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No drills, no frills

How to hang string lights without nails: Your essential DIY guide

Want to learn how to hang string lights without nails? Our guide will show you a quick and easy method. No more drilling holes! Find out more!

4 min read

Forget drilling holes and damaging your ceiling. Knowing how to hang string lights without nails and getting the job done in minutes is the sign of a serious DIYer. You’ll love this easy method.

Installing a ceiling hook without a drill? It can be done!

If you want to hang something from the ceiling without drilling holes, hammering nails, or using screws, you can use an adhesive ceiling hook. These handy hooks eliminate the need for drilling holes, installing drywall anchors, or locating ceiling joists. This means no mess and no hole to patch up if you ever remove it. You’ll also save money with these economical little hooks because you won’t have to buy the usual hooks and anchors. They are simply peel and stick.

Once you see how easy these adhesive hooks are to install, you’ll probably think of dozens of things to hang from the ceiling. For example:

  • small plants or plastic greenery

  • decorative mobiles and fixtures

  • string lights

String lighting, in particular, can really create atmosphere in a room. Installing these lights has never been easier with adhesive ceiling hooks.

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Adhesive ceiling hooks adhere best to a smooth surface. If you have a textured ceiling, you will want to remove the texture with a putty knife in the spot where you will be installing the hook. 

How to hang string lights without nails

Here’s how to hang string lights:

  1. Measure your room and determine the length of string lights that will be needed.
  2. Mark the locations lightly with a pencil where ceiling hooks will be needed.
  3. Attach the ceiling hooks to the ceiling at the desired locations. Make sure the surface is clean and dry so the adhesive will stick. 
  4. Some products may have a bonding time where you need to wait before they can hold weight. See your product label for instructions.
  5. Plug in the string lights.
  6. Place the wire over each hook, starting with the one closest to the outlet.

Hang items from the ceiling without drilling holes: Choosing hooks

There are a wide variety of ceiling hooks available, so take the time to look them over and choose the ones that best match your decor.

Be mindful of the weight rating on the adhesive hooks. Each should have an approximate weight limit that the hook will hold. Before settling on a particular ceiling hook, determine how much the item weighs. Of course, cardboard or paper decorations are very light, as is the wire for string lighting. But if you intend to hang another item from an adhesive hook, ensure that the hook is rated to hold more than the actual weight of the item.

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