How to Hang a Picture: 5 Tips for Hanging Them on the Wall
To hang a decorative painting or a poster, all you need is a nail, a hammer, and a bit of confidence:
Enough of staring at empty walls—it’s time to learn how to hang a decorative painting. Maybe you love hunting for portraits of strangers at flea markets or even starting your own DIY art projects to save money. However, you don’t know the best way to hang pictures, so they stay sitting on the floor waiting to be displayed. Whether you want to create a gallery wall or just hang a single piece of art for a minimalist look, the instructions are basically the same.
Grab the hammer and nails and follow these tips to learn how to hang a picture like a pro.
Step 1: Decide on a strategy
Although you can probably hang your picture on any wall, take into account the weight, size, and shape of the item as well as the material of your walls before you pick up the hammer. Can I drill into brick? Tile? Can my drywall support this weight, and what is a stud? We’ll walk you through the most common picture hanging practices.
Step 2: Gather your tools
You know you need a hammer, a measuring tape, and a pencil to hang photos or pictures on the wall, but other tools will also come in handy. Before you start, be sure to add them to your toolbox. For plaster or drywall, the object’s weight will determine exactly what you need.
To hang lightweight pictures:
- The best way to hang lightweight pictures is to invest in a pack of small nails.
For medium-weight pictures:
- If it weighs more than a couple of kilos, add some picture hangers to your cart.
For heavier pictures:
- A heavy picture or mirror will require a large nail, a stud finder or wall anchors, suitable screws, and a screwdriver.
If you’re hanging pictures on plexiglass or glass, you’ll need good quality, low-profile adhesive hooks instead of nails and screws; and if you’re hanging on brick, use brick clips.
For all paintings:
Before you begin, check the back of the picture to see what kind of hanging hardware you’re dealing with. When you turn over the frame, you’ll usually find hanging wire, D-rings, or a sawtooth hanger. Even though this shouldn't be much of an issue, make sure not to buy nails that are too big for your D-rings, for example.
Step 3: Make a plan of action
- Well-arranged framed photos can give a whole new dimension to your interior decor, but if you don’t know how to organize them, you could end up in trouble. The best way to hang photos doesn’t follow a fixed rule, but there are some guidelines.
The center of a framed artwork should be 140cm above the floor – the average eye level, and the height at which galleries and museums usually hang their works. Mark this height with a pencil, then measure to find the middle of the wall from one end to the other, and mark where the two points meet. That’s where the center of your artwork should be!
Now, measure the distance between the center of the artwork and the place where it will hang on the nail (either where the picture wire bends to support the weight, or where the sawtooth hanger is located). Measure this difference from your midpoint on the wall: that’s where the nail (or picture hanger, or wall anchor, or brick clip) will go. Mark that spot.
You can also use painter’s tape to lay out your wall before making any holes. Start by measuring the frame(s), then cut and hang painter’s tape to the right size to get an idea of what the wall will look like with your chosen layout. There are even apps you can download to visualize what your wall will look like when you’re done.
Like many things in interior decorating, hanging art is subjective, so if you like your arrangement without following the guidelines, good for you.
Step 4: Hang your painting
- Now that you’ve marked the exact spot for your nails, picture hanger, or wall bracket with a pencil, it’s time to hang your piece. If you’re hanging something very heavy, first use a stud finder to locate a wall stud and see if it’s in a logical place for your nail. If so, hammer in a large nail and you’re done. If the stud is in an odd spot, use the anchor and screw method instead: Drill a hole, insert a plastic anchor, then screw in a screw, leaving it out just enough so you can hang the wire or sawtooth hanger as you would with a nail.
Step 5: Get creative with your display
If you don’t want to use hammers and nails, just lean it. The simplest way to display art is also the best for those who are afraid to put nails in the wall: prop the frame against the back of a chair, the wall, or on a shelf. Even homes with plenty of art hanging on the walls appreciate a few pieces casually placed – it looks intentional.
If you’re always rearranging your home, consider a picture ledge.
If you’re a fan of organization and want to designate a spot for this activity, think about adding a shallow picture ledge to one of your rooms. It’s the perfect solution for those who are constantly changing styles (or who have a rearranging bug).
If you like the idea of saving your precious walls from holes, but want a more formal look than simply leaning artwork, consider a picture rail: it’s a piece of molding that extends up to the ceiling, where you can hang your art using hooks and strings, and then swap them out whenever you like.
Leave some pieces unframed
- Maybe you’ve collected some of these panel paintings from the flea market – with their pretty chipped edges and all – and want to keep some of that charm without paying for a fancy floating frame. Or perhaps you simply want to hang paper drawings as they are and leave it at that? It’s absolutely possible, and even encouraged, to leave artwork unframed. Just follow these tips and gather the necessary supplies for hanging them quietly.
Break some rules
- When you’re thinking about the scale and placement of your works, and wondering whether to lean or frame them, take a deep breath. Our favorite hanging rules are also made to be broken. Now, go ahead and put all your works on display.
