How to Hang Outdoor String Lights (and Make Them Look Good)

If you go by the product info for our outdoor string lights pick, the Newhouse Lighting 48 ft. 11-Watt Outdoor Weatherproof String Light, you could hang your lights using “wire, or zip ties, or whatever material you choose.”

To whittle down those options, I asked Doug Mahoney, staff writer and resident expert on all things home improvement, what he would do. Stainless steel screw hooks (or cup hooks, which are nearly the same) are his go-to for a litany of reasons. “They’re easy to install; if you have enough hand strength, you don’t even need to pre-drill the holes,” he explained. “They really cradle the wire and hold it off the house a little. They’re also better looking than an angled nail or screw. Some even have a little clip, like a carabiner, that holds the wire secure and makes it easier to hang the lights off a porch ceiling, which you can’t do with nails or screws.”

Plus, the small threads won’t leave a gaping hole behind after you take the hooks down. Just make sure you’re installing them into a solid surface, and “give them a nice tug to make sure they’re secure,” Doug added.

This sturdy, lengthy string of Edison-style glass bulbs is the best we’ve found to illuminate (and dress up) any outdoor space.

If you don’t want to use hardware, zip ties and fishing line can also discreetly handle the job. Staff writer Rachel Cericola used the former to quickly and easily install outdoor lights on the underside of her deck, and found that if your zip tie matches the color of your string lights’ cord, it should camouflage itself nicely with its end clipped off. Doug said that he finds 8-inch zip ties to be the most useful and durable size for this and other projects.

When staff writer Sarah Witman tested five different strands of lights for our review of outdoor and backyard lighting, she chose fishing line to affix string lights to a wicker fence, looping it through the installation holes on the lights and then weaving the fishing line directly into the wicker several times around. “Fishing line is clear, so it’s less noticeable, and it won’t rust like some metal hardware,” she explained. “And it’s really strong, because it’s made to pull in fish without breaking.”

As for what not to do: Doug warned that common nails “are likely to stain your siding” since they’re usually not made from stainless steel or galvanized metal, and that you shouldn’t try to cheat by using picture hooks, which “aren’t going to do well with wind or even someone bumping up against the lights.”