Adhesive hooks and Command strips might be strong enough to hold a Christmas wreath on your front door or to hang holiday decor from your plaster walls. But these hangers probably won't stick to your brick wall; at least, not without using a hot glue gun to semi-permanently attach the hooks to the brick.
There are better ways to hang a garland from your brick fireplace or across the front of your brick house. Using brick clips is the easier, more temporary option. They're simple metal clips that adjust to grip onto brick and have hooks from which you can hang garlands and other decor, and are easy to remove when the holiday season is over.
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Drilling into the brick wall to install masonry screws is a more durable way to hang Christmas decorations from brick, and may be the best option if you're hanging heavy greenery outdoors (and you're a homeowner with permission to drill into your brick). Ultimately, both methods can be used to bring festive cheer to your brick walls this year.
Method 1: Use brick clips
Brick clips are readily available in hardware stores and on Amazon. They're typically designed to fit standard-sized bricks between 2 1/4 and 2 1/2 inches tall, though you may also find queen-sized brick clips for slightly larger bricks. They're sold in packages of four or more and can be used indoors and outdoors. Depending on the manufacturer, each clip may have one or more hook for hanging decor.
Things You'll Need
Brick clips
Floral wire
Wire cutters
1. Inspect your bricks
There must be adequate room in the mortar joints (spaces between bricks) for the clips to securely latch into place. Check your brick wall to make sure the mortar joints are at least 1/8 inch deep. If necessary, use a screwdriver to scrape away some of the excess mortar to deepen the joints and make room for the clips.
2. Install the first brick clip
Position a clip over the brick with the opening of the hook or hooks facing up. Align the bottom of the clip under the bottom edge of the brick. Hold it in place with your thumb while lifting the top of the clip over the top of the brick. Push the clip into place.
3. Repeat with more brick clips
Hang more brick clips at consistent intervals of 1 to 2 feet apart. The heavier your garland, the closer together your brick clips should be.
4. Attach the garland with wire
The hooks on brick clips are small. Strands of holiday lights can fit into them, and thin foil garlands can also be tucked into these hooks. Christmas garlands made from real greenery are generally too chunky to fit securely, though. Cut pieces of floral wire that are long enough for you to loop around the garland and twist the ends together. Hang the garland from these small wire loops.
Hanging a lightweight garland? Tape might work!
There are limits to what double sided tape can do, even the heavy-duty stuff. You're probably not going to get a heavy garland made of real greenery and strung with Christmas lights to stick to a wall using nothing but tape—especially an exterior wall exposed to wind and weather. But double sided tape designed for use on masonry could be sufficient to hang a lightweight garland on an interior brick wall.
Method 2: Drill holes
Installing screws in the brick wall may be the preferable method for hanging outdoor decor, including real Christmas garlands, in a place that gets a lot of snow and wind during the holiday season.
Warning
Wear protective eye gear before drilling into brick.
The added weight of snow on heavy greenery may be too much for brick clips to take. You may also prefer this method if you own your home and want to make Christmas decorating easy next year by leaving the screws in place. Installing screws may also be your only option if your bricks and mortar aren't in good enough condition to hold brick clips.
Things You'll Need
Marker
Hammer drill with masonry drill bit
Masonry screws (at least 1 3/4 inch long)
Floral wire
Wire cutters
Protective eye goggles
1. Make a plan
You don't want to install a line of screws to drape your garland across a wall, only to realize too late that the garland looks crooked. Mark out all the spots along the brick wall where you're going to install screws to make sure everything looks level and consistent before you begin.
2. Drill pilot holes
The size of the drill bit and the depth of the pilot hole must be appropriate for the size of the masonry screws you use. The packaging of the masonry screws you buy will tell you how deep the hole should be and what size drill bit to use on your hammer drill (or a masonry drill bit may be included with the screws).
Drill the pilot hole following the directions on your masonry screws. Blow any dust out of each pilot hole with compressed air.
3. Install masonry screws
Use the drill to drive a masonry screw into each pilot hole. Masonry screws must be embedded at least 1 inch into brick for stability. Leave at least 3/4 inch of the screw exposed so you can anchor garland to it.
4. Attach the garland
Depending on how long your screws are and how far they extend out of the brick, you may be able to drape garland over them. Still, cut loops of floral wire to wrap around the garland and around the screws to keep it in place.
And that's it! With either method, your classic brick facade or your brick mantle can be strung with festive Christmas greenery that will brighten up your home all holiday season.