Sometimes it is enough to install a new painting to renew the decorative atmosphere of a living room or an entrance… But how to choose the location, how to hang your painting according to the wall, the weight of the frame or the tools available…? Here are some tips for hanging and showcasing your paintings. And change the look of your interior!
1 – Choose a painting of the right size
Before thinking about how to fix it, it is good to choose the size of a painting according to the space to be decorated. Make sure that the size of the frame harmoniously matches that of the room or the wall on which it will sit. A painting that is too large risks smothering the room. Too small, it no longer plays its role of embellishment.
2 – Place it at the right height
You will then have to position your painting on the wall at a height that highlights it. The general rule is to position the base of the board about 1.50 m from the ground. It is thus at eye level. But to choose the right location, also take into account the height of the room, the size of the work, the surrounding furniture, etc. A large table, for example, should be positioned a little lower. If you place it above a piece of furniture, choose a piece of furniture that is no more than 75 cm high and place the frame between 15 and 25 cm above the piece of furniture. And if you want to combine multiple tables, think of it all as one large table instead.
3 – Two is better
Given these elements, the time has come to choose the location where the painting will be placed. A word of advice: always be at least two people to decide on the location and to fix the painting. Two looks are better than one to harmonize the painting according to the place: natural or artificial light, style of the room, furnishings, mood color, etc. While one positions the painting on the wall, the other stands back and assesses the effect. At the time of installation, you will appreciate working in pairs.
4 – Adapt the fixing method to the nature of your wall
The type of wall may require a suitable hanging technique.
- For the brickthe cement where the concrete, universal pegs do the trick. Depending on what you have in stock, you can also opt for steel anchor bolts, concrete eyebolts, short-point hooks or concrete sockets (helical).
- For a wall plasterboard (placo), it will be necessary to use a plug of the Molly type or with expansion, or self-drilling.
- If you are installing a painting on a wall in boisin plywood or chipboardthe easiest way is to use nails, or even wood screws or hooks (fixed with a point).
- Your wall is concrete cellular? Use self-drilling anchors, nails or X-hooks. tiles of plaster.
- Choose patiently the final location of the frame. Do a few tries, sometimes just a few centimeters are enough to more or less highlight a painting.
- Clean the wall and dry it.
- Measure frame size. Note the distance between the edge of the frame and the attachment point on the back.
- Report this measurement to the wall. Take out your spirit level so that your line is perfectly straight.
- Marquez in pencil the fixing point, where you will make a hole.
- Drill your hole in the wall. You need a drill and a bit of the diameter adapted to the dowel (usually 8 mm).
- Push down the ankle and screw the hook.
- hang your painting on the screw-on hook. Use an eyebolt to screw the hook. Check with the spirit level that it is placed horizontally.
Warning: if you have to drill the wall, check that no electric cable passes through there, nor a gas or water pipe…
5 – Fixing also depends on the weight of the painting
If your painting is light, you can easily choose your hanging method, including a technique without drilling. With one reservation: if the painting you are attaching is of great value or fragile, avoid certain adhesive techniques, which are not reliable enough over time. If the painting weighs more than 5 kg, you should preferably drill the wall and install a dowel. But you will see in the following paragraphs that there are also solid fixing methods without drilling…
6 – Choose a method with wall drilling
There are different methods; choose the one that best suits the nature of your wall.
Simple, basic: the highlight
A nail and a hammer are often enough to hang a picture. Choose nails strong enough to support the frame, provided it is not too heavy anyway. Attention, it will not go in all the walls. Ideal for wood, complicated for concrete, impossible in placo!
Solid: the ankle
If you want to install a large or quite heavy board, the dowel is recommended for its reliability. You can insert the screw or the hook that will carry your frame without any problem. The strongest binding combines a peg and a screw hook, ideal for heavy paintings. In fact, this is the most frequently used technique for hanging a painting.
Reliable: the X hook
These hooks, perfectly suited to supporting paintings, are fixed to the wall. The plastic X-hook is fixed directly into the wall with a hammer. Available in various sizes, it is reserved for rather light paintings. The metal X-hook supports heavier paintings. It is fixed with the help of needles driven into the wall and carrying a hook, on which you fix the painting.
As in the gallery: the picture rail
It’s the best of the best, if you want to install your boards like a pro! It is a hanging system consisting of a metal rail and rods and hooks for carrying the painting. With a picture rail, you have a solid hanging that is suitable for all paintings. The rods can be replaced by cables steel or nylon, ultra strong and discreet. The advantage is to be able to move the rods (or the cables) to fix a picture a little more to the right, rather than to the left… and to easily adjust the height of the picture. The only element to be fixed is the rail, which runs almost invisibly near the ceiling.
7 – Hang a painting without making a hole in the wall!
Multiple hanging methods will prevent you from drilling into the wall. Tenants will appreciate.
Adhesive tabs
This is a reliable system, since it allows you to hang fairly heavy pictures, up to seven kilos. These are two tabs that stick together, with one attached to the wall and the other to the back of the frame. Depending on the size of the painting, it will be necessary to provide several tabs around the frame. The bonus is that the tab comes off the wall cleanly when you remove your board. The only drawback is that it is only suitable for smooth walls. If your wall is roughcast or embossed, forget the tabs.
Hook-and-loop fasteners
The principle is the same as that of the adhesive tabs. These two tabs clip onto each other. If your wall is covered in wallpaper, great. These fixings support a painting of 7.2 kg maximum. And they pull out of the wall without damaging anything.
The double-sided adhesive
This simple and quick method is to be reserved for small or light frames. The double-sided tape is suitable for regular surfaces, such as plaster, PVC, wood or glass. For small clashes, opt for this very practical technique.
Fixing paste
Why not use this paste for light frames? You model it, you place it where you want, and as it hardens it attaches to the wall firmly. Convenient to use on wall tiles, the fixing paste comes off cleanly when you remove the painting.
Le mastic-colle de fixation
It is a radical technique! This kind of putty allows you to stick large pictures on the wall, even several kilograms. All terrain, all supports, the super powerful glue adapts to all walls and all hygrometric environments. The putty is used in cartridge, with a gun. Distribute it evenly on the back of the support in several points or in a serpentine cord (you know, like we did in primary school…). Block the support on the wall for three hours, the setting time. After complete drying (24 to 48 hours), you can install the painting on the support. On the other hand, it will not be easy to clean if you remove the board from its location. Some small damage to be expected on the coating.
8 – Fix your painting in 8 steps.
Have you chosen your painting? Here are the fixing steps if you use a screw-on hook. You can adapt the steps to other fixing methods, with or without drilling the wall…
9 – Compose several paintings together
A painting is beautiful. Several paintings can form a beautiful decorative ensemble, provided they are not arranged haphazardly. Current trends are increasingly freeing themselves from traditional arrangements. We can think of a group of executives as a chalkboard wall, covering an entire wall. It is a bold but original and strong choice if it is successful. You can also choose a layout ligne right or composing a shape geometric. In the first case, the base of the tables is aligned on a line. In the second, we play on different sizes and shapes of frames to compose a geometric shape, symmetrically or asymmetrically. You will be able to highlight not one but several paintings, while using your creativity.
10 – Highlight your painting!
A beautiful painting deserves suitable lighting. It is worth installing custom lighting, taking care to avoid reflections on the glass or varnish. In any case, do not place your painting in a place exposed to too direct sunlight. Ultraviolet has no mercy for pigments. Prefer a darker place where you can install suitable lighting. The enhancement of the table will be all the more beautiful. Small LED spotlights (which do not heat up) or a picture light are perfect. If you have a set of paintings forming a large composition, opt instead for a track spotlight system.