The critical factors you need to know when hanging a heavy picture are:
- what weight the picture is
- what sort of hanging hardware is best for the job
- what sort of wall you are hanging it on.
'How to hang a picture' series
This post considers how to hang a heavy picture, why use heavy duty picture hangers and how to attach them to a frame.
It's the second post in a series of posts about how to hang a picture using different types of hanging hardware.
What is a heavy picture?
In plain simple terms:
- a very heavy picture is one which you wouldn't think twice about trying to hang without an extra pair of hands. The issue is NOT whether you can lift it. It's about whether you have the strength and motor control in your upper body to execute a manoeuvre to hook it onto the wall on two sides - while holding it above your head.
- if you would struggle to hang a picture on your own because of size or weight then you ought to be thinking seriously about heavy duty hanging hardware - and checking the wall!
What's the issue with walls?
This is the question frequently not asked by people whose large and/or heavy paintings fall off the wall.
INTERIOR Walls / Drywalls
Interior walls are built using a wooden framework and some form of covering - often plasterboard in modern houses. They're not really suitable for hanging anything heavy. Light and medium sized pictures can be hung on dry partition walls using picture hooks which are hammered into the walls using long hardened or steel pins.
However steel pins are not long enough nor are they strong enough to hold heavy weight pictures and should NOT be used - unless you want your picture to fall off the wall.
Ideally you should aim to hang medium sized pictures where the stud frame is (i.e. into wood which provides a more stable structure) but the chances are the location of the wall stud does not fit where you'd like to hang your picture. To check their location you need to use a stud locator.
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| My studfinder - invaluable for older properties and where you have drywalls. |
If you know the drywall is robust you can use a special anchor for dry walls.
If like me you live in an older house you might find that some of your original interior walls are made of
lath and plaster and the rule for these is you absolutely MUST find the wall studs before you hang anything. (
I've got a shelf at the top of the lathe and plaster wall I'm currently facing - however it has heavy duty shelf brackets in every single stud as it crosses the wall!)
All the artwork I possess - except for the smaller lighter works - are hung on brick walls - see below.
EXTERIOR or load bearing walls
Domestic homes will always have exterior walls and load-bearing walls which are suitable for hanging items which are a heavy weight. Typically in the UK the wall is a solid masonry (brick or stone) wall or a concrete block wall.
These are the walls from which to hang a very large or very heavy picture (or mirror
i.e. there's a good reason why very large mirror are very often found on chimney breasts). That's because this type of wall can take the longer screw length which might be required to get a solid fix.
If you're hanging artwork in another sort of space you need to check what sort of wall it is.
- Banging on the wall often provides a good indication. If it sounds hollow then it's an interior dry wall.
- The other trick is to bang in a nail. If it's easy to hammer in then chances are it's a drywall. If it takes a lot more effort it's probably a masonry wall. If it's really difficult to impossible then it's very likely you've hit concrete and only drills and screws (and a heavy duty electric drill) will work. The same can be said for good quality exterior brickwork.
One further consideration is the decoration.
If you think you might want to move paintings around a lot I wouldn't favour walls which are wall papered! It's easy to fix holes in a painted plaster wall - but sorting out multiple large holes in nice wallpaper is a bit of a challenge!
What is heavy duty hanging hardware?
Heavy duty hanging designed to provide a more secure fixing to large and/or heavy pictures. They're made of more robust metal and commonly have at least two if not three screw holes.
It requires
TWO bits of complementary hardware:
- the heavy duty hanger - this is a flat steel plate with a a hanging loop at one end which is fixed to either side of the back of the picture frame. It's often plated in brass and has at least two and often three holes to ensure a secure fixing should any one screw work loose. They are often between 50mm and 90mm in length. They can have either:
- the heavy duty J hook - this is fixed to the wall and is the mate for the heavy duty hanger fixed to the frame. It provides the secure structure over which the D ring or loop is hung.
Why use heavy duty hangers?
Hanging is basically as good as the weakest point within the apparatus and the level of tension placed on any weaknesses. Hence in general it's advisable not to use wire and d rings for very heavy pictures because it's been known for the wire to create a lot of strain that in turns pulls a one screw D ring out of the back of the frame - and the picture comes crashing down.
Heavy duty hanging hardware
prevents:
