DIY Outdoor Patio Lights

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read my full disclosure at the bottom of the page.

Good evening Y'all,

Its been a few weeks since I last posted a project. I was out of town visiting family and celebrating our upcoming wedding at a Bridal Shower in Minnesota. Since I got back, we have been super busy working on our DIY House Projects. Recently, we finished our patio lights that we put up over the back deck. I love going to sit outside with the lights up. It really makes our back patio feel right at home. 

DIY Outdoor Patio Lights

What you need:

• Cordless Drill
• 100ft Outdoor Eddison String Lights
• 1-1/4 inch Antique Brass Hooks
• 10x4 Hillman Fasteners Tan Screw
• 2x2x8ft Lumber 
• Hitch Ring Screw Attachment with Eye, 2-Inch
• Zip Ties
• Stain (color as desired)
• Drill bits
• Ladder
• Scissors
• Clamps

Steps:

1. Prior to starting your project, I would create a layout of how you want your lights to hang over your patio. We made a drawing first so that we had an idea of how many supplies we needed prior to going to the store.

2. You will need to gather all the supplies as needed for your project. Since every deck is built a little differently, you can modify the project to fit your needs. If you have a pergola already in place, you can attach the hooks to the posts already in place. 

3. The next step is to stain the 2x2x8ft lumber. We decided upon using the exterior stain Olympic Maximum. Since we had already used the solid stain from Olympic, we decided to use the semi-transparent stain in the color Timberline. We waited a full 24 hours before starting the next step. The stain needs about 24 hours to fully cure. 

4.  After waiting a full 24 hours for the stain to cure, you can attach the hooks to the 2x2x8ft lumber. We marked each hole prior to attaching the hooks so that they would be about 2 inches below the top of each piece. I would recommend drilling a small hole prior to screwing the hook in. It will make the process much smoother. 

5. Next, you will need to screw the 2x2x8ft poles into your deck posts. We would recommend clamping it down when you drill the screws it. It helped to keep the posts in place. We also had a level with us to make sure the poles were as level as we could get them. We drilled 3 screws into each poles to help anchor it in case of any wind. 

6. Since we decided to start the string lights attached to the siding, we had to attach a hitch ring screw. We drilled a hole right into the siding, then screwed the hitch ring in. The hitch ring should be able to hold over 50 lbs, so you won't have to worry about the weigh from the lights pulling it down.

7.  Last but not least, you will need to attach the string of lights to the hooks. We used zip ties as that way we can remove them easily if we need to take it down.

9. Now you can enjoy your nicely lit patio!

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT:

All posts may contain affiliate links. You won't pay any extra for making a purchase through these links (in fact, you may get a great deal) and I may earn some money to keep this blog going. I only link to products I support or use personally.