Hanging Picture Frames
Continuing with the 2nd blog post in a 3-part series on updating your space, here’s a great weekend or even lunch break project for the work from home folks. We are looking at hanging pictures and art on your walls. A splash of paint can immediately transform a room and adding accent pieces can add additional flair while transforming a room into a gallery.
So, let’s fill those empty spaces on the walls, and give your space some additional personality.
What you’ll need:
Tools
- Hammer
- Drill
- Stud finder
- Measuring tape
- Level
- Pencil
Hardware
- Nails
- Nail hooks
- Wall anchors
- Phillips head screws
- Picture cleats
- Bonus – tapestry clamps
Starter tip: Know what you’ll be hanging, and where you want to hang it.
This seems obvious, but it can be easy to underestimate the strength of the hardware you need. What you don’t want is your 20-pound mirror ripping off the wall in the middle of the night.
For light pictures, a nail or a nail hook will work just fine.
Heavier items will ask for wall anchors and screws.
Second Starter tip: Find your stud.
Use a stud finder to mark the studs in your wall. Slowly drag the stud finder across your wall (left to right for example) until it indicates a stud. Mark that as one side of the stud. Continue dragging left to right until the stud light goes out. Drag back right to left, and as soon as the light goes on again, mark that spot as the other stud edge.
NOTE: You do not want to hammer a nail into a stud for lighter items. You can but it is a workout. It’ll be better to find an open pocket of drywall.
NOTE 2: You do want to find a stud for heavier items. You have drill a hanging screw into a stud to support more weight so you don’t need to use an anchor.
Third Starter tip: Find your center.
Measure the item that you’ll be hanging and determine:
1) Where is the center of the object
2) Where are the hanging points on the object are relative to the center (this should be to the top of frame bracket or anchor)
Step 1: Locate where you want your object hung. A rule of thumb is to leave at least 3 inches of space on each side. If measuring from the ceiling, I recommend between 6 and 12 inches from the top of the wall.
Step 2: Mark the point where you want the center to be with a pencil.
Step 3a: For a single hanging point mark on the wall. Use the distance from top of frame to hanging point and measure from your wall mark to this distance and make another mark on the wall.
- Light Weight Pictures
o This is where you will drive your nail if using a bare nail. If using a nailed wall hook, this it where you will line up the hook, with the nail just above.
- Heavy Weight Pictures
o If your anchor point is in a stud, use a drill bit that is just smaller than your screw (hold the bit up to the screw if you aren’t sure). Drill a pilot hole into your mark, and into the stud. Drill the screw into the hole leaving a ¼ - ½ inch amount of screw remaining outside of the wall, depending on the size of the screw and the depth of the anchor on your object. CHECK THAT YOUR SCREW FITS INTO THE OBJECT ANCHOR BEFORE SCREWING INTO THE WALL.
o If your anchor point is not on a stud, pit a drill bit equal to or just larger than your anchor. Drill a pilot hole, and then hammer your anchor into the wall. Drill in your screw leaving a ¼ - ½ inch amount of screw remaining.
Step 3b: For multiple hanging points. Measure from your center mark to the corners of the frame and make a mark at each corner. The measure from these marks to mark the tops of where your frame anchor points will sit on the wall. USE YOUR LEVEL TO MAKE SURE THESE POINTS ARE LEVEL BEFORE FOLLOWING THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS TO NAIL IN YOUR HOOKS.
Step 4: Mount on the nails/hooks/screws. Set your level on top of your object with the bubble in the center of the lines to make sure it is level.
For picture cleats:
Most cleats will have the frame rest on top of the cleat so measure accordingly from the top of the frame to the top edge where it will sit on the cleat. To attach cleats, you will use the marked center point and line up with the center of the cleat. Press the cleat on the wall with the level. Once level use your other hand to mark the holes with a pencil. Use the above directions for stud/no stud to install the cleat with screws.
Tapestry clamps:
These will typically require anchors and screws to attach, which we covered above. Aim for the tapestry to sit at least 6 inches from the ceiling and 6 inches from the floor. Mark where the corners of the tapestry will be on the wall with a pencil, then measure 2 times the width of your clamps in from those marks to place your clamps.
