How to Hang a Large Painting

Hang a large painting to create a focal point.

Adding a large painting to any wall in the house not only enhances the room’s décor but it also creates a focal piece for the room. Once you've chosen your painting, hanging it properly is essential to keep it prominent in the space and proportional to the rest of the décor. Hanging a large painting is just like hanging any other work of art--it should be easy to view and secure on the wall.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Painting
• Measuring tape
• Pencil
• Drill
• Screwdriver
• 2 large molly bolts

1. Choose a location in your home for the large painting. To keep the painting a focal piece, choose a wall that has minimal architectural design and no other wall art.

2. Determine the height at which you want the picture to hang on the wall. Picture Hang Solutions suggests the horizontal line in the painting should be at eye level. Even if people of different heights look at the painting, no one should need to strain his neck looking up or down at the art.

3. Measure the width of the painting to determine where to install the bolts. To provide enough support, the painting will need to hang on anchors at least three to four inches in from the frame’s two outer edges. Mark these points on the wall in pencil.

4. Drill holes into the wall at the marked locations.

5. Place a bolt in the first hole and, with a screwdriver, turn the molly's screw clockwise. Stop screwing the bolt once you feel a heavy resistance, which indicates it is fully inside the wall. Insert and screw a bolt in the second hole. Natural Handyman reports that the largest size molly bolts can hold up to 50 pounds, so adding two of them to distribute the weight of the painting is suitable.

6. Hang the wire cord on the back of the painting onto the molly anchors and adjust as necessary to make the painting straight.

References

• Picture Hang Solutions: Picture Hanging FAQs
• Natural Handyman: You Can Hang ALMOST Anything With Wall Anchors