Out door rope lights can provide that something extra to make your patio or backyard stand out. It comes in precut lengths to fit just about anywhere you care to install it. Rope lights are perfect for wrapping deck railings, highlighting stair treads, weaving through patio umbrella frameworks or encircling tree trunks. But some times you find that you have a bit too much or that you need only a little bit more to create the perfect look. This is where cutting rope light comes into play.

Cutting it is relatively easy. If you take your time and use the proper tools,everything should go right. I’ll say this up front, if you have a rope light that is UL listed you may want to think twice before cutting. Cutting a UL listed rope will void the listing. The only ways around that are to purchase an additional piece and connect the two or order your rope light to the exact size that you want. However there are rope lights that aren’t UL listed that you can buy and that you can cut all you want.

Before starting it would be a good idea to gather all of the tools and materials that you need. Nothing stops a project faster than not having a vital piece. Also it might be a good idea to have a place with plenty of room and plenty of light in which to work. Warning! Never work on your rope lights while they are plugged in!

These are the basic items you will need.

1. Rope Light that is close to the length that you need or two pieces that will be joined together.

2. Connector pieces for joining two lengths together.End caps to close off open ends.

3. Heat shrink splice kit to cover joints and seal out water.

4. PVC or coaxial cable cutter to cleanly cut the rope light.

5. Diagonal wire cutters.

6. Hair dryer to heat and shrink the heat shrink tube.

7. Clear silicone caulk or sealer to add extra protection from water.

8. Electrical tape the color of your rope light.(Optional)

9. Marker of some kind that will show up on your rope light.

10. Measuring tape.

11. Somewhere with plenty of room and good lighting to work at.

Before doing any work on your rope lighting , make sure that it is unplugged. You do not want to be hurt or electrocuted.

The first thing that you are going to have to do is figure out how much you need to cut or how much you want to add. The simplest way to do that is to lay out the rope lighting where you want it to end up. If you are outlining your deck railing, then drape the rope along the rail. This should give you a good idea of how much to cut off or that you need to add. If the run is short you might be able to do this by yourself but I would suggest having a helper.

If the run is too long, then mark with the marker where you would like the lights to stop. If the run is too short, measure with the measuring tape how much you want to add. Whether too long or too short add some extra to whatever you measure in case you make a mistake.

Most rope lights are marked as to where you can cut them safely and not create a short. Sometimes that means that you end up with a little more lights than you want. This is where the electrical tape comes in handy. Assuming that the color matches your rope light, simply wrap some around the rope to where you want the lights to stop. This shouldn’t be a problem with led type ropes as they don’t get hot. Incandescent ones may get a little warm just to fore warn you.

Find the manufacturers cutting mark that is closest to what you need and get out your cable cutter. Cut the rope on the mark as straight an cleanly as you can. Try to not squish the end you are cutting as this may cause problems when you put in a splice or end cap.

Once you make the cut, you need to bend the rope sideways to expose the ends of the electrical wires inside. A two wire rope of course has two wires, a three wire has three. You want to snip those wires off with your diagonal wire cutters. This gives room for the pins of the splice connector to be inserted or the end cap to go on. Make sure that you bend the rope back straight once you trim the wires.

If you are only shortening the rope light, then you only need to install a cap on the cut end. You might want to consider putting some clear silicone caulk inside the cap before you put it on. This will help to keep water out so that nothing shorts out. If you are extending the rope light,then insert a connector between both halves. The pins of the connector need to touch the wires inside of the rope to make a solid connection. Sometimes the connector does not seat all the way down. As long as the pins are touching the wires you are okay. At this point you are almost done.

There are two ways to make a solid connection where two ropes come together. The first is with a plastic fitting that has a screw on cap. When the rope light halves are pushed into the fitting, a cap is screwed down tight to make a nice tight fit. While the fitting should be water tight,  it may be a good idea to put some silicone inside before putting in the ropes. Using compression fittings may be a tighter, more durable connection, but it will be visible.

The second method involves using a shrink wrap tube which is easy, clean and nearly invisible once you are done. What you want to do is slip the shrink wrap tube over one half of the connection to be made. Insert the connector into both halves, making sure that you have the best fit that you can get. Slide the shrink wrap directly over the center of the joint. Using a hair dryer,carefully heat the shrink wrap until it contracts and seals the joint. Again,a little clear silicone caulk at each end of the shrink wrap will make sure that you have a good seal. Once your connections are made let the silicone cure properly before working with your rope lights.

Learning to cut a rope light is easy and gets easier the more you do it. If you take your time and as the saying goes”measure twice cut once” you shouldn’t have any problems. So spice things up and add rope lighting to your arsenal of patio string lights this year!