Outdoor Deck String Lights for Fun Summer Nights

We love outdoor entertaining during the summer. BBQs, picnics, and al fresco meals during the lively summer nights are quintessential summer for me. One thing I have found a real passion for is creating a home for friends and family to visit and create memories with us. I want them to feel relaxed and revitalized, sort of like a mini-vacation! But, like everyone, our house is perfectly imperfect. When the doorbell rings, I am always worrying if the house is guest ready.

String lights hanging from posts above railing on wooden deck behind green outdoor chairs.

Since this is our first real summer with the deck, we are definitely spending a lot of time outdoors. And it will be like that for the next couple of months since we will be bustling around the house with friends and family visiting. Everyone should be able to enjoy the deck and outdoor space as well. You really don’t need much: good food, maybe some music, and some seating definitely helps. This past weekend, we added some patio string lights for a festive, tropical feel.

DIY Patio Light Materials

Materials:

2″x 2″x 8′ boards
1 ½″ galvanized pipe straps (in the plumbing section or you can purchase online and the front desk will have it ready for you)
screws
screw eyes or cable staples
string lights

Pipe straps nailed to wooden deck posts for hanging string lights

How To Add Patio Lights to A Deck

We started by attaching the pipe straps to the posts. We attached one at the top and one at the bottom of each desired post. Since we would like to be able to take the lights up and down easily, we did not screw the wood directly to the posts.

Bag of plastic cable staples on top of wooden handrail on outdoor deck

To attach the string lights to the poles in a way that makes them easy to take down, we used plastic cable staples. Another really good option to use is open-ended screw eyes.

Outdoor wooden deck post with string of hanging lights

We set the poles into the pipe straps and hung the lights. Voila! Instant party atmosphere. Since we are using pressure treated lumber, we are going to let it dry out a bit and clamp them together in the garage to prevent warping. After they dry out, we will stain them the wood poles to match the deck.

It takes only a few minutes to setup and breakdown which I love!