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Who among us has not looked at a newly framed picture, then looked at their wall and thought, “Eh, surely I can eye-ball it this time.” Hanging pictures should be an easy feat, but so often they end up uncentered or slightly crooked, causing us to add more holes the wall than intended or desired. The next time you hang pictures or artwork in your home, use one of these 10 hacks so they’re level and evenly spaced on the first try.
Use a small ball as a makeshift level to hang pictures
A level is essential when hanging art—a frame that’s even slightly crooked will be an eyesore, and if you’re hanging multiple pieces in a group, it’s even more important that everything be level. If you forgot to grab your level, or you don’t have one, you can use a small ball, like a ping pong ball or a marble. Place it on top of the frame and adjust until the ball sits still, then mark it on the wall.
Use painter’s tape to accurately space two nails when hanging a picture
If your frame has two widely spaced hooks, knowing where to insert your nail, screw, or other fastener on the wall can be a mind-bending challenge. But if you have some painter’s tape on hand, it’s easy: Place a piece of tape across the back of the frame, with the top of the tape lined up with the top of the hooks. Mark the position of the hooks with a marker or pen, then remove the tape and place it on the wall at the desired height. Using a level, adjust the tape until it’s placed correctly. Then drive your nails right through the tape at the marked locations, remove the tape, and hang your picture. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Use toothpaste to help you mark the spots where hooks or nails need to go
An alternative to the painter’s tape method is to use some toothpaste (or any gooey, sticky stuff that will wash off your wall easily). Mark the hooks on the back of the frame with a gob of toothpaste, check that it’s level and at the desired height on your wall, then press the frame against the wall. The toothpaste will mark the precise spot where you need to drive your nails to hang the frame. Insert your fasteners, clean everything up, and hang that picture in the perfect spot. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Make this quick DIY tool to mark the spot for a hook or nail when hanging a picture
If you have spare cardboard (a cereal box will do) and a pin or thumbtack, you can make a little DIY tool that will make marking the spot for a hook or nail easy. Cut out a rectangle of cardboard, then cut a tab at the bottom that’s narrow enough to fit through the hook on the back of the frame. Slide the tab through, and push a pin or tack through from the back. Then push the picture into the wall at the right spot, and the pin will create a tiny hole where your hook or nail needs to be. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Use string to guide a hook onto a nail when hanging a picture
Got the nail in the wall, but can’t seem to catch the hook on the picture frame? Get a piece of string and loop it around the nail, then adjust so the ends are even. Take both ends together and run them through the hook, then pull the string tight as you bring the frame toward the wall. The string will guide the hook right onto the nail, no guesswork required. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Use a fork to guide wire onto a nail when hanging a picture
If your frame uses a wire across the back to catch a nail or hook in the wall, you know that sometimes you question your own perception of reality as you repeatedly fail to catch the hook on the wire. There’s an easy hack: Grab a fork from the kitchen and place it on the nail or hook in the wall so it leans outward. Then hook the wire onto the stem of the fork and slide the frame down, letting the fork guide the wire down. When it’s hooked, remove the fork and admire your work. (And wash the fork, probably.) Here’s a visual tutorial.
Hang pictures with Monkey Hooks if you don’t want to use any tools
Hanging art on drywall and dread all the mess and trouble of drilling or nailing? Skip it by using Monkey Hooks instead. These are self-drilling pieces of wire—you just poke them through the wall with a tiny bit of elbow grease—that spin around and provide strong, secure hooks that can hold up to 50 pounds of weight, all without a single tool. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Make this paper template when you’re hanging multiple pictures in one area
If you’re going to be hanging multiple frames on the wall, grab some paper and create a template first. You can use wrapping paper, butcher paper or any kind of paper you have lying around or can get your hands on cheap (you can also use cardboard if that’s what you have on hand). Lay your frames out on the paper and trace them carefully. Then use the toothpaste or cardboard/nail hacks described above to mark where the nails need to be placed. Hang the template on the wall (ensuring it’s level), hammer in your nails, remove the template, and hang your frames. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Use an envelope to catch dust when drilling to hang a picture
If you’re going to drill or nail into your walls to hang pictures, you’re going to get a lot of annoying dust all over the place, unless you use a very simple hack: Tape an envelope to the wall underneath where you’ll be drilling. It will catch all that dust and save you the extra step of vacuuming afterward. If you don’t have any envelopes (or tape), some Post-it Notes will do in a pinch—just fold one in half and stick it to the wall under the spot where you’ll be drilling, and it will catch that dust. You can combine more than one Post-it if you need to. Here’s a visual tutorial.
Use your own saliva to mark the spot where you need to hang a picture
If all else fails, and you need to hang a framed picture but you are short on time or patience, there’s a simple solution: Lick the back of your finger, curl it over the hanging hook on the back of the frame, and place it against the wall at the desired height (typically around 57-60 inches from the floor). Your own saliva will leave a faint, temporary mark on the wall where you can confidently place your hook without fuss or delay.