Wanting to add ambiance by hanging string lights on your deck? Learn how we hung up our new lights and discover some modern solar deck lights to add to your own backyard.
This post is sponsored by Wayfair. See my disclosure policy for more information.
I had grand plans to hang new string lights on our deck a week ago. But although I’m channeling all things spring these days, we actually got another few inches of snow! It’s funny to think that we had snow one weekend and 60℉ weather the next but that’s exactly what happened this past week.
We soaked in the warm temps this past Saturday by setting up our patio furniture and adding new string lights to the pergola on our deck.
I’ve been dreaming of twinkly lights on our deck since our very first tour of this house last August so when Wayfair invited me to share an Earth Day project, I jumped at the chance to feature their solar deck lights. Hellooooo relaxing summer nights on the deck with pretty lights overhead! And amen to solar lights that can be on every night without running up our electric bill.
Hanging Solar String Lights On Our Pergola
Our new house has the most amazingly huge deck that I’m so excited to spend time enjoying this summer. When we moved here, I was 38 weeks pregnant and spent every night with my swollen feet propped up on the couch. By the time I was ready to venture outside with a newborn, it was late November and the cold weather had set in. So now I’ve spent all winter anxiously waiting to actually enjoy our deck and backyard!
I ordered three sets of these pretty globe string lights from Wayfair. I love that they’re not only super pretty but also environmentally friendly. I’ve pictured lights on our deck all along but it never occurred to me that solar-powered string lights were an option! How awesome is it that I can have twinkly lights on every single night without worrying about wasting electricity?
I had to enlist David’s help for this project because I was just a bit too short to comfortably reach the wood beams of our pergola. One strand of the lights extended the full length of the pergola and we spaced the three strands out evenly.
We found that a staple gun was the easiest way to secure the lights to the boards. I had originally planned to hang them off cup hooks but after testing it out I decided the wind would likely blow the lights right out of the hooks.
David added a staple on either side of each bulb so there’s no way they’ll blow away! He usually dreads helping with my projects because they often take hours and hours to finish so I think he was pleasantly surprised at how quickly we were able to finish this one!
Each strand of lights is powered by a little solar panel. The panels come with the hardware necessary to either stake them in the ground or clip them to a railing or board. We clipped our panels up on top of the pergola against the house so they aren’t that noticeable to passersby and they’re a little more protected from the wind.
I think it’s so cool that these lights require zero effort from me now that they are installed. They have a sensor that turns them on when it’s dark and off when it’s light. And they continuously charge in the daylight so I never have to worry about replacing batteries or plugging them in. It’s all automatic!
Of course, I wanted to make our deck pretty once the lights were up! I rearranged our patio furniture and dug out the cushions. It’s going to be such a relaxing space to spend time as a family this summer.
Based on the reviews from the Wayfair listing, I knew these string lights weren’t going to be super bright and they’re not. They add amazing ambiance though! I’m hoping to order a couple more strands for our pergola soon.
Solar Deck Lights You’ll Love
I found some really pretty options when I was shopping Wayfair for solar deck lights and wanted to share them with you. Add ambiance to your backyard with these environmentally-friendly solar options:
- Globe String Lights (the ones I ordered)
- Lantern String Lights
- Lantern String Lights
- Globe String Lights
- LED Pathway Light
- LED Pathway Light
- LED Bollard Light
- 4-Light Fence Post Cap
- 1-Light Fence Post Cap
- Step Light
See all of Wayfair’s string lights at this link.
I hope this post inspires you to add some lighting to your backyard this summer. There are so many super pretty solar deck lights to choose from!
Happy decorating!
This post is sponsored by Wayfair. See my disclosure policy for more information.
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Do you have any pictures of how the lights look at night when they are lit up? They seem so nice, it would be great to see the finished ambiance! 🙂
Sorry Diana, I don’t have any pictures right now. It’s tough to get a great photo of them at night! They look so pretty lit up! I will say that they are definitely not lights you’d want to rely on for actual light. They are more for ambiance/decor.