Use HomeZone's Warrington Handyman to mount Mirrors and Pictures
Or use the details below to help the DIY
How to Hang Picture Frames
You’ve found the right framed picture, you’ve found the right spot and now it’s time to display your beautiful mirrors and pictures for all to see.
First check to find out what type of wall you are fixing to. If your mirror or picture frames are a large heavy piece that is going on a platerboard you may want to use two picture hooks to make sure you give it plenty of support. Smaller framed pictures may not be worth the hassle of drilling and picture hooks with hardened pins will give adequate support.
Plasterboard walls
Plasterboard walls, the most common type of internal wall surface, this is also one of the softest and inserting a the picture hook pins is fairly easy. However, if you are mounting a heavy framed picture on a platerboard wall, it is recommended that you use an stud finder to locate a vertical timber in the wall and hang your picture there, using a screw instead of pins. Most stud finder have the ability to find electrical wiring and copper pipes, so it would be a good idea to check for these now.
If there is no stud in the space where you want your picture to be, you can still hang up your framed picture just use the appropriate size picture hook. These are hooks especially made for hanging pictures. The lighter the frame, the simpler the picture hook. Usually you can find the right hook by looking at the weight limits on its packaging. Hammer the pins in at an downward angle to provide more support.
For bigger pictures hung on a plasterboard wall additional support with a fastener may be required. Besides using two picture hooks, a more reliable way to provide support is to install a toggle bolt. A toggle bolt has wings that slide through a hole drilled into the wall and expand after it has been pushed through. It grips the wall from the inside as it is tightened, or try the hollow wall fixing that you slide through a drilled hole tighten the screw (this will fix the hollow wall fixing) then remove the screw and pass through the picture hook before screwing bock into the fixing
Brick/Masonry/Plaster
You will need to drill a hole and use a screw and wall plug in this case. A wall plug is a sleeve inserted into a drilled hole that will expand as a screw is driven into it. This will give a little extra grip in supporting the picture frame.
Hanging Your Mirrors and Pictures
Now that you have decided on the location of your framed picture, it’s time to take a look at the wire that will be supporting the weight of the frame. If the gauge of wire is too thin, it could break . The heavier the frame the, thicker the gauge of wire needed. This wire should then be attached to screw eyes, which are driven into frame of the picture about two thirds up from the bottom. (For frames made of metal, there will be sliders in about the same spot.) The wire should extend up into the middle of the space between the top of the frame and the screw eyes.
If it is a large heavy framed picture, it is recommended to get someone to give you a helping hand. While the other person holds the frame up to the wall, you can stand back and decide which height is best to display your picture and then mark the wall lightly with a pencil at the top centre of the frame. This will be your ‘marker’ line.
Flipping the frame over, push the wire on the back of the picture up towards the top of the frame (press hard- this is to mimic the wire hanging on a hook) and measure the distance from the peak of the wire to the top of the frame- this is called the ‘drop’.
Then take the same measurement (the drop) and mark an X below your marker line on the wall. (For example, if the distance from the peak of the wire and top of the frame is 2 ¾, measure 2 ¾ down from the marker line.) This is where your picture hook will hang.
Now hang your picture and, with the help of a level, adjust it to your taste. If the picture seems to high or too low, adjust the wire on the back of the picture to achieve the desired result.
Give Warrington Handyman a call to see how little it could cost to have the work done for you see our contact page