How to Hang Your Art
57 IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
How you hang your artwork can make a huge difference. The gallery standard is for the center of the piece to be at eye level: 57 inches. No matter the size of the piece or the wall, this will feel right because it matches average height. Note: Taller people tend to hang artwork too high, but do what feels right between 57–63.
STEP 1: TOOLS
Tape measure
Pencil
Post-it note
Level
Blue painters’ tape or a post-it note
Hammer + nail for small, lightweight pieces (8x10 or smaller)
Drill, bits, anchors and screws for larger pieces
STEP 2: HORIZONTAL MEASUREMENT
To center a piece on the wall:
Measure width of wall
Divide width by 2
Draw a vertical line on the wall ( | ) at the center point, right at your eye level
Light switch or pipe in the way? In most cases, measure from edge to edge and ignore wall interruptions. Just be consistent on both sides. If there’s a big pipe or something on one side, center the piece between the edge of the pipe and the other wall to make it feel balanced. Also look to see what is on the other side of the wall. A friend of mine was siding his lake house and screwed into the breaker box on the inside. (Funny now, but not at the time.)
STEP 3: VERTICAL MEASUREMENT
Welcome to the math portion of this tutorial….
Would you believe I went to college with some guy who said loud and proud to the entire class, “Nobody uses math anymore.” Ugh!
- Divide the height of your artwork by 2 and write it on your post-it
- Measure the distance from the top of your piece to the hanger and write it on your post-it
Note: If your piece has a hanging wire, pull it up and taut (into a “frown” instead of its resting “smile”) and measure it from the center to get an accurate number and write it on your post-it
- Measure your center point: 57” is the standard. This is from the floor up.
Then, do the math!
A (equals ½ the height of the art) – B (the distance from the hanging wire to the top of the art) + C( 57) = Hammer here!
A-B+57 = Hammer here! ***Remember this the measurement from the floor up.
Draw a horizontal line ( — ) through your vertical line to make a ( + ) on the wall.
Now you’re ready to nail/screw!
Hang and level your art…Now your wall is dressed! Yaaass!
No more naked wall. 😊
If you find Math overwhelming just do what my ex used to and hang the top edge of the art at 6 feet. It’s not too far off if the piece is a vertical rectangle. LOL! You do you!
Hanging Large Mosaics
Large mosaics are a heavy medium and cannot be hung in a traditional manner. Heavy mosaics are best displayed sitting in an easel or resting in hooks which are mounted on the wall. (Hooks and Screws are provided with larger mosaics.) PLEASE NOTE your mosaic is breakable so be careful.
Where to Mount your Mosaic
Mosaics are best hung on an inside wall across from a window so the natural light can reflect across the stones. Ideally the middle of your mosaic should be eye level, but not higher than 60-65 inches.
If you are mounting your mosaic over a sofa the bottom of the mosaic should be no higher than four to five inches above the top edge of the sofa. If you mount it higher that five inches, it might throw off the balance of the room depending on the height of your ceiling and size of the room.
Tools you will need:
- Yard stick
- Level
- A small two-inch nail
- Hammer
- Cordless Drill with a Phillips screwdriver attachment.
- Tape Measure
- Blue Masking tape (the 2-inch-wide version works best.)
- Post-it Notes
- Pencil
- Stud-Finder (Not necessary but can be helpful.
- Four wall hooks with drywall screws (Provided)
It helps to have a second person present. Just remember to be kind to each other. 😊
Here’s the thing—your mosaic will be held on the wall with the four hooks. All hooks will be mounted on the wall, and you will S-L-I-D-E the mosaic in through the top and bottom hooks from the side—VERY CAREFULLY until you have it resting on both bottom hooks and centered. The measurement between the top and bottom hooks is important. The fit needs to be snug, but you must be able to still SLIDE the mosaic through the opening.
Step One:
Lay you mosaic face down on the flat floor. (You may want to lay I on a blanket or large towel if you have wooden floors.)
Place a hook at the top and bottom edges of your mosaic with the back side of the bracket facing you. You need to be able to see the backside with the screw holes that will face the wall once mounted.
Important! – Hold the bottom hook tight against the mosaic’s edge. Leave a 3/8 of an inch space between the top edge of the mosaic and the inside curve of the top hook. Then measure the distant between the BOTTOM screw hole on the bottom hook and the TOP hole of the top hook. WRITE DOWN the MEASUREMENT and measure it again. (WRITE IT DOWN ON A POST-IT NOTE.)
You can also stretch a piece of tape from the bottom hook up to the top hook being careful to allow for the 3/8-inch space. You can then mark the holes on the tape. Remove the tape and place it on the wall over the studs.
You will need this slight 3/8 of an inch gap to slide the mosaic into place.
Step Two:
The first thing you need to do after deciding where you want to hang your mosaic is to locate the wall studs. If you do not have an electronic stud-finder here are some tips that can help you locate the studs.
*TIP! —2x4 studs measure 1.5x 3.5 inches. *Half of 1/5 is ¾ of an inch. ¾ of an inch from the edge is called: “on center”
Most studs are 16 inches apart on center, and never more than 24 inches apart. You can measure from the corner of the room out in 16-inch increments.
Look for electrical sockets—they are mounted to studs. Most base boards and crown moldings are tacked to a stud. Look and feel for a nail-gun dimple that has been filled with putty.
If you are hanging you mosaic on a wall with windows—there are studs framing the window and you can measure out from the edge of the window.
Or you can try the knocking and listening trick and if you don’t know what that is, well I’m not going to explain it here. (Trust me it’s for your own good.)
Once you have located the studs mark them with a small piece of blue masking tape. Check your work with the small nail to make sure you have the studs located, pound until you feel the nail hit the stud, then remove.
Decide where the bottom of the mosaic will sit. Remember the middle of your mosaic should be eye-level. (Unless you are mounting over a piece of furniture, like a sofa.)
Here is a link with additional wall hanging information: https://youtu.be/fXgOofGJt8A
You can measure from the floor and mark the bottom edge with tape I use tape as a marker instead of drawing on the wall. (You can write on the tape and not the wall.) Use your yardstick to level the bottom plumb line of the mosaic. If you have a friend helping you, you can have them run a piece of tape all the way across the level edge of yardstick. This way you can step back and visualize the height and get a better feel for how the mosaic will look on the wall. Tape the full perimeter if you need more help visualizing.
The hooks MUST be mounted into the studs. It is extremely important to hit the stud for both bottom hooks as they will bear the weight of the mosaic. The top hooks merely hold the mosaic in place and prevent it from tipping forward.
Once you have your blue masking tape level and know where your studs are you can mark you screw holes and then measure up and mark the top screw holes.
*TIP! —Center and stick a square post-It (horizontally) under each set of screw holes. Fold the bottom edge of the post-It up to create a small shelf for the drywall fall-out to drop on top up. A 90-degree angle is perfect to catch the debris. Once you are done drilling the screws fold the post-It up and pull it off the wall with the powdery mess inside.
*TIP! —I find it best to mount the bottom hooks and then just one of the tops one at first. Then hold your mosaic up to see if you are going to have enough room to slide the mosaic between the hooks before you drill the fourth hook into place. If the opening is good you can proceed with the fourth hook. If not, adjust before proceeding.
You must have the measurement between the top and bottom hooks accurate and with sufficient space so you can slide the mosaic into place from the side. If the hooks are too far apart the top hook will not curl over the top edge and hold the mosaic in place.
Looks like you are ready to slide your mosaic into place. Now if your mosaic isn’t quite level due to its irregular edge you can make slight adjustments to the bottom edge with a wooden toothpick or matchstick.
Caring for your mosaic:
Your mosaic is made from natural stones and in some cases glass. It has been sealed with a stone protecting sealer, which protects the stone and the grout. For cleaning purposes, you can wipe your mosaic with a damp cloth and if you feel it needs to be shined up you can rub it with Lemon Oil once or twice a year.
My mosaics are created with love, and I sincerely hope you will enjoy your one-of-a-kind mosaic for years to come.
Kind Regards,
Tamara A. Rager