Sunday How to your put a screw or nail in Hardie Plank?

Clark Harris Hi. Great question. It will be hard to install a nail into the Hardie plank siding and it may damage it. I would try a screw and if that is too hard please try and drill a very small hole in the siding, then install the screw. If you take the screw out please fill the hole with a little silicone (caulking)

trwmss Nice. What would do with aluminum siding?

olldbobbi I love the EZ Anchors but they do leave a sizeable hole in the wall. My first choice for hanging light weight items would be the 3M Command Hooks, they can be removed with no damage at all.

tcufrog We have ironwork on our front door so we attach wreaths to it using twist ties. At our old house we had a solid wood front door. I attached a large sturdy piece of ribbon to the back of my wreath that nailed to the top of my door with a couple of trim nails. The door was too thick for a wreath holder and looked better than a wreath hanger.

mcgrew56 I would hang wreaths on the outside of my windows, as well, attaching the same as tcufrog suggests. but, additionally, I would add a simple length of wire on each side of the wreath and anchor to each side of the window usign any of the methods already suggested...however, the wreath would stay secure even during winds.

John Walsh This is for Clark or anyone that might have a tip for me. I have a 16ft wall of concrete that I want to hang some of our art collection salon style. Obviously I love the beauty of the concrete and love how forgiving drywall hangers. I don't want to hang the paintings using wire or cables but don't want to chew up the concrete too much either.
Any tips folks?

Leta Thiessen I'd love to see a similar article that shares all the trade secrets for indoor holiday decorating - how do you guys get the swags or garland to hang so nicely off the stair railings and mantles etc without permanently marking things up?? Do tell...................please

cookingistherapy A trick that I came up with for hanging stockings from our mantle - use a purse hanger designed to keep purses off the floor. They are surprisingly strong and make absolutely no mark on the mantle. I also use them to hold lightweight garland.

lyerla This is such a helpful article; definitely agree with posters above requesting a similar feature on interior hanging/attachment techniques for holiday pieces. Thanks!

Clark Harris Mr Walsh
Here are two options for you
This one is permanent but I really like Red Head Anchors
http://www.itwredhead.com/product_list.php?category=Mechanical
I would caution you against drilling into a foundation wall. If this is the case I would try using this adhesive on some sort of hanger
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=BP_Sika&storeId=10051&langId=-1&catalogId=10053
Hope that helps.
Aluminum siding---You could place a nail throught this as well but i would pre drill a hole a little larger than the nail or screw. Please seal the hole with silicone when finished.
Thank you for all the other comments and suggestions
Clark

frankiesmama Mr. walsh, as another post mentioned, 3M Command adhesive hanging hooks would work well for your wall. They are as permanent or temporary as you want them to be.

Christine Kayl An interior designer gave me this tip: when hanging garland from a mantle that you don't want to drill a hole in the wood or unable to if it is a stone mantle, use the miniature (clear) 3M hooks. Place the hook toward the back to the mantle with the hook part facing the wall. This allows you to wire the garland to the hook getting your desired swag easy removal after the holidays. In regards to garland on a staircase, use the Velcro tape that gardeners use to attach vines to a trellis.

kimmiecat They sell brass brick clips. These do not damage the brick and just snap on the top and bottom of the brick. There is a hook in the center. They are VERY STURDY. I only use 4 to hang almost 60 feet of very heavy garland. For the mantle, there are garland hangers. They have a large flat top that sits on the mantle and a long hook that holds the garland. Same idea as purse hangers.

jmberg73 Hardware stores have special hooks meant to go in between vinyl or aluminum siding without making any holes. You just need to buy a special hand tool (to separate the siding to get it in), also available cheap ($5-10). We had one (old house) and just left it in year-round for a wreath.

Tina Gleisner Nice set of instructions & I might just write the article that's needed just before this one, deciding where to put your holiday decorations so you can reuse the hooks every year.

sweathers Houzz is always full of great ideas, but I will share this one with my husband too. Great advice in preparation for all holidays.

Sharon Boughner If you're hanging light-weight garlands, etc around a door or window, I use straight pins at the upper corners of the doors or windows behind the trim. Just stick them in, leaving enough of the head to loop the garland around. Leaves no holes and is easy to remove.

kaleidos Cable ties! Different lengths for different applications, easy to install, hide and remove. I use them to hang garland and light swags from staircases, to address a specific question above. I also use them to hang decorations from shutters, tree branches, etc.

ellion Thank you very much for a very helpful and informative article. This is one to keep for future reference.

cathylad Excellent article. Thanks!

K.O.H. Construction Corporation An alternate to Tap-con Screws are grey colored Prime Guard screws that are used primarily for deck boards. I drill the hole the same size as the screw, insert a piece of 14 gauge electrical wire in the hole then screw it in. We have used this trick long before Tap-cons came out.

jdmason Very useful article. How would you hang things on interior plaster-on-brick walls?

mollyd202 how would you fix a crack in your exterior brick?

anni1226 Sheetrock is pretty simple, but I have an old home with plaster walls. Does anyone have tips? I'm constantly trying to come up with solutions without either cracking the wall or having things fall down. Not much luck yet. Thanks, and happy holidays!

Voula Agrapides_Savva That's great! Thanks for the info!!

Fran Campeau My brother in law/sister in law have stucco siding on their new home and no traditional brick mould around their windows and doors. They also have a lot if wind. They are in a dilemma as to how to securely fasten Xmas lights on their house. Please help!

drayerle BRICK CLIPS! I'll be using brick clips this year, no screwing required, they clip on to the brick, can hold up to 5 lbs I think, they may come in different sizes but they have a little hook on them so that you can hang pictures or anything else without damaging the mortar or the brick, brilliant!

katsterh What a marvelous article, Clark! Well done. Such a concise, informative, and well illustrated article is welcome indeed! :) Kat

briggsann A local hardware store told us that many of the professional light hangers use glue guns to attach lights and trim to brick and other outdoor hard surfaces (should help with stucco, too). When the holidays are over simply pull the decorations down. If any glue is left on the house, you should be able to pull it off. We have not tried this but plan to do so this year to see how well it stays attached.

debbiejarman Since we've gotten on the subject of hanging things other than to walls, I don't know what I would do without florist wire. It comes in different guages and can be purchased in rolls. It cuts easily with scissors. I use it for lots of things...attaching garland to stair rails, attaching garlands to each other to make them longer, making bows for garland, etc. etc. They are green so are easily hidden. Just twist the ends together and it's tough as nails.

Kelly Edmister I too live in an older home with plaster walls. What suggestions do you have for picture hanging?

mrsben Excellent tips! Thank you Clark.

As for hanging anything on the mantle like wreaths or garlands, I use table cloth clips as you would use for outdoors as they can be easily camouflaged. As for decorations on a staircase if you do not have any florist wire, plastic tie wraps (like you get at the grocery market) can be twisted together for the length you need.

roseetta Good old pipe cleaners are great for garland hanging on stair railings. They come in colors, easy to twist, do not scratch.

R Ferranto

rockies Sewing machine needles make great temporary anchors for holiday decorations. After the holiday, pull out the needle. The hole is so small it virtually disappears.

cbraden I want to put up sheleves on concert blocks can i use this same methothod

lizan It looks easy with such close pictures! Thanks Clarko! This is going to be the best Christmas ever!

monkey1295 Do 3M Command Hooks work on concrete? I believe they only work on smooth surfaces. If I'm mistaken I want to know since I do a ton of outdoor holiday decorating and my husband does not want me to drill anything into the stucco.

sherrycase This question is for anyone. How do you hang items on Dryvet? Its the newer form of stucco.
Thanks for the help.
Starshyne

tennisgirl58 how could I hang
Christmas lights on my porch ceiling made of plywood

K.O.H. Construction Corporation Monkey, they work on painted concrete and block.
Sherrycase, Dryvit is installed over a foam board which is installed over a substrate such as OSB. You can attach light weight items, such as address numbers with expansion anchors and scews. I STRONGLY advice you to go to Dryvits Knowledge base for precise instructions.
Tennis girl, a simple wood screw is all you need
Jdmason, The tap-Con method or a screw with a small piece of wire method will work
Cbraden, Tap-cons are great for your project. We do it all the time on commercial and residential.
For lath and plaster walls, you will need to drill a pilot hole into the lath.The laths are spaced
about a 1/2" apart horizontally. You will know when you drill by the wood chips or the lack of. If you miss go up or down about 3/4"

marymartha062 We use a hot glue gun and glue our strands of C9 lights to the brick. We outline our windows and have arches on our front porch. Glue directly on the brick and they pop off clean every time. Do not apply the glue to any painted area or it will remove the paint. We've been doing this for a few years now and several neighbors have started doing it too.

monkey1295 I LOVE the glue gun idea. Would you be more specific though? Do you use hot glue or cold glue? Also does it stay secure throughout the season? I use hot glue for tons of crafting projects but outside daily in the elements I might think the glue would not hold up.
Thank you for this great tip though.

Kortne Custer Wondering what is the best way to hang things (stockings, lights, etc) on a stone wall as opposed to brick? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Kortne Custer Here is a picture of the stone...

marymartha062 We use hot glue. Occasionally a light might lose its grip and we glue it back on.

marymartha062 Let me clarify, we attach the light to a hook then glue the hook to the brick. So you are actually gluing the hook to the brick, not the light.

aprilinthegarden I was wondering if anyone has ideas about hanging stuff from a mirrored wall. I don't want to drill holes through the mirror.

Clark Harris Hello
For the stacked stone you may try and wedge in a piece of wood in one of the voids between the stones and then install a screw or nail.
Thanks kaleidos for mentioning cable or 'zip' ties, these are an indispensable item to keep in your toolbox or truck, they have almost as may uses as duct tape.
I would be very careful attaching anything to dryvit or hardcoat stucco, I would try and use a strong adhesive to hold a hook in place, I do not have much experience with hot glue but that may be more appropriate if you want to remove the hooks after the holidays.
As for fixing a cracked brick I would find a local mason or handyman. For a short term fix please fill the crack with 100% silicone to avoid any water damage.
Thank you
Clark

Clark Harris aprilinthegarden I would use a suction cup hook http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1425876&cagpspn=pla
Or the 3m hooks mentioned above. Double sided tape may work for light things as well.

feefive im hanging a ceiling light but there a hole were a coving centre piece was put up by a cowboy and he made the hole in d middle to big. I need a hook to hang d light on to support it but cant seem to find one. Can u help me please.
thanks

valarienthomas We want to hang christmas lights directly on stucco. We have been using a hot glue gun and it rips our stucco off any other solutions?

Designs by Susan Without damage to the mortar or walls for a temperary fix for hanging Christmas greenery is to use the 3M product hooks which can be removed. I used this on brick to hang greenery and it work perfectly. There was no evidence or damage to the exterior and the client was pleased.

lptboyer I am a big fan of the clear cable ties, I use them everywhere, they are pretty easy to hide and come in different sizes for lighter or heavier applications. But I need some help on hanging lights on my exterior roof. I love the icicle lights, I have hung them for years, but the plastic shingle hooks that you buy are flimsy. I have some steep gables, and also get very high winds that have literally pulled the hooks right out from under the shingles. So I am searching for a permanent hanger that you can't see the rest of the year. To clarify: something that I can permanently attach by drilling or other method (may mean more work initially) but that won't be too visible once I have taken the lights off. Maybe there is no such thing, but if there are any brainstorm suggestions out there, toss them this way, I have been trying to come up with something for years now. I still find plastic shingle clips embedded in the woods surrounding my house when I am out working on the property!

knoxscoop I use lots of cup hooks. Love the idea of glue gun for lights

cat5houston I am not handy but here's a hint most of the ladies can use. I hang the lights over my arch (just like the ones at the top of the page) with the thin chip clips. I have tons in my kitchen and I can do the arch over my front door in 5 minutes. I am not tall enough even using my kitchen stool to lift things over/under the vines. You can't see the clips really as I just clip it with the clip part facing the wall. It is a lot easier than buying all these handyman things. So that's my low tech solution and my lights look really great!

Leta Thiessen cat5houston - do you have a picture of what you are calling a thin chip clip?? Also, what on your arch are you able to clip to??

cblase I second the advice on no glue gun on any paint surface. I'd even skip wood altogether. We are still struggling with some old dried glue on exterior windowsills that we applied some years ago. It's a bear to take off.

No one has mentioned the old Velcro trick. I bought a length of Velcro tape this year that I'm going to try for pinning down the heavier garland we use around door openings. I'm already using little bits and pieces of it to stick thing up on the walls. Quick and gratifying.

I've also used the 3M hooks. They are good but can be unsightly and stick out from behind things even when they are clear.

mrlonestar Great ideas

arubaluver Anyone have an idea of hanging garland around an outside door with vinyl trim? We have used the Command strips but often they fall off during the season and I keep having to put them back up with new strips. The vinyl is not smooth.

kitchenbathdesigner i use 3M hooks with the removable double sided tape that comes off clean and doesnt leave holes in your walls. these even work for heavy stockings becuase they come in different weights. i use them on glass to hang wreaths, garland on mantels, anything. and they come in brushed nickel, chrome, and even oil rubbed bronze. they have a lot of different colors and sizes at Home Depot!

jahardg When I had to hang something in a corporate office with marble, glass or concrete walls, I'd use Sticky-back Velcro. This Velcro typically comes in rolls (different widths are available) and has an exceptionally strong adhesive on the back of the male and female Velcro sides. Stick one piece on the wall, its companion piece on the item you want to hang, position, then push them one into the other....never had anything fall down. When the item needed to come I'd pull the Velcro apart, and pull the Velcro off the wall. Sometimes a small amount of adhesive remover was needed to get the residual sticky stuff off the wall....there were no holes, though.

trasgorshek I used a couple of suction cup hooks this year for wreaths on interior doors, so far so good. As far as garland on staircase, I use clear fishing wire. I like it because you can't see it all. I also use it to hang oversized ornaments from drapery rods with garland, and to hang ornaments from dining room chandelier. It's one of my staple items, always have it on hand.

Laura Zar Your article inspired me to do this with Command hooks...now if I could just figure out how to get my wreath on this super thick front door!

salmom12 Cup hooks also work for mantles and hanging ornaments in the center of windows. The holes aren't noticeable.