The Easiest Way To Hang A Picture Frame Perfectly The First Time
We have all been there, standing back to admire a new picture, only to realize it is crooked or three inches too low. It usually ends with us making five different nail holes behind the frame that we secretly hope nobody ever sees. It feels so permanent to hammer a nail into drywall and that anxiety can keep us from hanging art at all. But luckily, there is a clever trick that removes all the guesswork completely.
Grab The Tape
You do not need laser levels or fancy rulers to get this right. The secret weapon is actually just a simple roll of painter's tape or masking tape. The problem with using a measuring tape is that it is easy to misread the numbers or forget the exact distance between the two hooks on the back of the frame. Tape acts like a physical template that captures the layout of your frame without taking any mental math.
Creating The Map Of The Frame
Flip your picture frame over so you are looking at the back. Take a long strip of tape and run it horizontally across the back so it covers both hanging holes or D-rings. Once the tape is stuck down, take a pen or a sharpie and make a clear dot right over the center of where the nail needs to go. You are essentially creating a map of the frame hardware right on the tape.
Move The Guide To The Wall
Now, peel that strip of tape off the back of the frame and take it over to your wall. This is the best part because you can stick the tape lightly to the wall and step back to see if it looks centered. You can move it up or down as many times as you want without damaging the paint. Once the tape looks level and perfectly placed, you know exactly where your nails belong.
The Final Step
With the tape still on the wall, go ahead and hammer your nails or screws right through the dots you marked earlier. Once the nails are in, you can just peel the tape away from the wall and throw it in the trash. Now when you go to hang the frame it will slide onto the nails perfectly on the first try. It is incredibly satisfying to feel it lock into place without any struggle.
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It is funny how much time we spend avoiding simple tasks just because we are afraid of messing them up. This little trick gave me the confidence to finally get my gallery wall done after procrastinating it for months. I hope it helps you get those family photos off the floor and onto the walls where they belong. It really does make a house feel more like a home when your memories are on display.
Bliss Donahue-Power
