The No-Fail Guide to Hanging Art in Your Home
We all know no home is complete without some art on the walls. Whether you're opting for one statement piece or an expansive gallery wall, you'll want to ensure your artwork is hung securely. It's an easy task—if you know how to do it right. "The way you hang something depends on both the weight of the art and the type of attachment," explains framing expert Daniel Koren, who ran the New York City framing business Framed on Madison for years and cofounded online frame source Frameology. Here, he helps us break down just how to hang basically anything you'd want on your walls.
1.Identify the attachment
"The two most common kinds of frame attachment are sawtooth and D-ring," Koren says. The first, more common on lighter artwork, is a metal piece with a zig-zag bottom, and the second is two rings attached to the sides of the artwork, designed for a wire to run between.
2. Attach hanging wire
If your painting has D-rings without wire (or if it's in need of replacement), you'll want to attach some. Cut a piece about 50 percent longer than the space between the rings. Run both ends through the rings and bend the additional wire back around the ring and twist to attach it to itself. You'll want to secure the wire so that it has about an inch of movement (make sure the wire isn't so long it's outside of the frame when pulled taut).
3. Position the art
Next up: Find where you want the art to go. If you're hanging a gallery wall, you may want to map out each piece and measure the distance between them, but for most cases, you can do one of two things: 1. Hold the artwork up on the wall and eyeball where you want it to go, then mark the top of the frame with a pencil. 2. If you want the piece to be centered over a piece of furniture or on a wall, measure the width of the space it will be centered on and make a mark at the halfway point.
4. Select a hanger
A sawtooth attachment can be hung right on a bare nail. For a wire, Koren recommends picture hangers, which come in a variety of sizes based on the weight of the art they'll hold.
5. Attach nail
To find the proper place for your nail, measure the distance from the bottom of the sawtooth or the wire when pulled taut to the top of the frame. Then hammer in your nail (leaving 1/8 inch out of the wall) or picture hanging hook that distance below the pencil mark you made on your wall.
6. Hang!
And voilà! When hung on the nail or hook your work should be perfectly placed. Repeat as necessary for an art-filled home!
Note from the pro: Koren points out that very long or heavy pieces of art might have multiple sawtooth attachments. For these, you'll need to ensure the multiple nails are level—Koren recommends measuring from the ceiling to the desired height.
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