How To Make Icicle Lights Straight

Icicle lights are a popular type of string light for Christmas and holiday lighting. You can as well use them to create romantic lighting for a special event like a wedding. Hang icicle lights along your railing to calorie-free upwardly a balcony, patio, or staircase. You lot tin easily do this with cheap supplies available online or at a habitation comeback center or hardware store. Soon enough, your railing will have a beautiful new glow!

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   Utilize spiral-in hooks for woods railings. Metal hooks with screws work well for wood railings. They will allow you to easily hang and take down whatsoever type of string lights forth your railing.^[1]

   • Installing hooks on your railing gives y'all the option to switch out the lights throughout the year. For instance, y'all could hang icicle lights during the holidays, and then switch to market-style string lights for the rest of the yr.
   • If y'all don't want to install lights long-term, consider using some other method like zip ties to hang them, so you don't accept to brand holes in your forest railing.

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   Utilise adhesive hooks for non-woods railings. Adhesive hooks piece of work well for railings made out of materials similar metal or physical, when you tin can't easily screw a hook into the railings. You volition also exist able to have the hooks downward without leaving any holes in your railing, if you want to remove them later on.^[2]

   • Any type of self-adhesive hooks will piece of work for this. For instance, in that location are metal and plastic varieties that you tin can choose from.

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   Install 1 claw between every ii-three vertical rail. Screw a hook into the underside of the top horizontal rail between every 2-3 vertical rails, if you're using spiral-in hooks. Stick a hook to the underside or the side of the top rail every two-three vertical rails, if y'all're using adhesive hooks.^[3]

   • This volition allow you to hang the icicle lights straight forth your railing. If you want to create a more drooping effect, y'all could spread the hooks out further, such as every five vertical railings or every large railing post.

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   String your icicle lights straight along the railing across the hooks. Start at the end closest to the outlet that yous will plug the lights into and place the terminate of the wire that has the plug over the outset hook at that end. Stretch the lights out straight along the railing, pulling the wire tight every bit yous become, from claw to hook until you lot reach the stop of the railing.^[4]

   • If you lot have any extra icicle lights leftover at the end of the strand after you finish hanging the lights along the railing, just double the strand back over itself and hang the remaining length up. The lights will blend together and create a prissy layered look.
   • If you lot want the lights to be more swooping, don't pull the wire all the way tight. You can create loose U-shaped patterns with the lights instead.
   • Icicle light strings come in different lengths, and so make sure you have enough to cover your railing. For example, if your railing is xv ft (4.six k) long, yous might utilize 2 vii.5 ft (2.3 m) long strings of icicle lights.

   Tip: If you lot need to cord multiple sets of icicle lights together to cover your whole railing, make sure to utilise LED light strands instead of incandescent ones. You lot can connect up to about 45 strands of LED lights together, whereas you can only connect about three strands of incandescent lights.

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   Hook garlands or bows along your railing to upgrade its holiday look. String a garland along your railing from hook to hook to add some festive greenery to the railing. Stick colorful bows to every second or third hook to add some colorful holiday cheer.^[5]

   • If you decide to add a garland, yous can drape it forth directly on tiptop of the icicle light wire or in a different pattern, depending on the look you're going for. For instance, you could drape it in a U-shaped swooping pattern and maybe put a bow centered higher up the middle of every U-shaped drooping section.

1. one

   Select cipher ties that are shut to the size and colour of your railing. Pick out some zip ties that are long enough to wrap around your railing with plenty actress length to pull the end of the zip tie through the locking caput. Choose a color that is like to the colour of your railing, so the zip ties blend in.^[six]

   • The locking head is the terminate of the zip tie that has a hole in it, through which you secure the pointy end of the naught tie to secure information technology in place.
   • For example, if your railing is ii in (5.1 cm) thick by 4 in (x cm) broad, utilize zip ties that are at least 13–fourteen in (33–36 cm) long.
   • This is a adept method if y'all but want to temporarily hang up icicle lights. Y'all can hands remove the zip ties and stow abroad your lights after the holidays are over, for example.

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   Wrap a zippo necktie around the cord of lights and the railing at 1 end of the railing. Start at the finish of the railing closest to the outlet that you plan on plugging the lights into. Agree the plug end of the icicle lights against the elevation horizontal railing. Wrap a nil tie around it and stick the terminate of the nix necktie into the locking caput.^[7]

   • You lot can also secure the hanging plug end of the icicle lights, where there are no calorie-free bulbs, to a vertical railing or the post at the terminate of the railing to keep it neatly subconscious.

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   Pull the cypher tie tight, leaving enough slack that it doesn't pinch the wire. Grab the end of the nix tie and pull information technology through the locking head until it cinches downwards and holds the wire of the lights tightly to the track, without pinching or cut into the wire. Leaving a fleck of slack will ensure that y'all don't accidentally damage the wire and cause the lights not to work.^[viii]

   • It volition also be easier to cut the zip ties when you want to take down the lights if there is a piffling bit of slack, likewise.

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   Echo the process every 2-3 rail to string the lights along your whole railing. Pull the lights straight along the peak horizontal rail. Wrap another nada tie around the track and the wire 2-3 vertical rails away from the showtime nothing necktie, then tighten it plenty to hold the lights in identify without pinching the wire. Do this until you finish hanging the lights along your railing.^[ix]

   • Alternatively, you could place the zip ties further apart and non pull the string of lights completely straight to give the lights a sweeping look.
   • Make sure you take enough icicle lights to cover your railing. For case, if your railing is eighteen ft (v.5 one thousand) long, you could utilise 2 9 ft (2.7 m) long strings of icicle lights.

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   Use wire cutters or pair of scissors to cut the backlog length off the ends of the zip ties. Cut off the backlog length equally close to the locking heads as possible. This will make the zero ties less visible forth your railing.^[x]

   • When you desire to take the lights downward, just cut the zip ties off your railing using scissors or wire cutters.

6. half-dozen

   Add garlands or bows to your railing to requite it a more than festive look. Stretch out a garland forth the icicle lite wire and secure it in place with zip ties if you want to add together greenery to your vacation decorations. Secure a colorful bow to the railing with a zip tie every 5-10 rails if you want to add together some vacation color.^[11]

   • Garlands and bows also help hibernate the light wires to create a more tidy look along your railing.

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• Your icicle lights might be a bit bunched up when you accept them out of the packaging. Gently pull each strand of lights to straighten them out. They will also straighten out over time while they're hanging.^[12]

• Icicle lights are a classic holiday decoration, but you can also use them for special events or merely to give your railing an elegant look. For example, you could hang the lights along a staircase railing to create a dazzling entryway for your next outdoor party.^[xiii]

• Be careful when yous're cutting null ties off your railing non to accidentally cut your icicle lights' wire.

Things You'll Demand

• Spiral hooks or adhesive hooks
• Icicle lights

• Zip ties
• Icicle lights
• Scissors or wire cutters

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