Monday, October 21, 2013

Hanging Artwork - Easy Tips and Tricks

Buying the perfect piece of artwork can be challenging.  There is so much to consider...the colors, the feel, the style.  Once you find the perfect piece, now you need to hang it.  There is plenty to consider when hanging artwork.  How high should it be hung on the wall?  What type of brackets should it be hung with?  Should it be hung alone or in a grouping?  
There are lots of options out there, even picture hanging wire, to hang artwork.  I usually hang artwork using picture hanging hooks.  They are much better than heavy duty nails or screws because the picture hooks go into the wall on an angle, securing them to the wall without much risk of being pulled out.  

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It's important to select the right picture hook for your artwork.  It's all based on weight.  They usually come in three sizes...one for pictures less than 30 lbs, one for pictures up to 50 lbs and one for pictures 50-75lbs.  No matter what the weight of your artwork, make sure you use two picture hooks.  This adds extra security as well as helps make your pictures hang straight.  As an added tip I use fun tac in the back of my artwork so that it doesn't move at all when dusting the frames from time to time.


One of the biggest mistakes people make when hanging artwork is to hang it way too high.  A good rule of thumb is to hang the artwork so that the center is  66" off the ground, 
which places it at eye level.   It's also very helpful if someone holds up the picture so that you can step back and see how it looks before you fill your walls with holes.  

When hanging a pair of works, treat them as one large piece and center them using the same rule of thumb.  If over a bed or sofa, keep in mind the scale of furniture in deciding placement.

When hanging a collage of photos or artwork, you can start in the center and work your way out.
However, there is no hard and fast rule...in fact the best part is there are no rules.
Artwork doesn't always have to be art.
You can even hang a grouping of plates to create your own inexpensive artwork.

You can do just about anything your imagination can come up with.
The worst that can happen is you have to get out a little spackle and touch up
any holes you make if you have to move anything.

Hope these tips are helpful next time you go to hang artwork.


-Judy
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1 comment:

  1. Great tips, Judy. I love using those OOK hooks when I can for hanging pictures and things. I wind up doing a lot of measuring. I learned years ago not to trust my eye. : )

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