DIY Network

Hanging Pictures Hanging Pictures From "Talking Dirty With the Queen of Clean" episode DQOC-129

Have you ever gone to all the trouble of pounding a nail in the wall -- only to have the picture look incorrectly placed once it's hung? The following tips will help you do it the right way the first time.

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D

• Hang pictures or mirrors, especially heavy ones, from wall studs whenever possible. First, find the studs in the wall using a stud-finder, available at hardware and home stores (figure A). Turn it on and run it horizontally across the wall. A light will come on or a beep will sound when the magnet in the stud-finder detects the metal nails in the wall stud. If you don't have a stud-finder, run an electric razor across the wall; when it crosses the stud with the embedded nail the sound made by the razor will change.

• In order to put the picture on the wall correctly, know where it is going to hang and see if it will look correct when placed, cut out a paper template the size of the picture/mirror/artwork. Position the template on the wall with low-tack tape and check for proper placement from the ceiling down and the wall up, and to see whether the picture will be properly balanced over furniture (figure B). When template placement is correct, mark the walls to ensure correct picture alignment.

• Choose the correct hanger for the weight of the picture. Nails or sewing-machine needles placed in the wall at an angle can hold pictures less than 30 pounds. Sewing-machine needles are narrow, making smaller holes in the walls. Install the hanger at or between the marks (figure C).

• Keep pictures in position by wrapping painter's tape around the center of the hanging wire so it won't slide from side to side.

• Make small loops of tape, sticky side out, and press into the back of the picture corners to hold the picture in place on the wall.

• Masking tape wrapped around the corners of round toothpicks and placed around the bottom of the artwork on the back of the frame will also help hold pictures in place (figure D).

• Use a level to check picture alignment.
  

Tip: If photos become stuck together, try immersing them in a pan of room-temperature water. Test edges until photos pull free of each other. Allow photos to air-dry.