Where to Find Framed Art
February 14, 2008 by admin
Filed under House and Home
Hanging framed artwork doesn’t have to be a tedious ordeal where you’re left with crooked pictures and countless holes in your wall. All it takes is a little preparation and forethought.
First, determine exactly where you’re going to hang your pictures. Pictures should always be hung at eye level, with the center of the picture about 5 feet from the floor. If you’re hanging over a sofa, make sure you leave somewhere between 3-5 inches of space between the picture and the top of the sofa, but not any more than that. With groupings, try to keep the center of the collective group at a height of 5 feet. If you need to hang a grouping, use paper cutouts to determine the exact placement. Take the time to move your cutouts around, look at them from different angles and get a sense how the arrangement relates to what’s around it.
Once you’ve settled on an arrangement, lightly indicate with a few pencil marks where the outside of the frame should go. Determine by the weight of the picture what size hooks you need, and look at the size to see whether more than one hook is necessary to keep the art from shifting on the wire. You will want to use a level to make sure your holes for multiple hooks are parallel to the floor. Look at your wire or hanging hardware to determine where to position the hook, then mark the spot on the wall. Install your hook, screw or other device into the wall.
Your local hardware store should have all the things you need to hang your framed artwork. There are wall anchors and other devices that offer extra security if you’re concerned about the stability of your hook. There are also adhesive round pieces of felt or rubbery material that will protect the bottom portion of the frame from scratching up your wall. This is very useful if you’re fond of rearranging your walls periodically. For offices and those living in earthquake-prone areas might consider security hangers, which have a locking third hook at the bottom of the picture so that it cannot be removed without a special tool.
