Picture-perfect solutions

There are hardware options for safely hanging even the heaviest artwork

Q How do I properly hang artwork so it doesn't come crashing down? Not with Command strips, I assume?

A Don't automatically rule out 3M's Command strips, which are designed for easy, damage-free removal. They can be a good solution, but only if your artwork is relatively light. The Command picture hangers can hold about five to eight pounds, (two to four kilograms), depending on the product.

Large Command picture-hanging strips support up to 16 pounds (seven kg), if you use four pairs of them; however, 3M says the frame cannot exceed 24 by 36 inches,

(60 by 91 cm), and the wall cannot be brick, covered with wallpaper or fabric, or textured. The company also warns not to use these hangers for valuable or irreplaceable items or to hang artwork over a bed.

If it's not critical to avoid making small holes in your walls, you have many other options, depending on the kind of wall. You can never go wrong by fastening artwork where studs are underneath, but it's also possible to hang heavy artwork where there are no studs if you use fasteners rated for the weight of the art and the framing.

The simplest style, which you can nail on, has a hook with a backing that presses against the wall and a design that directs the nail at an angle, so it resists being pulled out by gravity. OOK hangers of this type support 10 or 30 pounds (five or 14 kg); you get six or eight in a package, depending on the weight limit.

Similar OOK hangers rated for 50 or 100 pounds (23 or 45 kg), have the same price per package but must be attached to studs to achieve the weight rating, as do many other hangers in this category. To locate studs covered by drywall, tap on the wall to hear where a hollow sound changes to a thud, or use a stud finder. Readings on lath and plaster can be misleading, though, so if that's what you have, look for nails in baseboards, which should point to studs, or for electrical outlets, which usually have a stud alongside.

Once you locate one or two studs, measure to find the others; they are typically spaced 16 or 24 inches (41 or 61 cm), from centre line to centre line. To confirm a stud location, drill a tiny hole into plaster just above the baseboard, where it won't be very noticeable.

If studs aren't where you want to hang your artwork and it's too heavy for angled-nail picture hangers that don't fasten to studs, one option is a hanger designed to press against the drywall from the front and the back. Hillman makes a no-stud picture hanger of this type that's rated to hold up to 200 pounds (90 kg), ($10.79, Canadian Tire). The hanger has a flat washer and a tab that fits through a hole in the drywall and bends upward to apply pressure on the back.

To hang heavy art between studs, install an anchor in drywall or plaster and screw your choice of picture hanger to the anchor. Self-tapping drywall anchors made of metal or plastic have big, relatively coarse threads on the outside, which allows them to grip reasonably well.

Because the anchors are self-tapping, you usually don't even need to pre-drill, although a 1/8-inch/0.3-cm-diameter starter hole helps if you're going through thick paint or wallpaper.

Screw the anchor into the wall until the face is flush with the wall, then thread a smaller screw (included in the package), through a hook to hold your art, and tighten that screw into the centre of the anchor. The anchor will flare out behind the drywall, locking the anchor in place.