String Lights and Outdoor Patio Lights

Choose Your Look

Patio string lights with suspended sockets have "eyes" through which you can thread a guy-line (or guy-wire) to add extra support for larger areas. Depending on the type and tension of the wire, you can create more or less drape when hanging your lights. Each bulb hangs from the wire, resembling a small pendant fixture.

Bulbs are closer to the wire with in-line socket patio string lights and won't swing as much in the wind. Better suited for smaller areas, they achieve more of a "string-light" look, and when strung close to one another, can resemble a starry sky.

Choose Your Length

Available in different lengths, patio lights can accommodate spaces large and small. Strings can be connected to cover larger areas. To prevent gaps where the strings connect, measure carefully to choose the closest string size possible for your application. If you need to add a string, make the connection near an anchor point rather than in the middle of a run.

Choose Your Bulbs

Choose a set with bulbs included for the easiest solution to patio string lighting.

Or choose to buy bulbs and strings separately to create a custom look. Use outdoor-rated bulbs and check the size of the bulb bases/sockets to ensure a proper fit. Strings have a maximum wattage rating, so do the math to prevent issues. For example, a 24-socket string with a maximum wattage rating of 1,200 can support up to 50-watt bulbs (1,200 divided by 24 is 50). But if you connect two strings together, while it doubles the number of sockets, it does not change the maximum wattage rating. So, the 1,200 watts would now be divided by 48 sockets instead of 24, meaning each bulb could not exceed 25 watts.

Choosing LED bulbs for your string lights eliminates those calculations since they draw so little power compared to incandescents. For example, a 165-socket string with an 1,800 maximum watt rating can only use 10 watts per bulb or fewer. This limits your options since many bulb choices start at 11 watts . . . not to mention those low-watt incandescents only provide about 50 lumens each. However, LED globes produce 300 lumens and use as few as 3.5 watts each, coming in well below the maximum wattage rating of the string and providing 6x the light. LED bulbs are also more durable and less prone to breakage, with many shape options. Globes, S14s, and vintage bulbs are some of the most popular.

Not sure how many lights you can string together? Give us a call! Our friendly staff is more than happy to help.