How to Hang a Cow HIde

Cow hides don’t have to be stuck on the floor. In fact, they shouldn’t be because they get too dirty. You can instead display the fine piece with style by hanging it. You’re going to need a very large wall and a lot of patience to hang a cow hide, but it can be done with a few simple steps.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Cow hide
• Ladder
• Hammer
• Nails

1. Figure out where to hang it. Cow hides are usually darkish in color so they will really close in a space. Make sure the room you choose can handle it. Also measure your cow hide and the wall you’ve chosen to make sure it will actually fit.

2. Gather your supplies. Get a ladder tall enough to reach near the ceiling, a hammer and a collection of short, thin nails that will not cause too much damage to the cow hide when you nail them through. You are going to need a lot of nails because you are using thin ones and cow hides are very heavy.

3. Lay the cow hide on the floor in front of the wall where you’re going to hang it. Position it so it’s centered as you like it and you can determine the topmost point in the middle of the hide.

4. Begin to nail it to the wall. Keeping your hand on the cowhide’s topmost center point, or marking it with masking tape so you’ll know where to begin, gather the hide and climb up the ladder. Nail the topmost center point into the wall, as close to the cow hide border as possible so the ends don’t curl in but far enough in to secure it. Follow by flattening the hide against the wall on one side, then the other, nailing the outermost points to the wall first so you have a flat hide.

5. Finish off the nailing by dispersing them around the perimeter of the hide to secure to the wall. You may have to redo a few nails if the hide starts to buckle or bend. You want the cow hide to be as flush as possible against the wall or it will look crummy.

Tips & Warnings

• Cow hides make for great headboards at the top of the bed. They also hurt less than those metal ones when you bang your head on them.

• You may want to use a stronger, thicker nail for the top center of the hide if the smaller one keeps falling out as you arrange the rest of the hide.

• If you find natural colored cow hides too dark or boring, you can find painted cow hides that resemble zebra, tiger or other animal skins.

• You can hang a cow hide by yourself, but if you can get someone to help you with this process your toil will be greatly reduced.

• Hanging a cow hide is a major pain, but it's worth it once you see the results.