Spring Tips: Hanging Pictures
CHOOSING THE RIGHT WALL MOUNT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP
Consider two factors: the state of the wall you want to decorate, and the weight of the picture.
Your wall may be supported by studs, which are pieces of wood or metal that run vertically behind the wall every couple of feet. Screwing directly into a stud can provide more support for hanging items. (Use a stud finder)
If you have a reinforced wall, you could use a basic nail or screw to hang the frame, as long as you insert the nail or screw firmly into a stud. But you should only ever use a nail if you're hanging on a stud.
No stud? No problem. If the picture is light, then a product like "Monkey Hooks". For medium to heavy pictures, use wall anchors, which are plastic or metal inserts that provide more support for screwing into an non-reinforced wall.
If you're renting and don't want to damage the walls of your apartment, or you’re not 100% committed to the picture's placement, try a non-nail option like the extremely popular 3M Command adhesive hooks.
EXAMINE THE FRAME'S HARDWARE
Depending on the size and weight of the frame, most frame manufacturers include some form of hanger on the back of their products.
Start with a center hanging point: a hook tab affixed in the appropriate spot, or, if your frame has two tabs on either side of the frame, a wire strung slackly between them.
HANG AT THE RIGHT HEIGHT
As a general rule, eye level should land within the bottom half of the frame. You want the picture to have some space to 'breathe,'- meaning a wall large enough that it doesn’t feel as though the picture is overcrowding the wall, you also don’t want a picture to look completely lost on a big wall
TAKE MEASUREMENTS
Lay the frame face-down on a flat surface. Place your wall fastener, such as the wall anchor or Command hook, in the appropriate hook tab or on the wire on the back of the frame and pull the wire taut. With a tape measure, measure the distance from the top edge of the frame to the center of the fastener. Be sure to leave a bit of space between the screw's head and the wall so the picture's wire can be hooked over the screw. Hang the picture.
USE A LEVEL
To straighten out all your hard work.
