If you've ever hung framed art before,
undoubtedly you were uncertain, at some point, how high or how low on the wall to position your piece. To simplify this step, here's a good tip to take all the decision making out of the process so you can get your art on the wall a little more quickly and begin to enjoy it.

Most every image has a main subject or focal point that the eye will discover first. We want to set this focal point at eye level on the wall. If your name is Bill Walton, you may want to set it a little lower than that. This is a general beginning point. If you're hanging art over furniture and are grouping other items on the wall with it, you'll want to consider the entire grouping as one piece and find its focal point or center of balance and perhaps set this point at eye level if your wall space and setting allows. Hanging a grouping of art pieces requires a little different approach than what is being explained here and is a more involved process. The goal here is to get you rolling with a single framed piece that you can hang quickly and accurately. So let's do it!

You'll need to have a hammer, pencil & paper, measuring tape, yardstick and a level ready before we get started. You may own a precision contractors level with a built in measuring edge equipped with blinking lights, FM stereo and laser beams. This would be ideal but a simple pocket level set on a wood or aluminum yardstick is fine. Not all of these items are required but they will make the job much easier.

The first step is to determine where the frame will be centered on the wall. If it is going to be the center piece of one wall, that's an easy calculation by dividing the total wall distance in half. If it is not centered on the wall, set the frame on the floor against the wall in the area you are considering and step back several feet to view its position. Make adjustments until you are satisfied you've found the right spot, then measure the distance from the edge of the wall to the center of the frame. Hold this measurement directly in front of you at eye level and make a small vertical pencil mark 8 to 10 inches above eye level. This is our CENTER although the height is approximate and will be fine tuned momentarily.

With the aid of an assistant, hold your framed art up against the wall with the previously mentioned "focal point" right at eye level and have the person assisting you make a small pencil line where the bottom of the frame meets the wall. Now you can set your art down and catch your breath. We'll want to measure from the floor up to your pencil line and write down this measurement.

When you attach your hardware to the wall, you'll always want to use 2 hooks for every framed piece even on frames that are as small as 16 x 20 inches overall. This will keep the frame level on your wall and more stable. The next measurement we'll need to determine is the distance between each hook. One quick reliable method for finding this measurement is to divide the total width of your frame in half and use that as your gauge (for example, a 40" wide frame would hang well on hooks installed 20" apart). Round this measurement off to an even number and write it down on your paper too.

We're almost ready to get the hammer out and make some noise. The next measurement you'll need is the distance from the bottom of the frame to the wire as you hold the wire stretched taut with the correct amount of hook spread (20" if your frame is 40" wide). Do this by pulling up on the wire with both index fingers to the measured spread distance and then leave one finger in place to get your measurement. By following these steps, you are ensuring that your frame will be accurately hung to the correct height and placement you yourself have determined. It's almost hammer time.

Now we add the distance from the floor to the pencil line and the distance from the bottom of the frame to the tightened wire to get our TOTAL HEIGHT. With the measuring tape, measure up from the floor to the CENTER we indicated with the first pencil line to our TOTAL HEIGHT distance and make a small horizontal pencil line. Make another vertical line through this horizontal line to form a crosshair pattern and this will define our true CENTER and TOTAL HEIGHT.

To Be Continued... Click Here!