How to Hang Wind Chimes

By
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender
Lee Wallender

Lee has over two decades of hands-on experience remodeling, fixing, and improving homes, and has been providing home improvement advice for over 13 years.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 01/24/23
Reviewed by
Deane Biermeier
Deane Biermeier
Reviewed by Deane Biermeier
Deane Biermeier is an expert contractor with nearly 30 years of experience in all types of home repair, maintenance, and remodeling. He is a certified lead carpenter and also holds a certification from the EPA. Deane is a member of The Spruce's Home Improvement Review Board.
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Closeup of wind chimes hanging

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 5 - 15 mins
  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Estimated Cost: $5 to $10

Wind chimes add beauty, music, and delight to a porch, patio, or yard. Wake to the gentle sound of wind chimes stirring in the breeze. Or finish off the day on a front porch, in the soothing atmosphere created by wind chimes.

Installing wind chimes takes just a few minutes. Whether you hang the wind chimes from above or from the side, you'll have a wide variety of areas and attachment points for this simple project.

How to Hang Wind Chimes

Best Places For Wind Chimes

  1. Front door: Add wind chimes outside near the front door as a great way to welcome guests. You'll enjoy the sound of wind chimes, too, each time you come home or when the screen door is open.
  2. Porch: Wind chimes located on the porch are shielded from high winds, so their sound will be tempered and gentle.
  3. Back door: Installing wind chimes outside near the back door brings joy to bedrooms located in the back.
  4. Windows: Wind chimes can be hung either outside or inside a window. Chimes made of glass or metal enhance sunlight, adding an extra dimension of light in the room. Delicate wind chimes even move in response to air from heating registers during winter.
  5. Garden/backyard: Garden wind chimes create a calm atmosphere when gardening, and the sound of larger chimes carries to the house.
  6. Patio: Hang chimes from the patio cover, gazebo, or pergola, or from a bracket on the side of the house.
  7. Balcony/deck railing: Hang wind chimes from the side of a balcony or deck railing when there isn't a convenient location above.

Tip

When installing wind chimes, consider which direction the wind will be blowing. Prevailing winds usually blow east/west rather than north/south, though your area may differ.

How to Attach Wind Chimes

  • Ceiling hook: Turn a threaded screw hook into wood ceilings or porch ceiling braces for a secure attachment point.
  • Rare earth magnet hook: Attach a super-strong rare earth magnet hook to the bottom of a gutter outside a window or near a porch or patio.
  • Decorative wall bracket: Use a decorative L-shaped hook from an antique store that extends 10 to 12 inches from the wall. Or use a 12-inch shelving bracket from the home center.
  • Shepherd hook: Near a garden or pond, or anywhere lacking a good attachment point for wind chimes, stake a 4- or 6-foot metal shepherd hook in soft ground and hang wind chimes from the top hook.

Poor locations for wind chimes include:

  • Property lines
  • Near neighbors
  • Directly against fence or wall (no bracket)
  • On doors or windows
  • Center of room or porch

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Cordless drill and bits
  • Ladder
  • Pliers
  • Screwdriver (optional)

Materials

  • 2 threaded ceiling hooks
  • Carabiner or hook neodymium magnet hook
  • Decorative wall bracket or 12-inch shelving bracket
  • String, monofilament fishing line, or twine

Instructions

Materials needed for hanging wind chimes

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Hanging wind chimes from above, like on a ceiling, porch, or gutter is easy and is best for picking up breezes. Hanging wind chimes from the side, like on a wall, fence, or balcony railing, requires a bracket. But this is also simple to do, and brackets are great for displaying decorative wind chimes.

  1. Find a Location for the Wind Chimes

    Find a place to hang the wind chimes, like a porch ceiling, wall, or under a gutter. Set up a ladder in front of the area.

    Deciding on a spot to hang the wind chimes

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  2. Mark the Location

    • For threaded hooks: Mark a single drill location with a pencil.
    • For brackets: Lay the bracket against the wall and make pencil marks through the holes in the bracket.
    Marking where the pilot hole should be drilled

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  3. Drill a Pilot Hole

    • For threaded hooks: Drill a pilot hole that's about half the diameter of the hook's screw end.
    • For brackets: Drill the two or more pilot holes exactly at the center of the mark. Hole should be about half the diameter of the screws.
    Drilling a pilot hole

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  4. Attach the Threaded Hook or Bracket

    • For threaded hooks: Screw the threaded hook into the hole by hand. Keep the hook vertical. Then, complete with the drill, pliers, or by fitting a screwdriver sideways through the hook and twisting clockwise.
    • For brackets: Place the bracket over the marked area. Turn the screws into the wall, through the holes in the bracket.

    Tip

    One trick for screwing in threaded hooks is to chuck a second hook into your drill (the threaded section should be in the chuck, with the hook facing outward). Change the drill settings to low torque. Attach the two hooks' ends, then slowly turn until complete.

    Screwing in the threaded hook

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  5. Hang the Wind Chimes

    Attach fishing line, string, or twine to the wind chimes. Attach the other end to the hook or bracket. For hooks in high-wind areas, close the end of the hook with pliers.

    Attaching the wind chimes to the hook

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

  6. Add a Magnet Hook to Gutters

    For houses with galvanized steel gutters, stick a neodymium magnet hook to the bottom of the gutter. Clean the bottom of the gutter first for best adhesion. Close the hook end with pliers or use a magnet hook with a carabiner.

    Adding a magnet hook to the gutter

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault

Tip

To hang a wind chime with a shepherd hook, first make sure that the ground is safe to stake into 8 to 10 inches. Push the shepherd hook into the soil with your foot by stepping on the bottom section. Run water over hard soil to soften it. Do not hammer down on the top of the shepherd hook.

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Wind. National Geographic