10 Life Hacks for Perfect Picture Hanging Every Time
Who among us hasn’t looked at a freshly framed painting, then at the wall, and thought, “Oh well, I can hang it by eye this time”? Hanging pictures should be easy, but so often they end up off-center or slightly crooked, causing us to make more holes in the wall than we planned or intended. Next time you hang pictures or artwork in your home, use one of these 10 life hacks to ensure they’re straight and evenly spaced the first time.
Use a small ball as a makeshift level to hang pictures.
A level is essential when hanging pictures—even a slightly crooked frame will ruin the look, and if you’re hanging several pictures together, it’s even more important that everything is level. If you forgot to bring a level or don’t have one, you can use a small ball, such as a ping-pong ball or marble. Place it on the frame and adjust its position until it stays level, then mark the spot on the wall.
Use masking tape to accurately space two nails at the correct distance from each other when hanging a picture.
If your frame has two widely spaced hooks, figuring out exactly where to insert a nail, screw, or other fastener on the wall can be tricky. But if you have painter’s tape, it’s easy: apply a piece of tape to the back of the frame, aligning the top edge of the tape with the top edge of the hooks. Mark the position of the hooks with a marker or pen, then remove the tape and attach the frame to the wall at the desired height. Using a level, adjust the tape until it’s positioned correctly. Then, hammer nails directly through the tape at the marked locations, remove the tape, and hang the picture. Here’s a visual guide .
Use toothpaste to mark the places where you need to insert hooks or nails.
An alternative to the masking tape method is to use toothpaste (or any other sticky substance that can be easily washed off the wall). Mark the hooks on the back of the frame with a small amount of toothpaste, ensure they are level and at the correct height on the wall, then press the frame against the wall. The toothpaste will precisely mark the locations where nails need to be driven to hang the frame. Insert the fasteners, clean everything, and hang the picture in the desired location. Here’s a visual guide .
Make a simple DIY tool to mark the location of a hook or nail when hanging a picture.
If you have some extra cardboard (a cereal box works well) and a pin or tack, you can make a small DIY tool that will make it easier to mark the location for a hook or nail. Cut a rectangle out of the cardboard, then cut a tab at the bottom narrow enough to fit through the hook on the back of the frame. Thread the tab through and pierce it with a pin or tack from the back. Then press the picture against the wall in the desired location, and the pin will create a small hole where the hook or nail should go. Here’s a visual guide .
Use a string to secure the hook to the nail when hanging the picture.
Hammered a nail into the wall but can’t get the hook to attach to the picture frame? Take a piece of string, wrap it around the nail, and then adjust the ends so they’re level. Hold both ends together and thread them through the hook, then pull the string taut, pulling the frame closer to the wall. The string will guide the hook directly to the nail; no guesswork required. Here’s a visual guide .
When hanging a picture, use a fork to guide the wire onto the nail.
If your picture frame uses a wire on the back to hook into a nail or wall hook, you know that sometimes, when you repeatedly fail to hook the wire into the hook, you begin to question your own perception of reality. Here’s a simple hack: take a fork from the kitchen and place it on a nail or wall hook so that it’s angled outward. Then hook the wire onto the fork’s shaft and slide the frame down, allowing the fork to guide the wire downward. Once it’s hooked, remove the fork and admire your handiwork. (And probably wash the fork.) Here’s a visual tutorial .
If you don’t want to use any tools, hang pictures using Monkey Hooks.
Hanging pictures on drywall but dreading the mess and hassle of drilling or nailing? Avoid it with Monkey Hooks . These self-drilling wire hooks—you simply push them into the wall with a little effort—rotate to provide strong, secure attachments that can hold up to 50 pounds of weight, all without the need for tools. Here’s a visual guide .
Create this paper template if you are hanging multiple pictures in one space.
If you’re hanging multiple frames on the wall, first take some paper and make a template. You can use wrapping paper, butcher paper, or any other paper you have or can find inexpensively (cardboard is also an option if you have it on hand). Lay the frames out on the paper and carefully trace around them. Then, use toothpaste or the cardboard and nail methods described above to mark the locations where the nails need to be hammered. Hang the template on the wall (make sure it’s level), hammer in the nails, remove the template, and hang the frames. Here’s a visual guide .
When drilling holes to hang a picture, use an envelope to collect dust.
If you’re drilling or hammering nails into walls to hang pictures, you’ll end up with a lot of pesky dust, unless you use a very simple life hack: tape an envelope to the wall below the drilling area. It will collect all the dust and save you the trouble of vacuuming afterward. If you don’t have envelopes (or tape), Post-it notes will work too—just fold one in half and tape it to the wall below the drilling area, and it will collect the dust. You can use multiple Post-it notes if needed. Here’s a visual guide .
Use your own saliva to mark the spot where you want to hang the picture.
If all else fails and you need to hang a framed picture but are short on time or patience, there’s a simple solution: wet the back of your finger, wrap it around the hook on the back of the frame, and place it on the wall at the desired height (usually about 140-150 cm from the floor). Your saliva will leave a barely noticeable temporary mark on the wall, allowing you to easily attach the hook.