Types of Lights

Globe string lights are beautiful and can provide some great pop in your backyard. Make sure you purchase indoor/outdoor lights to stand up to the elements. Will they be hanging up in the air across a long distance? Or will you fasten them closer to the ground, maybe install string lights on your deck?

Identify Your Power Source

It’s easy to overlook, but it can create a big headache if you don’t identify your lights’ power source before you start. Will you need an extension cord? Multiple ones? The power source will come into play with your next step…

Measure!

Pease don’t forget to measure the area you want the lights in. These measurements, of course, will determine how long the light strands need to be and how many of them you’ll have to get. Consider using some string or twine too as a guide to “map” out the direction and pattern of your lights.

Tools

Arrow’s T25 Professional Low-Voltage Wire/Cable Staple Gun – Arrow’s best-selling wiring staple gun – is a great option to complete an outdoor lights project. A favorite of professional installers, the T25 is designed to fasten low-voltage wires up to a 1/4” in diameter (which should be more than enough for this type of project), and works with T25 staples in 3/8”, 7/16” and 9/16” sizes.

How?

By this point, you’ve identified your power source, figured out roughly how many light strings you’ll need and what type — but, how are you hanging them? The beauty of learning how to hang outdoor lights is the variety of ways you can hang them. Depending on what you want, you can fasten to existing structures like your deck or fence.

Or you can install 2×2 boards along your deck or fence for some added height, and place them strategically throughout your yard as anchor points for your light string pattern. Or take those 2x2s, purchase some planters, fill the planters with concrete or soil and vegetation, and use them as stylish stand-alone hanging points. The T25 staple gun can handle stapling into tougher surfaces like fiber cement siding materials and hardwood, giving you a bunch of options.

Unscrew Bulbs

When stringing your lights, take out the worry of accidentally dropping a light string and bursting bulbs. Unscrew the light bulbs (after you test that they work, of course), string the lights and then screw them back in once you’ve installed/fastened everything. This approach will save you some bulb-breakage anxiety as you complete your beautiful outdoor lights project.

Here’s a full tutorial on the T25 staple gun: