How to Hang a Picture
Hang a picture straight and at the right height. Work out the hanging point from the 57-inch center, choose a hanger by its rated weight, scan for studs, wires, and pipes, and keep the frame level.
You will end up with a picture hung level, at a height you worked out with a tape measure, on hardware rated for its weight, with no extra holes in the wall.
Steps 1 and 3 decide where the picture goes. Steps 2 and 6 decide what holds it and check what is behind the wall. Steps 4, 5, 7, and 8 put the hanger exactly where the frame needs it, so every position comes from a measurement you take before you make a hole.
Tape measure Pencil Painter's tape Hammer Level, or an iPhone with the Measure app (step 8) Bathroom scale for weighing the picture Picture hangers or wall anchors rated for the picture's weight Stud finder Drill, bits, and a screwdriver, if you use wall anchors or screw into a stud
Choose your spot and check the proportions
Pick a wall and hold the picture up where you think it should go. Have someone else hold it while you step back at least 6 feet to judge placement from across the room. If you are hanging above furniture like a sofa or console table, a common rule of thumb is a picture roughly two-thirds to three-quarters of the furniture's width. It is decorating convention, not a standard, so use it to rule out a frame that looks lost above a wide sofa or one that runs past the sofa's ends.
Good to know: Not sure about placement? Cut a piece of kraft paper or newspaper to the frame's dimensions and tape it to the wall with painter's tape. Live with it for a day before committing.
Pick the right hardware for the weight
Weigh the picture on a bathroom scale, then choose hardware by the weight rating printed on its package. This Old House says to add a safety margin of 25 to 50% to the picture's weight and to choose hardware rated for at least that total. Its example is a 15-pound frame on hardware rated for 20 to 25 pounds. Conventional picture hangers, a hook with a nail that goes through it at an angle, are made for drywall and plaster. OOK's ReadyNail hangers, for example, are sold in sizes rated from 10 to 100 pounds. OOK says those ratings are based on hangers nailed into studs and are for comparative purposes only, and it says to choose a rating that greatly exceeds the weight of the picture. This Old House says picture-frame hangers support up to 20 pounds in drywall or plaster when installed with an angled nail. If the picture's weight plus the safety margin comes to more than 20 pounds, use a wall anchor or a stud. For a wall anchor, This Old House says to divide the manufacturer's shear load rating by 4 to get the safe working load, so an anchor rated for 100 pounds will safely support 25 pounds. FAQ 3 below lists its ranges by anchor type. For anything over 50 pounds, the top of those ranges, drive screws into wall studs (step 6) or use a French cleat screwed into studs (FAQ 5).
Heads up: Do not hang a picture from a bare nail in drywall. A nail on its own has no weight rating, while a hanger or anchor lists on its package what it holds.
Find the right height
Center the picture 57 inches above the floor. The 57-inch rule is a convention that framers and galleries repeat, and we could not find a museum or standards body that publishes it. Treat it as a starting point, and check it with the paper template from step 1 before you measure for the hanger. Above a sofa, headboard, or console table, set the height from the furniture instead. A common rule of thumb puts the bottom edge of the frame 6 to 8 inches above the top of the furniture, which keeps the picture visually tied to what is below it.
Measure the hook drop
Flip the picture over and look at the hanging hardware on the back. If it has a wire, pull the wire taut toward the top of the frame with one finger, simulating the weight pulling it down. Measure from that taut point straight up to the very top edge of the frame. If the frame has a sawtooth hanger, measure from the bottom of the sawtooth notch to the top edge. For D-rings, measure from the top of the ring to the top edge. This measurement is called the hook drop. Write it down. You will need it in the next step to figure out exactly where the hanger goes.
Calculate the hanging point and mark the wall
The hanging point equals 57 plus half the frame height, minus the hook drop. The hanging point is where the taut wire or the hanger will rest, and step 7 puts the bottom of the hook on it. For example, if your frame is 20 inches tall and the hook drop is 3 inches: 57 + 10 - 3 = 64 inches from the floor. That is the hanging point. Measure up from the floor to that height and make a light pencil mark on the wall. Use a level to draw a short horizontal line so you can see if your mark drifts when you start hammering. If you are hanging above furniture, the formula changes slightly. You want the bottom edge of the frame 6 to 8 inches above the furniture top. So the hanging point is the furniture height plus the gap you want, plus the full frame height, minus the hook drop. For a 20-inch frame going 8 inches above a 30-inch-tall sofa with a 3-inch hook drop: 30 + 8 + 20 - 3 = 55 inches from the floor.
Good to know: Place a small piece of painter's tape on the wall and mark on the tape instead. If you need to adjust, the tape peels off clean with no pencil marks to erase.
Check for studs, wires, and pipes behind the mark
Run a stud finder slowly across the wall around your mark before you drive anything into it, whatever the picture weighs. Zircon's stud finder instructions say a scanner may detect electrical wiring or pipes close to the wall surface in the same way as studs, and that studs run straight up and down from floor to ceiling while pipes may change direction. When the finder marks something, scan up and down it. A reading that does not run straight from floor to ceiling is not a stud, so move your mark away from it. Zircon also warns that its wire detection might miss wires deeper than 2 inches or shielded by metal conduit, so a clear scan does not prove nothing is there. If the picture's weight plus the safety margin comes to more than 20 pounds (step 2), put it on a stud or on anchors rated for the weight. This Old House says anchoring directly into studs is the most secure way to mount heavy objects, and that studs are typically spaced 16 or 24 inches apart. If your mark misses a stud, shift the picture a few inches to catch one, or use a wall anchor rated for the weight (step 2). A stud is about 1 1/2 inches wide, according to Zircon, so aim the screw at the center the finder marks. No stud finder? Drag a strong magnet slowly across the wall. It sticks to the screws or nails that hold the drywall to the studs.
Drive the nail and install the hardware
For a conventional picture hanger, the wire rests in the bottom of the hook, below where the nail enters the wall. Hold the hanger against the wall with the bottom of its hook on your pencil mark, then tap the nail through it at the angle its nail hole sets. OOK says its ReadyNail hangers carry the nail at a downward angle, and This Old House says to hold the hanger at a slight downward angle and tap the nail gently. For wall anchors, follow the package, because each type goes in differently. This Old House gives the basics. An expanding plastic sleeve goes into a pilot hole slightly smaller than the sleeve and is tapped flush with a hammer before you drive the screw. A screw-in anchor is screwed into the wall until its flange is flush. A toggle bolt needs a hole large enough for the folded wings. Do not over-tighten, which This Old House says can damage the wall or reduce the anchor's effectiveness. Leave the screw sticking out about 1/4 inch so the wire or hanger has something to catch on. For a picture on two hooks, mark both at the same height with the level, spaced to match the two D-rings on the back of the frame. For anchors, This Old House says to choose a type rated for the total weight divided by the number of anchors you use. Picture hangers do not add up that way. OOK says its rating is per hook and not cumulative, so two 20-pound hooks hold up to 20 pounds, not 40.
Good to know: Fold a sticky note in half and tape it just below your nail mark. It catches the wall dust while you hammer or drill. Peel it off when you are done.
Hang the picture and level it
Lift the picture onto the hook. A wire should settle into the lowest point of the hook. For a sawtooth hanger, line up the center notch with the nail head and press down gently until it seats. Set a level across the top of the frame and nudge one side until the bubble is centered. On an iPhone, Apple's Measure app has a level. Tap Level, hold the iPhone against the frame, and rotate the frame until the screen turns green. Apple says the measurements are approximate, so check against a bubble level if you have one. Once the picture is straight, stick small adhesive rubber bumpers on the two bottom back corners of the frame. They grip the wall to keep the frame from drifting crooked, and they keep the corners from scuffing the paint. A pea-sized piece of museum putty under each bottom corner adds grip and peels off later. A frame on two D-rings and two hooks also stays straight better than one on a wire, because there is no wire for it to slide along.
If the picture tilts after a day, add the bumpers from step 8 or move it to two hooks. If a hanger pulls out or the nail spins in its hole, the wall is not holding it, so move to a wall anchor rated for the weight or to a stud (steps 2 and 6). If the picture ends up too high or too low, measure the hook drop again with the wire pulled taut (step 4), because a slack wire throws off the result. For the old hole, This Old House says to fill small nail and screw holes with spackling compound, sand smooth once dry, and prime and paint to match. For a gallery wall, run the step 5 formula for each frame. Lay the frames out on the floor first and tape paper templates to the wall before you make any holes. A gap of 2 to 3 inches between frames is a common rule of thumb, not a standard. If you run into a stripped screw while removing an old mount or wall anchor, do not force it. Our guide on how to remove a stripped screw covers six methods from simple rubber band tricks to screw extractors.
Questions we get asked about this
Answers from experience, not a textbook.
Yes. OOK says its conventional picture hangers are for drywall or plaster walls, and This Old House lists picture-frame hangers, molly bolts, and toggle bolts for plaster as well as drywall. Choose by weight the same way as in step 2. This Old House warns that expanding plastic sleeves work well in drywall but may not suit plaster, so use a molly bolt or a toggle bolt there instead.
Yes, for lighter pictures. Command's 15 lb Large Picture Hanging Strips hold frames up to 15 pounds and 24 by 36 inches with four pairs of strips, on smooth surfaces such as painted walls, finished wood, tile, and glass. To take a frame down, Command says to peel it off the wall and stretch each strip slowly toward the floor, at least 12 inches, to release it. A picture ledge shelf needs a couple of screws once and then lets you swap artwork without making new holes.
It depends on the hardware, so go by the rating on the package. This Old House gives these ranges for drywall: picture-frame hangers up to 20 pounds, expanding plastic sleeves and screw-in anchors up to 25 pounds, molly bolts 10 to 50 pounds, and toggle bolts 25 to 50 pounds. For an anchor, divide its shear rating by 4 for the safe working load (step 2). For heavy shelves and TV mounts, This Old House says to mount directly into studs.
You need a hammer drill and masonry screws such as Tapcon. Tapcon's instructions say to drill with a hammer drill and the bit size its chart lists (5/32 inch for a 3/16-inch screw), make the hole 1/4 inch deeper than the screw will go in, blow the dust out of the hole, and drive the screw until it is fully seated, with at least 1 inch in the masonry. Confast, a Tapcon distributor, says you can drill into the brick or into a mortar joint. If you would rather not drill, brick clips grip the brick itself. The Picture Hang Solutions clips we read about hold up to 30 pounds and need recessed mortar joints, with at least 1/4 inch of each brick standing out beyond the joints.
Weigh it first, then follow step 2. This Old House recommends heavy-duty anchors such as toggle bolts or molly bolts for mirrors and large artwork, and mirror clips or a French cleat for very large or heavy mirrors. A French cleat is a pair of strips cut at an angle, one screwed to the wall and one to the back of the mirror, that hook together. Screw the wall strip into studs wherever you can, and scan every spot for wires and pipes before you drill (step 6).
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