Easy DIY String Light Poles Tutorial

Jess

2 years ago

Install easy, removable string light poles over your patio or backyard fire pit to create beautiful ambiance! They’re quick, inexpensive, and very simple!

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Easy DIY String Light Poles! Close-up of the top of an easy string light pole, and image of patio with patio light poles over it

I asked for a patio makeover for my birthday this year, and one of the top things on my wishlist was string lights. The problem? Nothing to hang them from.

Here’s a tutorial for the quick and easy (unless you have really hard dirt) removable string light poles we put in. We put two poles in, and the whole project took about an hour.

Do you have a different setup, like a deck or a covered patio? Check out this post for more string light-hanging methods and tutorials. It covers hanging them from trees, walls, ceilings, deck railings, and pretty much anything else you could think of.

How to install string light poles.

Supplies:

String lights– we got these sturdier industrial ones. These are 48’ long, with 26 lights.
2 ¾” galvanized electrical conduit pipes (each 10’ long)
2 pieces of 1 1/2″ PVC pipe (each 2’ long)
post hole digger

Level
PVC Cutters (or a saw)

hooks
3/4″ squeeze connectors (one for the top of each pole) Look for these in the electrical section of your hardware store.
Extension cord (We needed one to reach our outlet. You may or may not).

We wanted our poles to be at least 8’ tall to allow for the lights to swag and hang down without hitting our taller friends in the head. They’re going 2’ into the ground, thus 10’ long poles.

1. Dig the holes For the Posts.

We dug (and when I say “we” I mean Peter) each of the holes 24” deep. We placed them at the two outside corners of our patio. Update: We’ve since decided to add a 3rd pole.

close-up of someone using a post hole digger to dig a hole for an in-ground string light pole to hang patio lights, how to string lights across backyard

close-up of hole dug for a string light pole with PVC pipe

2. Put the PVC pipe in the hole.

We placed one of the cut pieces of PVC pipe upright in the hole, and loosly packed the dirt back in around it. You could also use cement here if you prefer.

Need to light a deck, patio, or fire pit? Install easy and inexpensive removable string light poles. I'll show you how.

3. Set the metal pipe in place.

We put the pole into the slightly wider PVC pipe, and I held it in place with a vertical level while Peter packed the dirt in around the PVC pipe.

close-up of string light pole in the ground to hang cafe lights over a patio

DIY string light pole being installed in the ground, hands packing soil in around the base of the post

close-up of hand holding a lertical level next to a string light pole to be sure it's straight up and down next to the patio

4. Cap the poles.

Once the poles were in the ground, we capped them with these 3/4″ squeeze connectors. This is just something to hold the light cord in place at the top of each pole.

close-up of the tops of a string light pole, with black cafe lights hanging over a patio

We screwed three of these hooks into the siding to attach the string lights on the house side.

close-up of metal hook installed on the exterior wall of a house to hang string lights over a patio

5. Hang the string lights.

And ” target=”_blank”>these heavy duty string lights come with the bulbs in a separate box- which is great because then you can string them without breaking anything.

close-up of emply string light socket hanging over a patio, ready for a light bulb to be inserted

box of outdoor string light bulbs, ready to be hung over a deck or patio

close-up of hand screwing light bulb into socket after outdoor string lights are hung over a deck

Finally, we screwed the bulbs into the sockets.

patio with outdoor dining set and string lights hung from diy string light poles

easy DIY outdoor string light pole hung with patio lights

And ta-dah!

outdoor dining area on a patio with easy diy string light poles and instructions on how to string lights across backyard

You can see the rest of our One-Weekend Patio Makeover here. Interested in more outdoor lighting tips and inspiration? Check out my Outdoor Lighting 101 guide too!

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