I'm so useless, I can't even hang a picture!

jap200

All I am trying to do is to hang a picture on a very solid wall. I now have 3 bent nails and 3 holes in the wall where small chunks of plaster have fallen out as I bang!

Where am I going wrong?

Also, I have another 9 pictures to hang!

robhav

I have used these many times.

Make sure you get the correct size for your needs.

jap200

robhav wrote: »

I have used these many times.

Make sure you get the correct size for your needs.

OK - I've never seen those before. Are they really strong enough to hold quite a big picture and do they go in without the wall crumbling?

maninthestreet

Don't use nails! Use a screw with a wallplug - you'll need a drill with a masonary bit to drill the hole in the wall first, the right size for the wallplug. Then insert the wallplug, and screw the screw into the wallplug.

robhav

The large ones I linked to have a weight limit of 4 kg. I have used them many times and they do work. They are cheap and you can get them in places like Wilkinsons as well.

If the picture weighs more than 4 kg or the walls are very crumbly then your only option might be to use a screw and rawlplug which requires the use of a hammer drill.

jap200

I did think of the drill/rawl plug option, but thought it might be overkill just for hanging a picture. However, when I look at the mess I have already made on my newly painted wall...........

I think I will have a go with the drill for the large picture and try the other things for the batch of small photos in frames that I want to hang next.

Good job I have plenty of the paint left for patching up!

dander

Be sure your wall really is hard if you're using the hard wall hooks - the pins don't go in very far, so they're not very effective if they only reach into a soft layer - in my experience you get strange clunking noises in the middle of the night, and then you find your pictures on the floor.:rolleyes:

pealy

If your walls are anything like mine and crumble badly when you drill then think about:

(a) Start with a much smaller drill than the plug and work up the sizes to get the right sized hole.
(b) Have a pack of wet'n'fix handy. When a 5mm drill makes a 15mm hole they're really useful!

Eg: http://www.screwfix.com/prods/77888/Fixings/Wall-Plugs/Fischer-Wet-N-Fix-Pack-of-50

superjaggybunnet

Check out the 3M picture hangers. No nails or screws required therefore no holes in the walls!

http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/EU-Command/Home/Products/Hanging/

jap200

superjaggybunnet wrote: »

Check out the 3M picture hangers. No nails or screws required therefore no holes in the walls!

http://solutions.3m.co.uk/wps/portal/3M/en_GB/EU-Command/Home/Products/Hanging/

Thanks for that - they look wierd! The big picture would be too heavy as they apparently only hold 1Kg, but I might give them a go for the smaller ones.

missile

For large pictures on solid walls, I use rawl plugs and two hooks. Use a spirit level and measure twice.