How To Hang Something Without Nails

Step : Gather Your Picture Frames

The first step is to gather all the frames or other artwork you want to use.

You can buy new ones to add to your collection but you might already have a few items lying around the house, or some that you can create, with fancy chalkboard lettering.

For unusual or oddly-shaped items, you can create a picture frame to fit it perfectly.

TIP: It helps to have a theme mine is travel!

Collect everything at this point you may not use every item and might decide on something else later.

Note the items that you love and must be included other pieces will be fillers. Also, vary the textures and shapes when gathering items for your gallery wall.

SIDE NOTE: You can always paint a picture frame, see this post on how easy it is to spray paint picture frames.

How To Hang Heavy Things Without Nails

Nails have their place in construction but rarely work best when it comes to hanging heavy paintings, photos or decorative works on the wall. Unless it’s secured through drywall into a stud, the weight of the hung item can cause the nail to pull out, bringing a bit of drywall with it.

Avoid using nails altogether to avoid having issues with them. Instead, hang heavy items with molly and toggle bolts or with screws secured directly to studs to keep them safely in place.

How To Hang A Picture Without Nails

I thought it was about time I wrote a post on how to hang pictures without nails – after all, its something that people have had trouble with for a long time. Typically you have to be extremely careful and plan for the long term when hanging pieces of art, portraits, mirrors etc on your walls.The reason for that is the holes they leave behind can be very unsightly, and can mean you dont want to move the picture ever again because of how bad the space underneath will look. In fact for people who rent instead of owning their own places – hanging your own pictures often isnt an option at all due to these leftover eyesores.Options for hanging pictures without nails have been around for a while, but historically they have been barely useable, mostly made up of cheap adhesive pads that lose strength over time. This usually results in your possibly valuable artwork crashing down when you least expect it. Our new product the xHang solves this issue forever.

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Option : Go For The Lean Look

Picture frames dont necessarily have to be hung anywhere at all you can prop them up against the wall for a more casual look. When leaning artwork, make sure that you cluster a few differently-sized picture frames around each other. Too many frames of the same size may unintentionally appear as though you simply never got around to hanging them.

You can use the same style picture frame, such as a series of ready-made metal picture frames, to evoke an elegant yet still relaxed ambience, but you can also alternate wood picture frames and metal frames in different colors and styles for an eclectic feel.

Use any of the surfaces around your home: shelves, bookcases, countertops, fireplace mantels, the tops of door and window frames, and even on the floor for exceptionally large pieces. The best part of leaning artwork is that you can play around with the location of the frames as much as you want, making your décor very versatile.

Regardless of the reason you have for avoiding holes or the use of a hammer and nails, these options would all show off your art beautifully. If you have artwork that is hung traditionally, check out our tips on avoiding those slants and tilts in How to Keep Picture Frames Straight.

Consider Using Guides Or Rails

Now, this is an excellent option if youre looking to create an effect that stands out. The reason is that youd mostly find pictures being hung on guides and rails in museums and galleries. You can create a unique aesthetic effect without defacing the walls if you can pull this off right.

All you need to do here is to set up guide rails to the wall or ceiling. You then fix the picture on the wire that sticks out from the guide rail. Its as easy as that. You might need to make some small holes for this. However, nowhere will the gaps be as significant as those made by nails.

Using guide rails allows you to change the pictures as often as possible without worrying about adhesives stuck to the wall and whatnot. Plus, theres something about having a gallery-related way of hanging your pictures.

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Our Picture Hanger Recommendation

If youre trying to hang heavy items like a mirrors or shelving units, be sure to get something that can hold the weight. Command Strips are great for many things, but they shouldnt be trusted to hold up really heavy items, nor are they designed to. But for things that are light and for those that are renting their place wed go with Command Strips, as they dont leave any markings behind and are easy to use. For drywall surfaces and heavy items wed go with Hercules Hooks. The picture hanger you ultimately go with should be suited to what you need it for most.

Hang Wall Art With Adhesive Strips Instead Of Nails

Adhesive strips attach to the back of the frame and can hold anywhere from three pounds up to 16 pounds. The best part about using adhesive strips to hang wall art is that you can remove them from smooth wall surfaces without damaging the wall. Theyre easy to use, inexpensive to purchase, and once you decide youre ready to move or take the art down, you can do so without removing the paint in a matter of seconds.

Be cautious using these on textured surfaces as they may remove the finish. You’ll need to do a little prep work to ensure the strips adhere properly.

If youre not sure which strips to choose, a good rule of thumb is to get strips that hold weight thats more than you think youll need.

Heres how to use adhesive strips to hang art on the wall:

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Before Making A Hole Identify What Kind Of Walls You Have Some Materials Are Sturdier Than Others So This Will Help You Determine Where And How You Can Hang Things

A thin material like drywall will have a hollow sound when you tap on it, while brick or stone will sound more solid . When it comes to drywall versus plaster, if you can stick a thumb tack through it, it’s drywall.

Drywall is the least sturdy, so for anything much heavier than a poster or tapestry you’ll need to use a stud or proper hardware . Plaster can support nails and screws as long is what you’re hanging is under 10 pounds or so. Obviously, brick and stone are the toughest, so they’ll require you to drill into the mortar and use an anchor.

How Can I Hang Curtains Without Curtain Rods

If people want to avoid using curtains to hang curtains, there are some creative options such as using tension cables, brackets, and knobs, though there is the risk of potentially damaging the wall.

Also, without a rod curtain, loose mobility, and it could be more expensive than buying a conventional rod.

Yet it is possible to hang curtains without rods, and it may add a different finish to the room be ready to lose some comforts.

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Assuming You Have Drywall Or Plaster As Most People Do Use A Stud Finder To Well Find A Stud

Turns out, a stud is more than just an embellishment that makes your clothes look edgy or a hot guy. It’s also a piece of metal or wood supporting your walls that you can use to hang things even if the wall material itself is too flimsy.

This handy gadget uses a magnet to help you detect them. It also has a built-in level you can use for hanging once you’ve found the stud.

Promising review: “This is a GAME CHANGER! Every once in a while, a new device renders all the old ones utterly obsolete. So it is with these stud finders. Oh, yes, Ive used the old battery powered devices I own several. You know, the ones with little LEDs that supposedly light-up when youre over a studexcept that they keep lighting up in different places so that you ultimately give up and just drive in a nail into the wall and hope youll be over a stud. No more! Gently rub these little gadgets over your wall, and when theres a nail underneath the sheetrock, its powerful magnets will be drawn to it, and IT WILL STICK TO THE WALL! There is NO guessing with this little fellow.” Moi Aussie

Also, bear in mind that if the magnet is sticking to a larger stretch of wall, not just one area where a nail would be, you may have found a pipe, so don’t drill there!

Get a set of two from Amazon for $19.06.

Adhesive Bonding Of Wood And Concrete

You can attach both hardwood and softwood successfully to concrete by using a flexible adhesive. This category of adhesive caters to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients of the wood and the concrete, thereby allowing for small movements within the wood.

Normally, wood can be attached without initial support but, should it begin to slide, temporary support is advised. Quikrete, for example, sells a polymer construction adhesive that is permanently flexible for use on wood, stone, and concrete surfaces .

Liquid Nails produces a construction adhesive known as Fuze IT All Surface Adhesive that also establishes a firm bond with the metal.

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Wrap String Lights Around A Tree Or Branches

Hanging outdoor patio lights around a tree works great. Just wrap the string light set around branches or the tree and secure them in place with zip ties or similar cording.

If you want to attach something decorative, use glass jar lids that youve painted gold or another color of your choice.

You could also make it an artsy statement by using mismatched jars from thrift stores.

Not only do they add ambiance but give your home decor a nice touch as well.

TIP: While this is perfectly acceptable, you should make sure to move the lights on a regular basis. You dont want the string lights to grow into the tree .

Prepare To Hang Your Pictures

To be on the safe side, especially if you are using nails, its worth investing in a pipe and cable detector. Follow the instructions specific to your product but otherwise, run the detector along the wall to identify any hazards. If you get the all clear youre fine to continue. Of course, this need only apply if youre using nails. If thats not the case, you have nothing to worry about.

Also Check: Taking Contacts Out With Nails

Put The Art On An Easel

Easels take up a decent chunk of floor space, so this might not be the best option if you’re in a studio. But if you have space to work with, especially in larger common areas where a statement art piece can become a focal point of the room, try putting your art on an easel or pedestal. This kind of display will add another layer of interaction with the piece since it won’t feel as 2-dimensional as it would mounted on a wall.

Use Adhesive Hooks And Strips

There are a wide variety of adhesive hooks and strips available that have the capacity to hold the weight of a framed picture. Well, some framed pictures. If youre hanging a 10-foot by 10-foot Renaissance masterpiece, you might not want to use the same sticky hooks you use for holiday stockings.

But, if you want to hang a light-weight painting, you should be able to find an adhesive solution to meet your needs.

Just be sure that you check the weight rating for any adhesive product you use, and dont be afraid to use multiple hooks or strips. However, until youre a little more confident with your framing adhesives, maybe dont hang your first test directly over your bed or collection of rare porcelain figures.

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S To Hang A Canvas Painting Without Using Nails:

There are plenty of methods available for holding canvas painting without nails, if you need to make your walls smooth and clear you must follow the below steps,

• Level
• Four or more command strips
• Painters tape or piece of chalk or pencil

Try to avoid putting canvas painting or art near your working area because this will create some difficulties. Keep all the safety precautions when it comes to holding the fancy pieces.

If The Frame Has A Hanger On The Back Use Adhesive Hooks

If your picture frame has a hook on the back, you can also use adhesive hooks. Adhesive hooks have a weight rating of between one and eight pounds. You can use multiple hooks to hold artwork that weighs more than eight pounds. Like adhesive strips, these can be easily removed from smooth wall surfaces without damage. Be cautious using these on textured surfaces as they may remove the finish.

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And Because In The Words Of Hannah Montana Everybody Makes Mistakes Fill In Holes With Putty Or Even White Soap Or Toothpaste

Promising review: “Absolutely love this product! Completely repairs dings, damages, and holes in drywall in one product. Used it to fix a large wall ding above my bed that was very unattractive. Spackle easily coated and covered the ding. I flattened the spackled surface with the sharp edge on the bottle and allowed to dry overnight. I sanded down the surface with the smoother disk on the cap, and no scrapings or dust spilled at all while sanding it left a perfectly smooth surface. Painted over it and it’s gone!” Analytical V

Get it from Amazon for $6.97.

Hangers And Plastic Anchors

You can use picture hangers and plastic anchors to hang small or lighter weight photos or pictures. Don’t use them for towel racks, which can pull away from the wall, especially if people put weight on the bar. Picture hangers have little metal hooks through which a small nail passes into the drywall. The single nail hangers generally can support a picture or item up to 25 pounds, while a two-nail hanger can take up to 50 pounds, but avoid maxing the weight limit on them if you dont want items falling off the wall after being bumped or simply loosening over time. Opt for molly or toggle bolts instead.

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Ways To Hang Art Without Nails

For people living in a rental, it can be really hard to feel “settled in.” You can’t make any major adjustments to the spacedespite how dated the bathroom tile is or how much you hate the blinding light fixtures in the living roomand anything you choose to do has to totally be un-doable whenever you move out.

Hanging wall art is one of the easiest ways to make your space feel more lived-in and cozy, but there’s just one problem: Spackling is a total hassle. While it’s not the most difficult thing you’ll have to do when you move out, it’s time-consuming and something you’ll totally dread when the time comes, so sometimes it’s better to just avoid doing it entirely. These options not only leave your wall spackle-free, but they also make your wall art a little easier to change outperfect for indecisive decorators like myself.

Whether you’re just hanging up a few picture frames or you’re designing a giant gallery wall, here are a few tips for hanging wall art without having to break out your hammer or drill.