How to Hang a Heavy Picture

Heavy pictures need sturdier anchoring to keep them from falling off the wall. Follow these steps to secure your pictures before hanging them.

Things You'll Need

• Hammer
• Stud finder
• Small nail
• Eight penny nail
• Wall anchor

Instructions

1. Locate a stud in the wall, either by using a stud finder which can be found at any hardware store or by banging your hand against the wall. Listen for the discrepancy in sound between drywall and a stud.

2. Test the area with a small nail to see if it hits wood or goes straight through drywall. If you have trouble locating a stud, work your way across the wall in 1 1/2 inch increments until you hit a stud. Use this size increment because that is the width of a stud.

3. Hammer a large nail into the stud. Use an eight penny or larger nail.

4. Use a wall anchor if the stud is not in the location where you want to center your picture. You may find a wall anchor at any hardware store. They come in different sizes based on the approximate weight of what you're hanging.

5. Make a small hole in the wall and insert the wall anchor. The wall anchor is similar to a butterfly clip, which, when installed, will branch out within the drywall to hold your nail in place.

6. Insert a self-tapping screw holder as an alternative to a wall anchor. Once screwed into the wall, you can insert a large screw into the holder.

7. Hang your picture.

Tips & Warnings

• Hammer your nail at a downward angle.

• For an extremely large and heavy picture, use two anchors to dispense the weight.

• Before hammering a nail into your wall, identify existing pipes that you could puncture.