How to Secure Christmas Lights on a House
Adding Christmas lights to the outside of the house not only gives others something festive to look at during the holiday season, but also allows you to carry your holiday décor from indoors to the outdoors. It is important to secure Christmas lights on the house; when they are lit up, you will notice if lights are unevenly strung. Securing lights to the house only takes a few hours. If you have wood fascia boards, you may use a staple gun to attach the lights; however, if you have rain gutters surrounding the perimeter of the roof, you may choose to use plastic clips. These clips easily attach on one side to the rain gutter. On the other side, install a sturdy hook to snap in the string of lights. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Staple Gun
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1
Find the outlet where you will plug in the lights. If you need to run the electricity from inside the house or garage, be prepared with a electrical extension cord.
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Test the lights to make sure they are all working. If not, switch out broken bulbs for new ones. If you cannot determine which bulbs are shorting out the string, get a new strand of lights.
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3
Place a ladder up against the house where you will begin to secure the lights. Make sure the legs are set on a sturdy surface. If you have a leaning ladder, place it on the roof at an angle to avoid tipping over.
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4
Hold the string of lights up to the wooden fascia, window frames or door frames.
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Place the staple gun in between lights and center the gun opening across the electrical cords. Once you apply pressure, the staple will press into the wood, over the electrical cord---not into it.
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Apply another staple a few inches down the string of lights, pulling taut on the string before stapling to prevent it from appearing droopy.
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Attach the lights to the entire house, moving the ladder as necessary.
Plastic Clips
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Attach the plastic clips to the rain gutter. The concept is similar to a paperclip, and the clip slides over the edge of the gutter. One side will be behind the lip of the gutter, holding the clip in place while the front includes the plastic arm for the cord.
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Snap the string of lights into the plastic arm on the front of the rain gutter.
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String the lights on the plastic arm approximately every 12 inches, or as necessary to prevent lights from drooping.
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Use nail-on clips for adding lights to windows or doors. These clips are similar in style to roof clips, but have a nail in the center to allow attaching cords to the walls or doors with a hammer.
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Tips & Warnings
Never staple Christmas lights while they are plugged in.
References
- Photo Credit christmas lights image by PHOTOFLY from Fotolia.com
