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August
24
24
Your Guide to Hanging Wall Art in Your Home
Hanging wall art can seem daunting. Fortunately, you just need to ace the basics and you'll be hanging art like a gallery pro.
Are you aiming to create a salon effect with your artwork, as you list your home among Augusta homes for sale? Or maybe you've just moved into a new home, and you're looking for a way to display paintings, family portraits, or found art in frames. Whatever your motivation, you'll be happier with the results if you follow these steps.
- Strategize
Consider the size, shape, and weight of the art or grouping of items you want to display. The material you're seeking to insert a hole in may require you to do some research or to ask a handy friend how to go about it. Putting a hole in the wrong place in plaster or drywall can be overcome, but brick or tile will require some finesse. - Gather tools
Your basic supplies will include these: level, hammer, measuring tape, pencil, blue painters' tape, picture hooks, and nails. For light-weight artwork, use small nails; for medium weight, use pictures hangers; for heavier art, a big nail and a stud finder, or wall-plug anchors with screws. For hanging art on tile or glass, you might use good-quality adhesive hooks; for a brick wall, try brick clamps. - Measuring
Measure 57 inches from the floor (the average human eye level and the measurement used by gallery and museum pros) to the center of the painting. Marking the place with tape or a pencil; find the middle of the wall from one side to the other, and that's where the middle of your artwork will be. Then, measure the distance between that middle point and where it will catch a nail or where the hanger is.
Obviously, if you're hanging art above a sofa, you're going to scrap the 57-inch rule. The bottom of the art should be 8 to 10 inches above the sofa. If you have low ceilings (less than 8-9 feet), divide the vertical measurement into quarters. Hang the art in the third quadrant up. - Placement
Hanging one large piece is usually not too challenging. Say you have a large painting to hang over a sofa and sideboard. Ideally, the artwork should be two-thirds the size of the items that are placed beneath it. Multiple pieces present more of a challenge. Arrange the heavier pieces at the bottom left, with lighter pieces at the upper right. Mid-sized pieces should go between the two. For one large piece and a few smaller pieces, place the large artwork toward the middle so that it's the focal point, and then place the smaller pieces around or beside it. Leave 2 to 5 inches between pieces.
Extra Hints
Here are a few insider tips to help you hang your wall art like a pro.
- Hang things on two hooks for greater stability.
- Overcome your fear of putting a hole in the wall in the wrong place. It happens, and when it does, there are tricks to deal with it, such as a bit of spackling or even toothpaste to cover it up in a plaster wall.
- Apply low-adhesive tape to the wall for consistent spacing between frames.
Our real estate agents can help with many valuable tips when you're ready to list your Augusta home. Contact us today.