How to Properly Anchor Outdoor Christmas Decorations (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep outdoor Christmas decorations from falling down? ›

Twine, tape, weights, a rubber mallet, and a drill will be handy to have on hand. The twine will be great for securing large custom inflatables or hollow plastic decorations. Weights are great if you're working in a paved or concrete area and can't stake them into the ground.

To install the ornaments on the tree, use a twist tie to attach each ornament to the branches so they won't blow away with a strong wind, and also so that they're easy to remove once the season is over.

Shepherds hooks used to support having baskets during the summer can also make good supports for outdoor Christmas trees. Make sure to use a heavy duty one and drive it into the ground securely. Then place the Christmas tree next to the post and tie them together with strong twine or zip ties.

Pound a rebar or metal stake into the ground directly behind your lawn decoration using a rubber mallet. Attach the decoration to the stake using sturdy rope or chain, preferably through holes or openings in the back of the decoration to hide them from view.

A plastic or cardboard decoration can be secured with a stake attached by duct tape to its back. If a piece is rather large and flimsy, drill or poke a few holes in it to allow wind to flow through; the holes will give the piece a better chance of remaining in place during strong wind gusts.

How Do I Secure My Roof Decorations for Christmas? Use insulated hooks or clips designed for fastening Christmas roof decorations 100/m. You may utilize a bungee cord to attach your vintage plastic light-ups to the roof. Avoid decorations that are too heavy on your shingles.

As with lights, never nail or screw big decorations to your roof. Instead, install them securely using zip-ties and sandbags, or by tying them to a chimney or other structure for additional support. Especially tall decorations may require additional securing with guy wire.

Place a Rain Block Weatherproof Gasket on the male connector of the light or decoration and firmly press the two together. The gasket will compress slightly and lock out water.

How do you hang things on an outdoor tree? ›

For the actual hanging process, the best way to do it is with straps. Any kind of strong fabric or cordage will work, but we definitely really like using flat nylon webbing. You can even glue/sew/staple Velcro to the fabric, which allows you to strap it to the tree without any kind of invasive process for the tree.

Bucket and Rocks

A bucket filled with rocks can hold up a tree, and it works for either a real tree or an artificial one. You can use any type of bucket, but a bigger tree may need a bigger bucket.

Tip #2 - Weigh them Down

An easy way to keep your inflatables from blowing away is to weigh them down with sandbags or water jugs. If your inflatable has an opening in the back, you can stick the sandbag inside the inflatable. Be sure the sandbag is tied tightly before placing it in the inflatable.

Since the usual motivation behind stealing holiday decorations is to resell them, marking your decorations discourages these kinds of thieves. You can add stickers, write your name, or use a permanent marker on them to lessen their resale value and make them easier to identify, should anyone still take them.

For an easy, foolproof option, attach a garland hanger to any door frame — indoors or outdoors. Then, you can easily drape your greens over the top. Since they're adjustable, they can be moved around from door to door (or door to window) in the years to come.

Two popular materials for banners placed outdoors are cast vinyl and mesh. Both of these materials offer the flexibility needed to protect against wind damage. One of the best materials to use on outdoor banners is vinyl mesh.

An Umbrella Stand Base

Another great way to keep your outside Christmas tree from blowing over in the wind is to purchase a heavy duty weighted umbrella stand base. These stand bases can be filled with rocks or sand, and simply slip the trunk of your tree in to the spot where the umbrella stand would go.

First, they allow more ornaments to be seen at eye level than on a traditional tree. They're also a space-saver: For shops or hotels worried about floor space, hanging the tree high enough means they won't be taking up unnecessary room.

As long as the items you have are lightweight, such as streamers, using sticky tack or tape is probably the best bet, and is something that you'll typically have lying around the house. Place tape or mounting putty on the end of your decoration, and attach it to the ceiling.

How do you hang Christmas lights without staples or nails? ›

How to hang string lights outdoors without nails? The easiest method is to use plastic hooks and clips. They are inexpensive, easy to install and remove and hold all types of Christmas lights with ease.

Use Hooks or Velcro with Removable Adhesive: These have become many people's go-to options. The product is a simple hook or Velcro-style strip with a special adhesive strip. This adhesive works by maintaining surface area with your wall.

Use brick clips to hang garland if you have brick or stone with recessed mortar. Brick clips are metal clips that hook into the gaps between bricks or stones where the mortar is. They work well for hanging garland on a brick fireplace or mantel or an exterior stone brick wall, for example.

If you need to hang heavy objects or ensure the object is secure on the wall, use screw-in anchor hooks. All you have to do is pre-drill holes into the mortar or brick, then screw in the anchor hook. You can also use anchors that stick to or clamp to the wall, but these are best for light objects only.

Plasti Dip is hard-wearing. It seals, protects from weathering, is resistant to salt and moisture (particularly good if you are in a waterfront location) and UV stable. Plasti Dip can be applied with a brush, a sprayer or an aerosol.

Are Christmas lights waterproof? One of the most common questions from our customers is whether Christmas lights are water resistant. Most modern lights with a rating above IP44 are waterproof. Christmas lights with this rating are safe to be used outdoors and are protected from rain and water.

It's OK to keep the lights on all night, as long as you're not disturbing any neighbors. But to save power, consider putting your lights on a timer. Blow-up decorations are always fun for kids, but be careful where you place them in your yard.

Products like Loctite PL 500 Landscape Block Adhesive, which can be applied in all kinds of weather and bonds wet or dry, are specially formulated for use as a landscape brick glue.

Will Command™ Products stick to brick? No. Command™ Products are intended for mostly smooth surfaces such as those listed above. However, our products will stick to painted, smooth cinder block (the type found inside many school and office buildings).

Is it OK to hammer nails into trees? ›

Hammering anything into a tree is intrusive and will cause harm; a tree is a living organism and an injury such as this is damaging. The outer bark layer on a tree stem protects against disease and decay, anything that breaches it can allow the entry of harmful organisms.

Putting In Nails Or Screws Will Create A Wound

Putting a nail or screw into a tree will create a small wound, but nothing a strong, healthy tree can't handle. The tree should compartmentalize and heal the wound around the object.

Weigh It Down

If you can't tie your tree down, make sure it is heavy enough that it won't fall. You can add sand bags to the base to weight it down, or just use a wide, sturdy base to begin with. The extra effort could save you many a headache in the future.

To straighten a tree that is leaning over, wedge a Wobble Wedge plastic shim between the tree and the stand or to level your tree stand at the base. Wobble Wedges are available in a variety of colors and sizes so you can choose the leveling wedge best for your project.

Those without a roof rack should first open all their car doors—not the windows—then tie the tree snugly to the roof with rope. For trees that extend more than a couple of feet beyond your car's bumpers, tie a reflective flag to the end to alert other drivers.

Inflatables should not be used in winds exceeding 25mph and they of course need to be properly secured.

If you must secure your inflatable on concrete, pavement, or driveway where stakes are impractical, use heavy bags filled with sand or gravel. Sandbags are preferred to stakes in some instances because: They can still be used on rocky soils and during winter when digging stakes into the ground is harder.

Secure Them with Stakes

Ground stakes are an effective way to keep inflatable lawn decorations secure. Many inflatable decorations come with tether lines and stakes, but you can purchase additional tie-down stakes for added security.

Gutter hooks or decorating clips. To hang string and rope lights, you'll want to use outdoor decorating clips that are suitable for string lights to hang them between a series of fixed points. Decorating clips can be stuck onto wooden and uPVC surfaces, such as door frames, gutters and fascias.

Don't assume all lights are designed for outdoor use; wrap all connections between strings with electrical tape to keep moisture out. Always plug lights into a covered outlet protected with a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)—running cords from inside the house through a window or a mail slot is a fire hazard.

Can you use tape to hold up Christmas lights? ›

Avoid Taping Christmas Lights to Your Home

Scotch or duct tape may seem like the easiest method for hanging holiday lights, but universal clips are a better choice for outdoor light jobs since, unlike tape, they won't retain moisture near your electric lights.

You can staple plastic ties to the inside of the eavestroughs or place bent nails or hooks that you can use to keep the string of lights hanging from. If you can't or do not want to hang them from the eaves you can always use the trim as a backdrop for your Christmas lights.

Some signs, such as banners, can flap in the wind, so make sure you tie them down tight and flat against a smooth surface. This will help them withstand more weather situations. If you have digital signs, make sure the connecting cables are safe and will not blow away or become severed.

Place a Weight at the Base (especially for Pull Up Stand)

One way to keep the banner stand upright is to place some substantial weight on the base. If you are using a Pull Up Stand, you can place weighted objects at the legs, such as a brick or sandbags.

Polyurethane This oil based sealer is great to use over an oil based stain. It does have a tendency to yellow the paint a bit which makes it ideal for warm colors and rustic looking signs. Polycrylic This water based sealer works best over water based stain and any kind of paint.