We love this backyard patio space we built last year and we gather here nightly. I wanted to add some beautiful elements to this outdoor are, but did not want to spend a ton of money doing it. Solar powered string lights was the way to go and this DIY project gave me exactly what I wanted at an affordable price point. Let me share with you how to create a cozy outdoor portable light for your backyard space!

This is what the area looked before we started, and if you want to learn how to build a privacy fence like this, you can read about that here. I wanted to use liquid concrete for the first time to see how it worked, and I am so happy I did. These outdoor portable lights can be used anywhere.

The Supplies

Below are a list of supplies I used for the Outdoor Portable Lights to get the job done (as well as the entire shopping list at the end):

• (2) Cedar posts (The Home Depot about $5-$8 each)
• Outdoor stain color of choice (I used Olympic Maximum in EBONY)
• Roller or paint brush
• (2) Large square planters (I used round and then changed to square base)
• (2) Bags of paver sand (The Home Depot bags are about $7)
• (2) Bags small rocks (The Home Depot bags are about $8)
• (4) Bags liquid concrete (this is the secret sauce)
• (1) Bag decorative rock
• Amazon light hooks
• (2) Outdoor string lights

Here is my entire shopping list off of Amazon for you: SHOP HERE

Step One – Posts

First, I took the cedar posts and I stained them black to match our backyard fence. I only needed one coat and let them dry on my saw horses.

Next, I used Olympic Maximum Outdoor Stain and Sealant and I love this stuff. I knew this stain was going to hold up because we used it over a year ago on our privacy fence and it is still looking fantastic.

Step Two – Planters

After the posts were stained, we placed them in our large planters and added sand and rock to the bottom for some weight and stability. This first time around I used a round bottom pot, but the would recommend a square pot if you live in a windy area.

I would recommend filling your planter about 1/3 full. Be sure you have someone to help you hold the post in place while you pour the sand in! This was trial and error for the first go round.

The next step was my favorite and I had never used this product before and was excited to try it out. Mainly because there is NO CEMENT MIXING involved – yah! I used a liquid concrete mix from Home Depot that was SO easy and was the equivalent of (2) 50 lb bags of concrete. Ask for Sika Post Fix Concrete if you go into the store (I have linked it in my Amazon shop)

All you do is break the seal, mix it around for 15 seconds, pour it into your desired area, and it rapidly expands and hardens in about 2-3 minutes.

Make sure to hold the post VERY STILL as this cement sets. Then I added more decorative rock to the top as the cement dried as a final step.

Step 3 – Lighting

I added these inexpensive light hooks from Amazon to attach the string lights from the fence to the light poles. You can screw them in before you insert the post or after.

Then you screw in the solar powered light base to the top of the post, then string the lights back and forth however you like. I added more light hooks to my privacy fence so they would string over that area as well.

In the evening the lights shine so bright and it’s beautiful!

These Outdoor Portable Lights were so fun and made a huge impact to my outdoor living space. We now spend more time than ever in this space. Let me know if you will try it!

NOTE: After a few weeks, the strong winds in Utah kept tipping over one my planters. So I fixed it by adding a larger square planter and placing the original inside of it, them filling it with rock. You can watch the whole process here in my Instagram Highlights!

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