How to hang pictures

[marcr1230]

I just hung 3 framed pictures - 17"x21 1/2", 2 horizontal and 1 verticle

I hung them with the verticle one in the middle, and so the bottom edges line up

measuring and centering and allowing for space between them and then adjusting the hanging wire/hardware on back up or down to make them all match

my head hurts from all the calcs and then the adjustments

Does anyone have a good resource or tool to do this quickly and painlessly ?

 

[cz23]

For a group arrangement, I usually mock up the wall and photos to scale in PowerPoint. That allows what-ifs and helps to get the spacing between them looking good.

As far as aligning them, I've pretty much given up on wire hanging for the aggravation you mention. I now mostly use Ikea frames, which have metal toothed brackets that are always in exactly the same place. Then you can use a level and straight edge, mark the wall, and they hang accurately, each with a single brad. If a photo doesn't hang perfectly straight, I use a removable sticky pad on one bottom corner.

I just hung ten horizontal framed photos in a two-row grid and it was pretty easy.

John

 

[plummerl]

For wire hanging, I use a tape measure, grab the wire and measure to the top of the frame. I can then position the hanger to almost the exact height.

 

[rogue_designer]

When I wire up frames that are intended for a group (like a show), I make a quick jig so that the distance from the wire to the top of the frame is consistent (e.g. always 2 inches).

Then I can measure where hangers go, and know that if I put every hanger at 60", the tops of all my frames will be 62".

As long as I am consistent in the way I measure (how much tension on the wire, etc.) - then things usually work out pretty well.

There are other systems out there that do away with the wire element, and make things easier from a consistency standpoint. The beehive system, for instance. I'm sure there are others.

 

[Pablito]

With aluminum frames there is a groove on the back that will take the head of a sheetrock screw. You can forget the wires and use two sheetrock screws. That way the frame will always be straight. Use a level, or a laser level on a tripod.

 

[grouchos_tash]

My old lecturer insisted that all prints should be presented at nipple height, he went as far as to measure up to everyone's print. At least he kept his shirt on.

 

[robert blu]

In my apartment I have a small "photo dedicated wall".Because I like to change during the year the photo I went for a rail with hanging cords which allows me to position in different way the pictures. Once you placed the rail in the length you desire it's a very flexible system.

More options on the market, I decided for the this one (shop not too far away!).

robert

 

[Roger Hicks]

In my apartment I have a small "photo dedicated wall".Because I like to change during the year the photo I went for a rail with hanging cords which allows me to position in different way the pictures. Once you placed the rail in the length you desire it's a very flexible system.

More options on the market, I decided for the this one (shop not too far away!).

robert

Dear Robert,

Better still: chains. Then hang the picture on a small S-shaped hook that can be fitted into any chain link, about a 6mm adjustment each time.

Cheers,

R.

 

[Spavinaw]

There is a tool that is very handy for hanging pictures with a wire on the back. I have one made of plastic. I'll try to describe it. Think of a capital letter "T" upside down. The vertical part is the handle. One tip of the horizontal part is a hook you hang the picture on. The other tip is a sharp point. Move the tool with the picture hanging on it to where you want the picture to be. Hold the tool in place and remove the picture. Then hit the front of the tool where the hook is and the point in back will mark the wall exactly where you drive the nail.
Can't find the tool? Too cheap to buy it? Dead broke? All of the above? MAKE YOUR OWN TOOL!! I've done this and it works just as well. Just get a length of stiff wire. Coat hanger wire works great. Bend a hook in one end of it and use as above. Of course it won't mark the wall, but just put the nail where the hook is. I don't have a patent on this, so everyone is free to use it.

 

[daveleo]

In my basement space, I don't align anything, and am very comfortable with that.
Up in the parlor (where my wife has some input), I only align the vertical centerlines and "float" the horizontals.

 

[nikonhswebmaster]

Many museums use "mirror hangers," which if they are mounted on the frame at the same distance from the top on all frames make hanging pictures easy. MoMA in NY just paints them white.

Personally I use wire and rubber bumpers at the bottom.

 

[Ronald M]

Two pic hanging hooks per pic and they do not swing and twist.

Keep all the center lines in a line even if the line is a 30 deg diagonal

 

[Dante_Stella]

Paper cutouts the size of pictures. Especially with sawtooths, you can mark exactly on the paper where the nail hole goes, arrange and rearrange, and done. works really well when you are hanging a bunch of small pictures in a grid.

 

[Spavinaw]

Decorating rules say for pictures around a room to hang the tops at the same level, the bottoms at the same level, or the centers at the same level. Also, never on a diagonal except on a staircase wall. However, never forget the overriding universal rule of the human universe: WHATEVER WORKS !

 

[Darthfeeble]

Were these hung at home? My wife got tired of me sticking nails in the wall everytime I wanted to change the home Gallery. I tried those Command hangers, the one with the easily removable adhesive strip. Problem there is that one wall is on the south side and exposed to the sun which gets it hotter than the adhesive can deal with and they would come down. Broke a couple mats and a little statue I had on the desk below them. I've gone to displaying matted but not framed pictures in that room now and have them on a home made Z bracket made from 1" lathe doubled and offset about ⅜ of an inch. The mats set in the pocket created, they are screwed into the wall at the interval of the studs and painted the same color as the wall. I used the Command picture hangers that are like velcro at the top of the mats to keep them from leaning out. Not exactly MOMA quality display but it is very easy to change and it doesn't matter if the print is horizontal or vertical.

 

[peterm1]

A couple of things I have used.

In my entry foyer I have 4 pieces of art (quite heavy) hanging on one wall. The effect all depends on them lining up accurately so naturally these must line up vertically and also be equally spaced from each other. This is surprisingly difficult to achieve in practice as even the tiniest imprecision in measuring or execution is immediately apparent. The easiest way I found of handling this was to take some U shaped extruded aluminium channel from the hardware store. I cut this into 4 lengths to go on the wall and another 4 with one each to go on the back of each art work. Each channel is about 30-40 cm in length in my case, although obviously this can be changed as needed. The aluminium channel on the wall has the U facing the right way up and the ones on the back of the art face downward so that they can be hung on the U channel fixed to the wall in such a way that they can slide sideways along the wall channel. The channels were fixed with 3-4 small screws each to the wall (into masonry with plugs) or to the back of the art work mounting which was made of MDF board). When so fixed, so long as the aluminium channels are fixed level and more or less consistently spaced at the right levels on the wall and similarly on the art work this allowed them to be hung easily and then slid sideways to get exactly the right distance apart. Or if you don't mind the channel being visible you can instead put one long piece of channel on the wall - this makes it easier still.

All of this makes it far easier to get the levels and spaces right as you are only working in one dimension at a time not two. I found that drilling holes into brick can be difficult as even a new masonry drill can tend to "wander" a tad. I would only do this for large or heavy pictures though, as with light art its easy to move hangers if needed and you are only left with a tiny nail hole to fill - not a large screw hole. Incidentally I got the idea for this from a tile store - it's how they display heavy panels of tiles on the wall - by sticking the tiles onto particle board, say one metre square, then hanging them as above. When the time comes to change the display its easy to take down the old display and then hang a new one.

The other trick I use is this. When you are happy that your pictures are at the correct level and evenly spaced the other problem is to stop them twisting on the hanging cord and getting out of level. Take some "blue tack" and stick one or two blobs on the two bottom corners of each picture. This stops any movement of the pictures on the wall which usually seems to be caused by vibration - heavy traffic in the street, kids running up and down the passage, heavy bass rock music etc.

The rest is down to careful measurement. But I like the idea in one post here of the tool that allows you to assess if the picture is at the right level before you knock the nail in.

You are right that this is a task that does your head in. Six months ago I framed 5 pieces of art using frames from Ikea with the aim of hanging them in my study. They were sitting in the corridor on the ground near the front entry for six months till a couple of weeks ago when I finally worked up the courage and enthusiasm to actually hang them in the intended place. They now sit happily on the wall in my study but it took me this long to get around it. I fancy I am not alone in my aversion to hanging pictures.

 

[jesse1dog]

Just bought a couple of frames from a reputable internet firm. Allegedly identical the hangers on the back were different and one frame was 3mm longer than the other. It was after carefully putting my pictures in the frames and dust sealing with tape that I discovered the difference in frame size - and doesn't it show when the frames are to be hung side by side!
I'm now in the process of discussion with the firm concerned. With the advantage of point & shoot or phone I easily sent them their requested photo! As for eventual hanging, I had wondered about the Command system but will probably go for the 'nail on wall & plate on frame' system. I had wondered about putting up a shelf and resting photos on that but discarded the idea as our main walls are a mixture of granite and slate blocks!

 

[Roger Hicks]

Just bought a couple of frames from a reputable internet firm. Allegedly identical the hangers on the back were different and one frame was 3mm longer than the other. It was after carefully putting my pictures in the frames and dust sealing with tape that I discovered the difference in frame size - and doesn't it show when the frames are to be hung side by side!
I'm now in the process of discussion with the firm concerned. With the advantage of point & shoot or phone I easily sent them their requested photo! As for eventual hanging, I had wondered about the Command system but will probably go for the 'nail on wall & plate on frame' system. I had wondered about putting up a shelf and resting photos on that but discarded the idea as our main walls are a mixture of granite and slate blocks!

"Full and frank" discussions, I should imagine!

Cheers,

R.

 

[jesse1dog]

- a case of giving the firm enough rope ... am waiting their reply!