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Hanging Mechanics
Most homes in our neighborhood have walls made of
gypsum drywall panels nailed to the vertical wood studs that are spaced every 16
inches. This is a great surface for quick and secure picture hanging since 90%
of our framed art weighs under 20 pounds.. Brick or cinder block walls require
a bit more work.
Drywall Hangers - the
Basics
For projects up to 20 pounds,
(1) standard picture hanging hook that uses a nail driven into the wall at
45-degrees provides adequate strength - but (2) are always preferred. For
projects weighing 20-30 pounds, use (2) hangers spaced so that each is close to
the edge of the frame. As standard practice, Ohlone Arts used “Wall Buddies”
which provide a superior 2-point hanging solution with the added benefit of a
self-leveling feature.
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Standard picture hanger
– Use (1) for pictures weighing up to 20 pounds, use (2) to 30 pounds
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Frame with metal Wall
Buddy at each corner – no wire needed – install (2) hooks in the wall
that latch onto the metal corner pieces. |
Drywall Hangers – Heavier
projects
For projects in the 30-40 pound
range, drywall will not safely support the weight with standard picture
hangers. You have a couple of options: a) use anchors that require a larger
hole in the wall in which the anchor is inserted; or b) use 8-penny finish nails
hammered into studs. In either case, (2) hangers are required.
Drywall Anchors – options (40 pounds and
up)
Your local hardware supply
store carries a variety of anchors ranging from plastic self-drilling anchors to
plastic expansion anchors (require a pre-drilled hole) to metal toggle anchors
(also require a pre-drilled hole). The plastic anchors are adequate up to 40
pounds (2 required); above 40 pounds, the metal anchors should be used. Ohlone
Arts carries a small selection that we can provide for our custom-ordered
frames.
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Light duty Plastic
anchor – drill hole in wall, insert anchor; screw in a screw. |
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Light Duty Plastic
anchor – self-drilling, twist into wall with screwdriver, then insert
screw – prone to shredding drywall – use a light touch. |
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Medium duty Metal
“Moly” anchor – must be correct size for drywall thickness – assume ½”
for walls in homes built since 1950. Requires a pre-drilled hole and a
little practice to understand how many turns are required to properly
expand the flanges inside the wall. |
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Heavy duty metal
“toggle bolt” anchor. Squeeze spring-activated wings and push into
pre-drilled hole; for picture hanging, you’ll need a washer and extra
nut to pinch the wall leaving the screw head protruding for the wire.
Requires a pre-drilled hole. |
Extra Heavy Projects
Our heaviest project weighed in
at 150 pounds and measured 4-feet by 10 feet. Ohlone Arts provided on-site
hanging services for our client. In this type of special circumstance, we
recommend continuous strip metal or wood interlocking mounting strips that
distribute the weight across a long surface on the wall and on the frame
package.
Brick and concrete block
Use either special masonry
hangers with hardened steel prongs that penetrate the hardwall surface via
hammer blow, or use brick moly anchors – requires pre-drilled hole - requires
high speed electric drill and carbide-tipped masonry bit.
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Special masonry hangers |
Hanging Measurements – single picture
You’ll need a small plastic
level and a yard stick to layout some lines. If you use a 2-point hanging method
(recommended):
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Hold picture on wall with
its center at eye-level (safe spot to start); have an observer stand back
and give directions to make sure that the picture is centered/balanced left
and right and up and down considering surrounding windows, doorways and
furniture.
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When the position is
right, place a level on the top of the frame and adjust the tilt until the
bubble is centered.
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Use a pencil to lightly
mark on the wall the upper left and right corners
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Set the picture down
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Measure the distance from
the top of the frame to the hanging wire (or arrow on the Wall buddies while
the wire is pulled tight – we’ll call this the ”drop”)
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Measure down from the
marks on the wall the drop length – mark it lightly on the wall; then from
the drop length marks step in toward the center “2 inches” see footnote) and
mark the wall lightly again: this is where the hanger or anchor goes in the
wall.
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Footnote: This distance,
2 inches will vary – for Wall Buddies measure the distance for the edge of
the frame to the arrow on the wall buddy and use that measurement; for
smaller frames under 12 inches, 1 inch inset is sufficient; for larger
frames over 24 inches, 3-4 inches would be appropriate.
Hanging Aesthetics
In general,
artwork should be hung so that the center point of the picture or grouping is
at about eye level for the average person. While this won't be possible in
every situation, it's a good guideline to keep in mind.
Another
technique to remember is that a grouping of pictures should be thought of
as one unit. Test an arrangement of pictures by laying everything out on
a large table (or on the floor), playing with combinations until you hit upon
one that works. Laying them out on paper is even better since you'll be able to
trace around each object and determine where picture hangers should be
installed. Tape the paper up on the wall as a template for picture hangers and
you'll be done in no time.
You can
also lay out pieces of scrap molding (or tape) onto the floor to form the
"outside" boundaries of a picture grouping -- the measurements within which
the smaller pieces of art will be set. This is useful when a particular wall
has certain boundaries that must be observed (such as a chair rail, windows,
heating vents, and the like) and helps keep your arrangement the proper size.
Earthquake Awareness
We live in
an Earthquake zone here in Fremont, California. The Hayward fault runs roughly
north to south through the center of Fremont; It passes near City Hall in
central Fremont and skirts along highway 680 in south Fremont. This is a active
tributary fault to the larger San Andreas fault that runs the length of
California.
The picture
hanging techniques described above will probably survive magnitude 3-4 and maybe
magnitude 5 earthquakes depending on proximity to the epicenter, proximity to
the fault, and ground conditions – there are a lot of variables. A magnitude 6
or greater earthquake on the Hayward fault will probably knock pictures off the
wall if hung as described above.
You can
improve earthquake survival by hammering 6-penny finish nails into the wall
flush with the top of the frame – this will inhibit vertical motion that would
throw the picture off the hanger.
We also
have available security hangers that lock and latch the frame to the hanger for
added protection in the event of an earthquake.
The federal government provides
some guidelines for overall home earthquake preparedness:
http://www.fema.gov/hazards/earthquakes/quake.shtm |
