this post was submitted on 19 Mar 2025
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I would say get a small kit of picture hangers. These are flat pieces of metal bent into little hooks, with a hole through them at about a 45 degree angle, along with nails that fit through those holes. These allow you to hammer the nail into drywall at an angle, then hang your picture frame wire on the metal hook. The angle makes it so that the nail doesn't pull out of the wall or dig down through the drywall.
Any small claw hammer will do.
Alternatively, you can get those small hooks with adhesive backing. 3M makes their quick-release adhesive strips. These are great if you live in a dorm or a rental or for any reason you don't want to put holes in the wall. The adhesive strip will have a little loose tag end on it, that you pull straight down parallel to the surface it's stuck to to release it.
Thanks dad! So can I just get a cheap claw hammer? It's not worth getting a good one? And how hard do I hit the nail with it?
Cheap is just fine. You could probably use a palm-sized rock in a pinch. Gentle taps to go through drywall, it doesn't take much. If you happen to hit a stud, you'll know. Tap a little harder. You don't want to drive the hook into the drywall, and the nail into only drywall will be able to slide in and out if you mess with it - but don't. That just makes the hole a little bigger, increasing the chances that the nail will tilt and damage the drywall further.
Those picture hook nails may have a couple of little barbs on them to keep the nail from moving around in the hole. Again, tap it in, hook against the drywall, hang your picture.
Thanks dad you're the best!
I'm a fan of using the strips, both because it's flush to the wall (unscrew other hardware if needed) and because if it's not perfectly level you can pull it off and reattach to the backing strip. Works best if you apply to the frame with an inch or two of space from the edges so they're not visible after adjustments.
If it's a heavy frame you'll have to resort to finding a stud to drive a nail in, so pay attention to the weight limits on adhesive strips.
Fathaaaaa, have you ever tried those strips on textured walls? Mine are just the sand/bumpy texture with probably 75 years of paint, so they're not very prominent, but I've been afraid to try and have my pictures fall down
The bumpiness could make nails the better option, although if it's just rough sandpaper texture maybe test by hanging something more durable and see if it falls off. The sticky part on these works fine on matte paint because it's a flexible surface you push on for a bit during install, but it definitely works better on gloss paint or other uniform surfaces.
That's a great tip thanks dad!