There are countless ways
to decorate your home with pictures, mirrors shelves and heirlooms. With such
methods you need to consider the type of fastening that’s best suited to your
decor choices to ensure they not only look good – but are safe and don’t damage
your walls.
Staying well under the
weight allowance for your hooks is a sure fire way to ensure you don’t get
startled by any nasty surprises. Read on to discover what methods there are to
hang a variety of objects on your wall:
Mirrors: Use Mirror Clips
Mirror clips are a
fantastic for handing a mirror of any weight on to a wall. However hanging
circular or oval mirrors can be a little trickier as you need to be more
considerate on where to install the clips. Hander clips with elongated screw
holes are great because you can slide along a fastener and is a very cost
effective method for hanging a mirror.
To hang a mirror – hold
your mirror the exact place you want it to hang, and then trace with a pencil
around the top and bottom edges to measure out your mirror placement. Install
two clips along the bottom and two more clips at the top. Place the mirror in the two bottom clips;
push the mirror against the wall, then slide the top two clips over the mirror
edge.
Masonry: Concrete anchors
If you happen to have
concrete or blog walls then you’ll need concrete wall anchors. These anchors
can support heavy items such as a TV, large picture frame or heavy memorabilia.
TIP: A masonry drill bit
with a cross tip design allows for easier and smoother drilling into dense
materials such as concrete.
TVs: Mounting Bracket
Although
TV’s are becoming flatter and more lightweight, a solid bracket is still
required when installing them on to a wall.
Ensure your bracket fits the size of your TV – some
brackets are also stationary or dynamic which lets you move the TV round for a
different view. Before hanging your TV it’s good to observe if you want the
cords to dangle down or fish them through your wall (which can be a tricky job
and requires patching it up). Brackets
require securing them into wall studs using lag bolts which are usually
supplied with the bracket set you purchase.
Tapestry: Tapestry clamps
The cleanest and best way
to hang tapestry is to use a set of tapestry clamps – if you were to drive
nails through your tapestry this can result in some nasty holes which can
elongate all the way down upon being hung.
Tapestry clamps solve
this problem by fastening them to the wall then clamping them onto some
tapestry to hold them in place. Ensure you rotate your tapestry every couple of
months to prevent uneven fading and stress on one direction of the fabric.
Heavy picture frames: Picture/French Cleats
Open back pictures are
notoriously difficult to hang in place. Cleats are a fantastic solution as all
you need to do is attached one piece of the interlocking bracket to the top and
back of your picture. The second piece gets fastened to the wall and the
picture can then be mounted on the cleat.
Light pictures and hooks: Command strips
Command adhesives are on
the rise due to leaving no visible damage or residue – making them perfect for
rented properties.
The regular Command strips work well in most indoor surfaces and locations, whilst the clear strips work best on very smooth surfaces. If you’re planning to hang something outside or in your bathroom, be sure to get the strips rated for outdoor use or bathroom use. Every pack also contains a recommended weight so keep your hanging item weight in mind to avoid any nasty breakages.
Trays, plats and quirky items: Disc Hanger
Disc hangers are perfect
for adding decorative/collectable plates but are also great for other pieces of
wall decor.
Clean your decor/plate
with soapy water to prevent any contamination that might affect the adhesion.
Dampen the adhesive side of the disc hanger and rub between your hands to get
the glue activated. When the adhesive is in a tacky state - apply it to your
wall firmly and leave to dry for a full 24 hours before use. Most disc hangers
come with rings that can be used to determine the strength of the adhesion (and
succession).
Wooden items: Picture wire
A picture wire is an old
classic form of hanging a picture frame on your wall and is great if you
already have nails in your wall to hang your decor from.
Simply attach D-rings to
either side of your frame (we recommend a quarter of the way down from the top
of the frame) and hook your wire from each side – adjust the wire as necessary
to ensure it fits, then knot the wire to secure it.
Bio
Christina is a marketing
executive for Drill Service –
founded in the 60’s specialises in a variety of cutting and drilling tools, and
are specialists in deep hole and micro hole drilling down to 0.05mm. They stock
European and US-based brands, as well as manufacture their own specials for an
array of jobs and uses.