Hanging holiday lights on stucco with magnet hooks?
November 28, 2015 2:08 PM Subscribe
I would like to hang holiday lights outdoors on a stucco exterior using magnets and hooks. Advice?
The idea is to use adhesive caulk (or a hot glue tool?) to glue 1/2" neodymium magnet discs to the stucco. I'll then prepare plastic hooks by gluing either metal (paperclips ?) or more magnets to the backs, attach them, then hang strings or nets of LED lights from the hooks.
When the lights come down, I would like to paint over any visible magnets but leave them in place for next year.
Troubleshooters of MeFi, what could go wrong?
Will the magnets interfere with the LED net lights?
Opinions on magnet-to-magnet vs paperclip-to-magnet?
Is there a particular adhesive that works well or poorly on stucco?
I'd be grateful for advice from anyone who has done something similar. Thanks!
The idea is to use adhesive caulk (or a hot glue tool?) to glue 1/2" neodymium magnet discs to the stucco. I'll then prepare plastic hooks by gluing either metal (paperclips ?) or more magnets to the backs, attach them, then hang strings or nets of LED lights from the hooks.
When the lights come down, I would like to paint over any visible magnets but leave them in place for next year.
Troubleshooters of MeFi, what could go wrong?
Will the magnets interfere with the LED net lights?
Opinions on magnet-to-magnet vs paperclip-to-magnet?
Is there a particular adhesive that works well or poorly on stucco?
I'd be grateful for advice from anyone who has done something similar. Thanks!
I would be concerned that with magnet-to-magnet you might wind up pulling off part of the stucco when you remove them so I'd go with paperclip. Might be better to just glue strips of metal to the house and then have the lights on those sort of magnetic hooks you see on refrigerators
posted by jessamyn at 2:42 PM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 2:42 PM on November 28, 2015 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Is there a reason not to just permanently glue some sort of hooks to the stucco that you then paint over later? We have metal hooks screwed onto our siding that are painted and virtually invisible. One step less and no future worries about lost magnetic hooks. In fact, if you got something clear like this, and used this Loc-Tite that dries clear, you wouldn't even have to paint over them at all.
posted by Beti at 5:23 PM on November 28, 2015
posted by Beti at 5:23 PM on November 28, 2015
Best answer: Magnets will not affect the operation of LED bulbs, or any other light bulbs.
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:25 PM on November 28, 2015
posted by JoeZydeco at 7:25 PM on November 28, 2015
Think about a test or 2 with the magnets, try a layer of tape across a % of the matching steel portion to reduce the grip. Those things can really lock on. Also I have had good results with long thin rods, like spring loaded curtain rods, as light bars then just mount the bar[s]
posted by Freedomboy at 11:45 PM on November 28, 2015
posted by Freedomboy at 11:45 PM on November 28, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks all! My test magnets all pulled loose from the adhesive, so I ended up taking Beti's suggestion and simply gluing small clear plastic hooks directly on.
posted by zepheria at 9:52 AM on December 6, 2015
posted by zepheria at 9:52 AM on December 6, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zepheria at 2:23 PM on November 28, 2015