lightingpatiostone
I have several solid stone pillars (approx 4' high) running along the edge of my patio. I would like to hang string lights along the stones using something like Q-Hanger hooks. But I do not know how to go about securing these hooks into the stone itself. I see online some plastic anchors that look like the kind that I would use in drywall but I'm not sure if that is the best option or if those anchors would work with the hooks I have planned.
Any advice would be appreciated.
To mount this mantle you will need to drill into the stone face!
The outline of the mantles' position should be taped to keep track of its placement. You will need to scribe the profile of the stone to the wood mantle. More on this if needed.
As long as the scribe marks are back cut severely, in essence, hollowing out (making it concave) the back edge where the mantle meets the stone, it should fit pretty well, save a little extra taken out here and there. You could use a small diameter disk sander on a drill with a VERY coarse grit paper on it. Self stick or screw on should work.
After you get it scribed where you want it to fit, find 2 or 3 suitable places to drill and epoxy steel pins into the stone face. Choose smaller stone to drill near, they will be better encapsulated in the mortar than larger stone so they have less of a tendency to fall out when drilled. 1/2" holes, 2 to 3" deep with 3/8" pins straight in with epoxy should do there. Please do dust out the drilled holes, the dust will not let the epoxy bond. Let it cure. Concrete epoxies only take about 15-45 minutes to get hard.
On the wood mantle, drill 3/4" holes, you can fill with the same epoxy, even if it is for concrete, the wood won't mind. Concrete epoxies offer two mixing tips, this will come in handy for the setting of the mantle.Here is an example
Cut back the plaster evenly and use a fancy stone trim piece. You can use a tile saw to miter the corners, use paintable caulk where the plaster meets the trim, to hide irregularities. Use construction adhesive, or silicone, or tile mortar, to adhere the trim to the sandstone. Your biggest job will be cleaning up the sandstone and brick.
Best Answer
I would only drill that stone as an absolute last resort. That not only damages it in an unrecoverable way but opens it up to faster degradation from weather, especially if you're in a frost zone.
Get some aluminum wire for bonsai (example). It's anodized in a suitable color and very easy to work with. You could also use coated steel gardening wire (per Tonny's comment) or even coated copper electrical wire. Wrap it around the stone and twist it at the light location, then use the tails to attach the lighting. As Criggie suggests in a comment, you could use a wiring strategy similar to how sparkling wine bottle caps are done:
You could also use decorative metal strapping (examples). Wrap it around the post, folding at corners, and use a bolt to cinch it on the outside corner. If you leave a gap between the straps you could attach S-hooks or similar to the bolt shank.
Whatever route you choose, protect the wire well from chafing to prevent damage and shorts. (Thanks, Chloe.)