Plastic light clips can be attached to gutters and shingles to provide a secure way to attach Christmas lights to the exterior of a stucco home. Since you cannot drive screws or nails directly into stucco without causing wall damage, instead drive screws into the wood framing around doors and windows to create a way to hang your lights. You can also attach suction cups to the exterior of windows to hang lights without worry. In order to attach lights directly to stucco, you can use a hot glue gun to glue lights to the wall, attach adhesive light clips to the stucco, or use double-sided tape to stick lights to stucco walls.
Mistakes to Avoid When Hanging Christmas Lights on Stucco
Do not drive screws, nails, or staples into stucco walls when you are hanging your lights. Damage to stucco walls can be a hassle to fix, since it involves patching the stucco and repainting. So, avoid using any light-hanging system that puts holes in your exterior walls.
- Avoid using nails, screws, and staples to hang items on stucco—these fasteners can damage your stucco walls.
- Do not use adhesive products that are difficult to remove or will cause paint to peel off your stucco when you take your lights down.
Additionally, be careful when using adhesive to stick lights to stucco. It’s essential to use something that will not peel the paint off your stucco when you remove your lights after the holiday season. Below, we’ll describe what systems are best for hanging lights on stucco, as well as how to remove lights without damaging your home.
6 Ways to Hang Christmas Lights on Stucco
There are several creative ways to hang string lights on stucco without damaging your home’s appearance. The methods below will secure lights to stucco walls without permanently affecting the look of your home.
Roof Clips
Plastic roof clips are a great way to hang strings of lights along your home’s roofline and other areas. These roof clips clip onto gutters, shingles, and roof tiles. Once the clips are in place, they are designed to grip the socket of light bulbs along a light string. So, by installing these roof clips, you create a secure way to hang Christmas lights just where you want them.
- Roof clips attach to gutters, shingles, roofing tiles, and other areas of your home without the use of any specialized tools.
- Quality roof clips are designed to securely hold onto string light bulbs so your Christmas lighting will remain in place throughout the season.
- Removing roof clips is easy and won’t damage your home.
Roof clips can be used for more than just roofs. They can be used creatively to clip onto shutters, window frames, around doors, or along a patio. They require no special tools to install, so all you need is a ladder to put your roof clips in place. Removing them is just as easy once it’s time to take your lights down.
Drive Screws Into Door and Window Frames
Putting nails or screws into stucco will cause unsightly damage to your walls. However, if your home has wooden door and window frames, you can drive wood screws directly into these areas to allow you to hang your lights. To do this, follow our steps:
- Drive one of these wood screws halfway into the wood trim surrounding a door, window, or other home feature.
- Run your lights around the door or window.
- Use zip ties to secure the light string to the screws.
- For removal, cut the zip ties and remove the lights.
- Once the lights are removed, use a drill to back out the screws.
- Patch the screw holes in your trim with this caulk to restore your home’s look.
Because wood screws can hold 50 pounds (20 kilos) or more, you can hang elaborate decor from screws driven into wood framing. Don’t be afraid to try decorative loops and designs. By zip-tying the light strings to the screws, your lights will remain in place despite winter weather conditions.
Use Suction Cup Hooks on Windows
Suction cups won’t stick to stucco, but they work great for windows. With a few strong suction cups in place, you can hang lights surrounding exterior windows for a beautiful holiday effect. In order to make your suction cup light display work as seamlessly as possible, follow these steps:
- Clean your window thoroughly with a high-quality glass cleaner.
- Stick these suction cups to the window every 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) along the path where you want to hang your lights.
- Hang your Christmas light string on the suction cup hooks.
- Removal is quick, easy, and damage-free once it’s time to take your lights down.
Although suction cups work best on glass, they can also be used on clean, flat portions of gutters, downspouts, and some doors. You can hang garland, wreaths, and lights on the exterior of a stucco home without using power tools or glue by using suction cups in the right area.
Hot Glue
You can use a hot glue gun to attach Christmas lights directly to stucco. However, to avoid damaging your stucco or melting the styrofoam backing behind some stucco walls, special steps should be taken. For this method, follow these steps:
- Use this low-temperature hot glue when hanging Christmas lights on stucco—it prevents melting or damaging stucco walls.
- Wear gloves to prevent any accidental burns from hot glue.
- Load a low-temperature glue stick into your hot glue gun.
- Set the hot glue gun to a low heat setting.
- Hold your string of Christmas lights to the wall in the desired location.
- Apply a blob of hot glue to the stucco.
- Press the base of one of the light bulb sockets into the hot glue for 20–30 seconds until the glue hardens.
- Select another point 12–18 inches (30–45 cm) from the first hot glue area and repeat.
- Continue until your lights are hanging in the desired pattern.
The hot glue method allows you to hang incredible light designs on a stucco surface. However, removal has the possibility of peeling the paint from your home’s stucco exterior. To prevent this, use this heat gun to soften each blob of glue when it comes time to remove your lights. This will prevent peeling paint that can occur if you simply pull the blobs of glue off the wall.
Adhesive Light Clips
Instead of using hot glue, which takes time to harden, you can hang Christmas lights on a stucco surface by installing heavy-duty adhesive clips. This makes installation faster and eliminates the risk of burns from a hot glue gun. For this method:
- Use these nearly-invisible adhesive light clips to hang lights on stucco.
- Remove the adhesive backing and press the clip into place on your stucco wall.
- Press a light bulb socket into place so the clip grips your string of Christmas lights.
- Add an additional light clip every 12–24 inches (30–60 cm) to hold your strand of lights.
Similar to a hot glue gun, adhesive hooks are easier to remove if the adhesive is slightly heated. Use a heat gun or simple hair dryer to heat the area around the clip for 30 seconds, then gently peel the clip off your wall. This will prevent paint or bits of stucco from being torn off your wall.
Double-Sided Tape
You can use outdoor-rated double-sided tape to hold Christmas lights in place on your stucco walls. For this process, the only additional tools you need are a pair of scissors and a ladder to reach the places where you want to hang your lights.
- Use this double-sided tape that is designed to hold up to outdoor use.
- Cut a 1-inch (2.5 cm) length of double-sided tape off the roll. Leave the protective film on one side of the tape so that only one side is adhesive.
- Press the tape firmly to the stucco with the protective filming facing outward.
- Peel the protective film off the piece of tape.
- Press a bulb socket firmly to the tape so that the light is securely in place.
- Repeat every 12 inches (30 cm) along your string of lights.
By sticking light sockets to the double-sided tape, you will get the most secure installation. If you attempt to press the light wire to the tape, your lights may not hold up for long. With this simple trick, you can get a fantastic light installation on stucco from a simple roll of double-sided tape.
Do Outdoor Command Strips Work on Stucco?
Outdoor Command strips are great for securing lights to stucco. Adhesive strips designed for outdoor use grip tightly to stucco surfaces and won’t be dislodged by outdoor weather conditions. In fact, the biggest challenge you may face is getting the Command strips off. To make this easier, heat up the Command strip with a hair dryer for 30 seconds. Once the adhesive warms up, it will peel off easily.
How Do You Hang String Lights On Outside Stucco Without Drilling?
It is not advisable to drill into stucco to hang lights since this can cause significant damage to your stucco walls. Instead, use these tips when creating your holiday display:
- Install plastic roof clips along gutters, shingles, and the edges of windows to keep your lights in place.
- Drive screws or hooks into the wood framing around doors and windows to make attachment points for strings of lights.
- Attach outdoor-rated suction cup hooks to your windows so you hang your lights and other decor.
- Glue strings of lights directly to stucco with a hot glue gun.
- Press adhesive light clips onto stucco walls so you can hang your lights with ease.
- Press strips of double-sided tape to your stucco, then press your lights to the tape so they remain securely in place.
Each of these methods allows you to create whatever holiday look you want for your home. Plus, they’re easy to remove and won’t damage your stucco walls. So, you’ll be able to enjoy your holidays without worry.