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After assessing your existing inventory, and with measurements that show how you might need to supplement, it’s time to buy Christmas lights. The brighter you want your house to be, the more bulbs per strand you’ll want. For consistency, you’ll probably also need to decide whether you’ll go with incandescent or LED lights.
Homeowner’s Guide for Holiday Lighting
You'll need some plastic clips, a waterproof timer, and a whole lot of string lights. In fact, there are quite a few different types to choose from. The most popular are mini lights, also known as string lights. These come in a variety of colors and sizes, and they’re relatively inexpensive. But they can be a bit delicate, so be careful when handling them. This handy site allows you to input your address and view a map of all the houses in your neighborhood that have registered their holiday lights displays.
Use Light Timers
String lights are great for straight lines as well as wrapping around columns for that candy-cane effect. Icicle lights look terrific hanging from eaves and rooflines. Pathway lights with lawn stakes are terrific along sidewalks. And spotlights are a safe and colorful solution for large trees that may be tricky to decorate with light strands, especially when trying to reach the upper branches. Next, measure the parts of your home you wish to decorate to determine the feet of light strands needed.
Testing Holiday Lights
Once you’ve done that, you can start brainstorming ideas for how to best arrange your lights. The last thing you want is to get all of your lights put up only to find out they don’t work. Before you do anything else, make sure to test all of your lights.
How to Hang Christmas Lights on Your Tree
We'll show you how to make hanging, storing and setting up holiday lights easier. 'A festive light installation adds a glowy dose of spirit to an interior and puts a cozy new lens on the traditional holiday light show,' says Kelly. 'Use an entire wall as a canvas for long strings of simple, white holiday lights. There's nothing worse than hanging up Christmas lights or painstakingly wrapping them around every branch just to be met with absolutely nothing when you finally plug them in. Even if not all the bulbs are out, any break in the lights is not what we're looking for during the holidays.
String Lights Aren’t Just for Christmas: 13 Ideas to Decorate With Them Year-Round
Work the light string around the window by fitting it onto the hooks. The color temperature indicates how cool or warm the light is. If a strand breaks or you decide to extend your decoration into other areas, you'll have backup. Gather the extra bulbs that come with the strand in a zip-top bag in case you need to replace any throughout the season. In this DIY Smarts, This Old House Master Electrician Heath Eastman helps a homeowner safely install a variety of Christmas lights.
LED Christmas Lights are Durable
I install Christmas lights for homes in wealthy LA neighborhoods - Business Insider
I install Christmas lights for homes in wealthy LA neighborhoods.
Posted: Mon, 19 Dec 2022 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Follow the steps below to create Kelly’s design in your home. Make sure you use a good ladder when working at height and have someone to hold it. Every item on this page was hand-picked by a House Beautiful editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. It’s a great option if you want your display to be interactive and fun for both kids and adults. This trend has only become more accessible as technology has improved.
The Ultimate Guide to Hanging Holiday Lights
“Mini-lights,” as the name implies, utilize miniature bulbs; they are popular because they are inexpensive to buy and to power, thanks to their cool-burning 1.5- or 2.5-volt bulbs. The larger C-9 and C-7 bulbs become very hot and consume considerably more energy than the same number of mini-lights. When buying lights, opt for shorter rather than longer light strings. That way, if a string stops working or becomes damaged, you can replace it more easily and affordably.
The gear you need for do-it-yourself holiday decorating done right. In any case, you’ll be glad you have extra fuses on hand rather than making one more trip to the store during the holidays. With so many lighting options to choose from, pick the look that’s right for you.
However, incandescent lights offer a warm yellow glow that their competition can't match. Not all plug-in Christmas lights are the same, and the names and styles can be confusing. It's helpful to remember that "C" stands for either "cone" or "candle," due to their bulbous shape. The higher the C-number, the larger the size, from C3 to C9. Here's how to choose the right size and shape Christmas lights for your holiday decorating needs. 'A vibrant vignette infuses a space with bright dimensions and is super-easy to create.
Or, if math isn't your strong suit, just wrap a string up the column and then lay it flat to measure. Do you want to use white lights that are clean and timeless, color lights that are fun and festive, or a combination of the two? If you’re going with white, just remember that not all white lights are the same – some are a cool blue, while others are a warm yellow. Be sure to closely read the packaging if you want your white lights to match. With countless Christmas lights on the market, how do you choose?
Know where the outlets are and determine if you'll need to run exterior-grade extension cords from the outlet to the final destination where the Christmas lights will hang. For front porches, try plastic zip ties, or wider plastic clips made specifically to hang lights and garland from standard deck railings. Use yard stakes for pathway lights and for spotlights on trees.
