Picture Hanging Tips

Deborah Burnett makes picture hanging a cinch with these tips.

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Filed under: Art, Frames, How To, Crafts

Steps:

If you have two pictures that are too small for the space, hang them side by side and complete the look with an inexpensive basket. Choose a long, slender basket and fill it with three small potted plants. Fill in empty areas with sphagnum moss. Weave short lengths of wire through the basket to serve as hooks and hang on the wall under the two pictures.
One rule of decorating is to use odd numbers of objects whenever possible (the only even number that you should use is two). Four pictures could be grouped in pairs in a staggered arrangement and other items, such as a plaque with pegs for hanging keys, could be used to fill in the spaces. On one of the pegs you could hang a small wreath, which would add still more texture and interest.

Look for unusual items, such as napkin holders, that can be hung on the wall to balance a grouping of pictures. Simple saw-toothed hangers can easily be added to the back of each one.

Nail holes left in a wall can be filled in with plain white toothpaste (not the gel kind). It doesn't sink into the holes the way spackling compound often does.

Interior designers avoid picture-hanging mistakes by tracing around pictures and making paper templates. Draw a vertical arrow on each template to show which end should be up and put a small piece of poster tape on the back of each (don't use masking tape; it will pull the paint off your walls). You can work out your arrangement without making unnecessary holes in the wall.

Don't hang pictures in a straight line. It lacks interest, and it's difficult to get them even. It's better to stagger the arrangement. To determine where to place staggered pictures, visually draw a center line on one picture; then hang the second a bit above or below this line.