One of the most asked questions about our deck was the string lights. We love how much charm and ambience they bring to our backyard space. But it may surprise you that these DIY string light poles are very easy to put together. There is no complicated math, or expensive tools required. The whole project takes in less than an hour.
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Here is how.
If you have an attached deck with vertical railings like us, below are all the materials you’d need:
UV resistant 12 inch long zip ties ($6)
Light posts from Amazon ($30 for a set of two)
Total cost less than $150.
Just a couple of years ago, hanging string lights without a tree nearby or wood posts was a tall order. You’d need to dig belowground and use concrete to support the string light poles.
Fortunately for us, time has changed. If you go to Amazon and search “string light pole”, there are a ton of options. We used these black metal poles, almost 10 feet tall. They come in two different styles—a yard pole with 5-prong fork that can be pushed down to the ground, and a simple light pole without the 5-prong fork.
Since we’re installing the light poles on the deck, we picked the simple version.
Assemble
We started by twisting the ends of the sections together, to assemble them. Right away we could tell the poles were well-made. The metal was heavy-duty, and the paint seemed like would hold up well.
Secure poles to the railing
Next, we tied the string light poles to the deck railings. The poles measured 1 inch by diameter. Our metal balusters measured 3 inches (total length). So we used 12-inch long zip ties to tie the poles to the balusters.
We tied it in five different spots. And cut off the extra material.
If you have wood railings, the conduit brackets that come with the poles can be used for fastening.
Secure hooks to the house
Over on the side of the house, we attached hooks under the roof overhang.
Lag (eye) screws are the best for this purpose. Predrill and twist the lag screws into the side of the house.
Hang lights
After we had all the anchors up, it was time to plan how to hang the string lights.
There are different ways to do this. Linear, perimeter, zig-zag, cross, etc.
Since we had a small deck and our outdoor string lights were 98 feet long, we decided to do a zig-zag pattern between the house and the poles.
On the top of the pole was a heart shape bracket that we can easily slide the string light cord in. We let the lights drape slightly in the middle, so they form some nice curves.
Our poles are bending a little bit on the top. But it’s still looking pretty good.
String light patterns
Look at all these other ways to arrange the lights.
Outlining the perimeter of the space
Via New York Times
Running the lights along a row of wooden posts
Connecting string of lights to a central point like sun ray
Via Ashley Brooke
We had an electrical outlet outside the patio door. We just plugged in the lights and voila, it was magic! The perfect setting for s’mores and game night outdoors.
If you get solar string lights, it’s a perfect solution for lacking power source nearby. We used these lights on the kids’ playhouse in the backyard. They’ve worked really well over the years.
We like to turn the lights on when we host dinner parties, so the guests can see the twinkling lights right outside the dining room, creating an inviting atmosphere.
That’s all there is to it. A perfect way to DIY outdoor string light poles.
Other DIY string light pole ideas
Note that although the poles are sturdy for our purpose (attaching to deck railings), they may not be strong enough to stand alone in the ground without additional support. Try these other DIY string light pole ideas.
- Concrete mix + wood posts (e.g. 4x4s) + black spray paint + planter (similar to this video on tiktok)
- PVC pipe in ground + conduit (tutorial)
- Concrete bases in ground + conduit
- No-Dig Ground Anchors + Chain Link Fence Rail (tutorial)
Of course, you can always anchor the lights to a playset, along the fence, or a tree.
For more inspirations on outdoor projects, don’t miss out on these blog posts:
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