How to Hang Letters on a Wall

There are thousands of choices for letter styles, sizes and colors when selecting decorative letter wall hangings. Many new parents hang letters on a wall to spell out a new baby's name in a nursery. Teens hang letters on a wall to add personality and uniqueness to their room. Some home decorators use letters to spell out the family name as the focal point for a family portrait wall in a hallway or den area of the home. Hanging letters on a wall is a distinctive way to add life to a room's decor.

Things You'll Need

• Pen and Paper Tape Measure Pencil Appropriate Size Letters Hanging Materials Level

Instructions

How to Hang Letters on a Wall

1. Write down the word you want to spell with the letters. Count out all the duplicate letters, and write out how many of each letter you will need. For example, "Susanne" would have two "S," two "N," one "U," one "A" and one "E."

2. Select a wall in your home to place the letters. Will the letters be the focal point of the room? What is the room's primary design theme? Will letters look attractive on that particular wall?

3. Find the center of the wall, and mark that spot with a pencil. From the center mark to the left, use a tape measure to see how far you want the letters to go outward, and write down the measurement. This will be the point the letters start. Make a small dot on the wall with a pencil to mark this spot.

4. From the center to the right, measure the same distance and make another small dot on the wall. This will be the last letter's position on the wall. Use the tape measure to determine the distance from the most left dot to the most right dot you made on the wall. Write down this measurement.

5. Count the number of letters in the word. Divide the second measurement (from Step 4) by the total number of letters. The letters you use will need to be slightly smaller in width than this number. This will allow all the letters to evenly fit in the space allocated and leave a small distance between the letters.

6. Turn each letter face side down. Examine the back to make certain there is appropriate hanging material. Heavier letters will require hooks to hang on nails. Lighter letters can be hung with mounting tape. If there is nothing to attach the letters to the wall, add the appropriate mounting materials to the back.

7. Hang the first letter on the mark farthest left (from Step 3). Hang the last letter on the mark you made in Step 4 (farthest right). Hang the middle letter of the word on the initial center mark you made. Use a level to make certain the letters are straight.

8. Hang the remaining letters using the instructions from Step 7 as your guide. Stand back from the wall, and make certain the letters are level and spaced equally.