretty by adding the white fence caps on top.
Note: We used the gutters and soffits to start our line of string lights. If you do it the same way it will only require 3 fence posts.
Best Patio String Lights Kit
If you don’t want to DIY at all, we have you covered!
POTTERY BARN STRING LIGHTS KIT
This outdoor standing string lights kit is perfect for a small patio! The kit comes with two poles and everything to secure them. The bulbs are not included but Edison bulbs would look great!
UNIQUE LIGHT POLE STAND WITH BRACKETS
This highly rated kit from Etsy is super easy to assemble. The poles come with brackets that allow you to fasten your light poles pretty much anywhere! These poles are high quality and definitely worth the money!
This post was all about DIY backyard string lights!
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