How to Hang String Lights on Your Covered Patio Without Nails

String lights on your covered patio are an inexpensive way to make your home more delightful and fun with just a little extra effort on your part. If you want to hang string lights on your patio, patio cover, or screened porch without nails, there are any number of options, such as:

Zip Ties
Glue Hooks
Staples
Heavy Duty Tape
Add a Pole
Gutter Hooks
Under your Railing
Attach to a Tree
Attach to a Light Fixture

It often seems like the party everyone wants to be at is the one with the party lights, so read on to figure out how to hang your outdoor lights without nail holes!

Why Not Hang String Lights with Nails?

Many homeowners may not mind putting some nails or screw-in hooks on their exterior walls or trim, which will make it easier to hang outdoor lights on your covered patio.

But if you really want to avoid putting holes in your home, especially if you are thinking about potentially selling your home, you will need to find a solution that will hold up your lights without permanently altering your exterior.

In addition, some homes are made from materials such as metal, stucco, or stone that are not as conducive to nails or screws.

Best Ways to Hang String Lights Without Nails

Keep in mind you can use these solutions individually or in conjunction with each other. For example, you may have glue hooks on one side of your patio, and zip ties on the other.

Zip Ties

You can do pretty much anything with zip ties, including hanging your party lights. Check to see if there may be existing nails, holes, or hardware you could attach your zip ties to. You may be able to hang your lights along the gutter.

Zip ties come in different sizes, and you can often find black ones that will blend into your lighting cord.

Glue Hooks or Screw in Hooks

Hooks are an easy way to hang party lights, and they will allow you to take down your lights during wintertime. You can buy hooks with heavy-duty adhesive at hardware stores or online.

Make sure you check out how much weight your hooks can hold, and check it against the lights your are hanging.

One drawback is that glue hooks may leave a gummy residue when removed, which you will have to clean or scrape off. This is still less permanent than putting nails in your home, however. If you have trouble getting the adhesive off, try use a hairdryer to melt it slightly before scraping.

Tip: It isn’t a good idea to use adhesives on wallpaper.

Staples

If you have wood trim on your covered patio, staples can be a great way to hang lights without too much damage to your home. You can always remove the staples and paint over the holes, which will be less obvious than nail holes.

Use heavy duty staples and a staple gun to ensure your staples can hold the weight of your lights.

Heavy Duty Tape

Tape can be a great option for those who can’t or don’t want to put any nails on their covered patio. You can buy strong tapeat hardware stores or online, and it generally comes in a black option that you can blend in with your cord.

If you can see where the lights attach to the wall, you will want to be neat about cutting your tape so it doesn’t look too messy–if done consistently it probably won’t look like tape at all.

Of course, even strong tape isn’t as secure as staples or hooks, but if you check your tape every so often and replace any sections that are weakening, you should be able to hang your lights this way for a season.

One advantage of tape and adhesive hooks is you can move your lights around into any design you want. You aren’t tied to the same thing you did last year–or last week–because of where you put your nails or screws.

As with adhesive hooks, you may have a little clean up to do after you remove your tape, but that’s still better than putting holes in the wall.

Add a Pole

If you simply don’t have enough places to hang your lights, why not create a spot by putting up your pole? You can sink a pole into a medium bucket of quick dry cement. Once the cement is dry, place your bucket into a terra cotta planter and put potted plants or mulch inside it (just make sure it is heavy enough to keep your pole from tipping).

Place the pole(s) anywhere you like–you won’t have to worry about putting screw holes or staple holes in them like you would your home. Plus you can move them around if you want to try different lighting designs.

Gutter Hooks

If you have a gutter along one side of your patio, you can hang these S-shaped hooks from the side of your gutter without putting any holes in your home.

Attach to a Tree

If you have a tree or bush close to your patio, you can stretch your lights out to the tree and back, which will add lighting even if it isn’t directly under your patio, and make your patio feel even bigger at night.

You can use any of the methods above, though a screw-in hook might be the best option.

Under Your Railing

If you can’t find a way to use any of these options to hang party lights on your covered patio, you may need to find a way to hide any holes you put in your home. Stapling or nailing your lights under your railing means no one will see the holes unless they are looking closely!

You may also be able to hide holes by putting them in the trim under a gutter or even stapling them to the bottom of the eaves.

Attach to a Light Fixture

If you have sconces or light fixtures on your covered patio, don’t overlook them as a place to anchor lights. You may have to get creative.

Conclusion

Whatever space you have, you can find a clever way to put party lights on your patio! Don’t forget to measure first and buy decent lights.

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How to Hang String Lights on Your Covered Patio Without Nails