Long has lived the nail and hammer but from experience making a hole in the wall can be intimating and if not done right, you’re left with a single wall piece trying to cover a mess of holes. It’s ok…we’ve all been there…. But fret no more! Here are some easy solutions to hanging your wall art the right way, the first time.
One of the simplest things you can do is make templates of the pieces you want to hang on the wall out of paper. Simply lay your art out on the floor and using scrap or brown paper, trace your pieces’ sizes and cut out. Make sure to indicate you arts’ nail locations on your newly made templates. Then with the nail marking side facing you, arrange the paper on the wall trying different displays until you land on the perfect arrangement. Tape in place and hammer the nails based on the marks you made on the templates. Rip the paper away and hang your art!
Don’t have enough paper to create templates for the perfect gallery display? No worries. Another great tip is to place a strip of masking or painters tape along a level. Hold the level up to your picture and on the tape mark the location of your nail holes. Then transfer to your wall. This will ensure a straight finish each time.
Should you have two holes on your picture frame, you can also decide to extend the tape from one hole to the next, measuring the distance in between. Take your tape and then use a level to ensure it’s straight on the wall. Hammer the nails in place based on the length of the tape.
We all have this next secret picture-hanging weapon - toothpaste! Yup-toothpaste! Add a small drop of toothpaste to the back of your picture where the nail would go. Then press against the wall so that the toothpaste transfers to where you’d like the nail placed for your ideal hanging position. Now you have a wall with a toothpaste spot indicating exactly where you’d like the nail to go to achieve hanging perfection!
A clothespin or a paint stick are other household items that can be used to a hang picture with a wire backing. There are actual tools that can be purchased but if you want those pictures hung right away then you can create this easy DIY tool. Place a nail or small screw at the end of your clothespin or stick. Hang the picture wire on the screw and then place the whole thing against the wall where you’d like the picture to hang. Remove the picture keeping your stick in place against the wall. Press the screw to the wall to make a mark and then remove. Now you know exactly where the nail should be hammered.
Now that you have everything hung, keeping it straight and in place is the next challenge. A neat little tip is to place a small Velcro patch or even a drop of tacky putty at the bottom of your frame to keep it from moving.
Have fun and get hanging!
Have fun and get hanging!