My friend Christina's mom (whom we'll refer to as "Maxine" since I like names with Xs in them) is one of the most pleasant and sophisticated people I've ever met ... at least until she gets behind the wheel of a car. Should a careless or lazy driver break her stride or mess up her routine, the classy lady goes from fancy talk to rapid fire F-bombs in two seconds flat.

I'm pretty much the same way when it comes to hanging art: no patience and lots of expletives. At first, sticking art up on the wall seems so simple, then all of a sudden — BAM! — a half hour's gone by and I find myself dealing with questionable issues such as: How high is too high? When did hanging art become a math quiz? Why are there now 12 holes in my drywall? What's up with this damn nail not working?

Perhaps these simple steps will help save you from dropping F-bombs and Swiss-cheesing your own drywall. Should how-to articles on road-rage therapy be more your speed, I can't really help you. Perhaps you need to chat with "Maxine."

by decordemon »

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Since I woke up in a bad mood and was having a bad hair (and when I say hair, I mean overall self image) day, I decided to let my contractor Nick run through the steps into these photos. Come to think of it, he may have been having a bad hair day too, but since he was smart enough to throw on a ball cap, we'll never know.

by decordemon »

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Step 1: Find a stud. Before you commit to a location, find a stud to screw into either using a stud finder (enter joke about Nick here) or by tapping your knuckles to the wall. If you hear a shallow, solid thump, congratulations, you've found a stud; they're usually spaced between 16 and 24 inches apart.

Note: For lightweight art under five pounds, a simple nail will work, but attaching art to a stud is a safer option.

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Step 2: Determine center focal point. A general rule of thumb is to keep the center focal point approximately 5 feet above the ground: between 57 and 60 inches seems to be the most popular range. Measure 57 inches and see how it works both for your eye level and the overall relationship of the art to the furniture in the room.

Note: This is based on the average height of a person being 5'7'. If you're gargantuan in stature like my 6'5' self, it's okay to break the rules and go slightly higher; my art sits closer to 62 inches above the ground. Also, your focal point may be lower in an area (such as in a living room) where most of the time you'd be viewing the art while sitting down.

by decordemon »

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Step 3: Lightly mark center focal point. Whatever your preferred center point ends up being, albeit 57 or 60 inches, mark a point of reference on the wall using a pencil.

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Step 4: Measure distance to top of art. Unfortunately, there's some more math involved, sorry! Establishing the center point is actually the hardest part; now it's time to decide exactly at what height you'll drill into the wall. With the mark on the wall and the center of the art lined up, use the tape measure to determine the distance from the ground to the very top of your art. Jot this measurement down.

by decordemon »

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Step 5: Measure distance from wire to top of art. Almost done with crunching numbers, I promise. Pull up on the wire, then measure the distance from the center of the tightened wire's pitch to the top of your art. Now subtract this measurement from the overall height from the ground to the top of the art. The number you end up with is where you'll be screwing into the wall.

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Step 6: Create a pilot hole. It's best to use a drywall anchor to hang art securely. Before getting to the anchor, prep the wall with a pilot hole. Simply use a drill and the proper drill bit for the size screw needed for your art. Once it sounds as though the bit has hit the stud, go ahead and retract the drill.

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Step 7: Insert drywall anchor. Once the pilot hole is done, push the anchor in with your finger or tap it with a hammer or rubber mallet. Next, insert the screw into the anchor.

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Step 8: Adjust the screw. Use drill to adjust the drywall anchor screw to the proper depth for your art.

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Step 9: Use a level. Once the art is in place with the wire hanging on the drywall anchor's screw, use a level to ensure the top of the art is perfectly straight.

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Done! I hope these steps saved you from dishing out four-letter-words. The orange owl is by artist and fellow HGTV producer Avelino Pombo, and the framing is from Larson Juhl.

Do y'all have any of your own tips for hanging stuff on walls?

More: The Secret to Hanging a Plate Collection
Opposites Attract: Modern Art in Traditional Rooms
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Comments

salex Great instructions! For pieces with large hangers, I also add small felt casters (tiny versions of the kind you put on furniture) on the bottom corners of the pictures - that way the piece appears flat against the wall rather than aiming downward.

2 years ago · Like

paulsryan I highly recommend a hanging product called a MonkeyHook (http://www.monkeyhook.com). With MonkeyHooks, you don't need to find a stud to anchor to. And the whole left in the drywall when a MonkeyHook is removed is tiny. I was skeptical when I saw them in my local Ace Hardware store, but I gave them a try and I'm glad I did. I'll never go back to large hole drywall anchors.

2 years ago · Like

aussietoo Hanging art at only one point doesn't work for us. With the amount of traffic, door slamming, cross-gales instead of cross-ventilation and generally rambunctious conditions I found myself constantly straightening. (Yes, it's my OCD point.) For a real f-bomb experience try lining your artwork up for two suspension points! Any tips?

2 years ago · Like

becomingwiser For keeping artwork straight just role a piece of duck tape on itself with tacky side on the outside of circle and place behind picture. For some artwork a couple will be needed. The tape does not damage the wall surface and will work on wallpaper also.

2 years ago · Like

Tracy Learner Thanks for some great information

2 years ago · Like

shaunaleee The measuring information was very helpful, but I'm a little confused by step 6: drywall anchors are only needed if you are hanging art where there is no stud. The anchor spreads out behind the drywall; if there is a stud behind the drywall, the anchor would have nowhere to expand.

2 years ago · Like

eileen84 This is Brilliant...It sounds like a small task but many people struggle w/ hanging art correctly. Great tutorial! Very easy to follow and understand

2 years ago · Like

Linda Haner shaunalee is right...only use drywall anchors where you don't have a stud...and you have to gently thread the screw all the way in to compress the anchor on the back side of the sheetrock...then you back the screw out a little bit so art can hang from it

2 years ago · Like

Cathy Perreault My father taught me a neat little trick to eliminate crooked wall hangings. Take a section of masking tape, attach it to itself sticky side out, and then to the rear lower corners of your wall-hanging. Center, and press.

2 years ago · Like

alilu i recently learned a nifty little tip
put a dab of toothpaste on the top center/backside of the frame
press in place to mark the wall
now you know the top center and can measure as in step 5 onward
oh yea - the toothpaste wipes off
yea
thank lauren (and her mom, ya gotta love those moms) from athens ga

22 months ago · Like ·

jperchan There are clear, colorless rubber (plastic?) dots that you can buy at the hardware store that you can attach to the bottom corners of your pictures to keep the picture from moving on the wall. Works better than tape. Also works well for keeping cutting boards from moving on the counter. Just attach one to each corner of the back of the cutting board.

21 months ago · Like

smittycdm That was one serious stud finder, the Milwaukee tool I mean.

17 months ago · Like

Brandenburg Studios Design I have been an artist & picture framer for nearly 20 years & install art regularly for my wife @ Brandenburg Studios Design. I have 1 major contension & one small one. Big one: you need a stud for anything larger than 5 pounds. Frankly this is untrue as there are many quality anchors & framing hardware options available. Plus, what do you do if studs aren't where you need them (90% of the time!) I have hung hundreds of large mirrors & heavy art with properly weighted brackets or specialty anchors that can hold up to 50 lbs or more. I even tested once holding up myself -160 pounds! (not recommended). Weight distrubution should also go verticle for heavy art & not pull away from the wall as wire tends to do. I would not recommend using picture wire for hanging art or mirrors so heavy . Use heavy duty hanger on each side mounted to the frame. Small contension - using only 1 hanger. I almost always use 2 if I can, space 1/3 the width of the frame. It keeps the wire tighter & frame closer to the wall & you don't need "masking tape" to keep it straight any more. Rubber corner guars grab better than felt as well. Talk with your local frame shop about proper hardware. They typically stock hangers that support 15 lbs, 25 lbs, 50 lbs & 75 lbs.

9 months ago · Like ·