Hanging artwork or mirrors on your walls can be a pain in the neck. You have to find the hammer and the right nails, you pound lots of holes in wrong places, you pound your thumb(!), plus you have to do MATH to hang the dang thing in the right place.
And the one thing that always used to make my heart sink: something with TWO hooks on the back which means TWO nails. Doubly hard to get them in the correct spots and to get the whole thing level on the first try. Grrrr!
But I’ve discovered three brilliant things that will make life a breeze next time you’ve got something you want to put up on the wall.
A genius way to hang something with two hooks
The main ingredient is blue painter’s tape. (Ordinary masking tape will work too).
First tear off a long strip and put it lightly on the back of the piece you want to hang, right over the spots where the nails will go, like I did here with my mirror:
Make dots on the tape where the nails will go. (If you need to center your piece on the wall, mark the center on the tape between the first two dots.)
Carefully pull off the tape and lightly press just the two ends on the wall at the height you want to hang the piece. (Pretend you don't see those picture hangers yet. Or the poor patch job on the wall!)
Measure up from the ground or down from the ceiling to determine the measurement of the first dot. Then raise or lower the other end of the tape so that the second dot is at that same height.
Pound your nails into the wall straight through the dots on the tape, then pull off the tape and hang your masterpiece. AND IT’S DONE AND LEVEL THE FIRST TIME!
The first time I saw this little trick, I slapped myself in the head it was so brilliant. I can’t wait for you to try this - - you’re gonna LOVE it.
What to use to hang something heavy
The heavier the piece to hang, the bigger the nail, right? And you’re STILL nervous it might fall off the wall and put a dent in someone’s head. Not anymore.
Check out these picture hangers I ran into at the hardware store:
Ha! Doesn't it look like a startled alien?!
With these little guys, you don’t need molly screws, you don’t have to worry about pounding them into a stud, and they can hold up to 50 POUNDS with just a couple nails. Bravo!
There’s an app for that
Some people are born with “the eye” and can tell just by looking that something is off by 1/64th of an inch. For everyone else, there’s an app that turns your phone into a bubble level. No more wondering if the wall is crooked or if you are. :-D
Here’s the one I use, appropriately called ... Bubble Level. And it’s free. AND it works great! Pretty slick.
So there are three tips to make picture hanging easy. Try one of these next time you find yourself dreading doing a little wall decorating.
Or just give me a call and I’ll buzz right over with my blue tape!
