Tips and tricks to make it easier to get your lights up

daunce

Full time elf
Joined
Jun 9, 2010
Messages
101
Location
Ferntree Gully, VIC
Something I struggle with is the method, and amount of time it takes to get lights up. There's some great tips I've picked up from others, and I'd like to hear more, like how people attached vertical strips/pixels to the front of their house.

Something I found useful to put lights on a balcony, was to attach them to some mesh first, then just attach the mesh to the balcony. For a few years I spent hours, and a whole bag of cable ties each year going up and down each post, then another hour cutting them all off. Using mesh, each year it was done in 10min with a dozen cable ties.

Using props, mini trees, arches may take a longer time to build them in the first year, but it makes the following years so much easier.

I've put lights up a tree (just the trunk), and using Boscoyo strip made it quicker as I didn't have to secure each light to the tree, just secured the strip every 1-2m. Although I need a way to get them up AND down easier. For now it'll be a tough climb each time.

I think I'll do the same next year on the front of the house using Boscoyo and hang vertical strips from dyna bolts.

I know I've skipped putting lights up some years because I left it too late, and then remembered how much work was involved. The quicker I can do it, the better.

If you could tell the younger version of yourself some tips to put lights up, what would it be?
 

David_AVD

Grandpa Elf
Community project designer
Generous elf
Joined
Jun 12, 2010
Messages
4,681
Location
Victoria Point (Brisbane)
I have a bunch plastic mesh pieces with the lights attached. Most of them wrap around tree trunks and light poles and do up with a few zip ties. It certainly does make setup and tear down way faster and repeatable.

At my parents place I use "bric crabs" to mount the rope light motifs to the brick walls. No drilling required.

Having your wiring with connectors (not hard wired at each end) can also make things easier.
 
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