How to hang a picture frame

First, take a look at the back of your picture frame. Some have a wire on which to hang it, while others use hooks.

Depending on whether you’re hanging a frame on brick or plasterboard, your approach will be slightly different.

Stick around for our guide to hanging frames without nails – a non-permanent and mess-free alternative to putting holes in your wall – no power tools needed!

Hanging frames onto brick walls

Brick walls are the strongest of all the hanging surfaces, but you’ll need some power tools to do it properly! Here’s what you need:

• Electric drill – a drill with a hammer function is best here as it’s better suited to drilling holes into brick
• Masonry drill bit
• Tape measure or ruler
• Spirit level
• Pencil
• Wall plug – make sure it’s the same width as your drill bit
• Screw – the same width as the wall plug

Find a spot that’s safe to drill into

Even if you think you know the layout of the wiring in your wall, you should use an electronic wire and pipe detector to make sure you don’t drill into anything dangerous.

X marks the spot

First, hold your frame on the wall at the height you’d like it. Your frame should sit around eye-level, but it’s completely up to you! Make a very light mark on the wall at the top of the frame with a pencil.

Next, measure the distance between the top of your frame and the hook on the back. If your frame uses wire, pull it upwards until it’s taught and measure from that. Use this measurement to mark on the wall where you need to drill into by measuring down from the first mark you made.

Attach a screw to the wall

With your masonry drill bit attached, use your drill to make a hole in the wall. Next, insert your wall plug until it’s flush with the wall – you may need to give it some gentle encouragement with a hammer! If it won’t budge, you may need to make the hole slightly wider.

You can now screw in your screw, either using a drill driver or a screwdriver. Don’t forget to leave about a centimetre poking out the wall so you can hang your frame on it.

Clear up any mess on the floor and hang your frame, using a spirit level to make sure it’s sitting straight. Done!

Hanging heavy frames

For small to medium frames, one screw should be enough, but you may want to use two if your frame is particularly large or heavy.

Mark your spot on the wall as usual, then measure two points equal distances from it. You want these screws to sit roughly one third and two thirds of the width of your frame. Use your spirit level to make sure they’re perfectly level.

Using hardwall hooks

For lighter frames, hardwall hooks are very handy. Mark your spot on the wall as usual and use a hammer to drive the pins into the wall. It’s quick and easy!

Hanging frames on plasterboard

Plasterboard or drywall is pretty easy to work with, but you’ll need to be careful if you’re hanging anything heavy. You’ll need:

• Tape measure or ruler
• Spirit level
• Picture hook
• Hammer

The trick with hanging on plasterboard is finding where the wooden studs are behind the wall, which will make it a much more stable place to hang pictures. Think of them as wooden beams which give the wall its strength. To find them, you can pretend to know what you’re doing by knocking on the wall, or use a stud finder.

For most frames, it’s as easy as finding the right size of picture hook and driving the nails into the wall with a hammer. Make sure you angle the nails slightly downward for extra strength.

If it isn’t possible to attach your hook to a stud, using a plasterboard anchor is your best bet, or spread the weight over two picture hooks.

Hanging pictures with adhesive hooks

If the idea of making holes in the wall fills you with dread, or you’re in rented accommodation, there’s an even easier way of hanging your photo frames!

Adhesive hooks and strips are a fantastic way of hanging frames which are fuss-free and easy to remove without leaving a trace! Simply mark your spot as normal and firmly fix the adhesive hook to the wall, pressing down for 30 seconds. Leave to adhere as per the instructions before hanging your frame and checking that it’s level.

You can use these on almost all surfaces, and there’s plenty available to suit different weights.