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Fell in love with old painting on your trip to the thrift store? Now, you need to know to hang heavy pictures of drywall to display this beauty in your house.
Hanging heavy pictures on drywall seems like a daunting task because you worry that the picture will come crashing down along with all of your drywall facing.
Put your worries away as we will teach you how to hang your favorite pictures on drywall that you have kept in the closet because of their humongous weight.
Which Hanging Hardware is Suitable for Drywall?
There are different hanging tools and hardware that works best with drywall. These would also work on your plaster walls, but we will focus on the drywall in this guide.
Screw-in Anchors
These are the most commonly used anchor for drywall. You can hang up to 25 pounds of load using these anchors.
The reason why these anchors are so popular is that they are available in two materials: plastic and metal. Also, they are very easy to use as you simply have to screw them into the wall using a screwdriver. If you’re using a drill, you may first want to sharpen the drill bits using a drill doctor.
These anchors are suitable for hanging door chimes, heavy pictures, light fixtures, and even bulletin boards for your home office.
Toggle Bolts
Toggle bolts are made of metal, and they are ideal for supporting heavier weights of up to 50 pounds. They are also available in plastic but the plastic ones only hold up to 25 pounds.
You can use toggle bolts for hanging pictures on plaster walls as well. To use them, you have to make a hole in the wall that is big enough to fit the toggle.
Fit your picture frame over the bolt and push the toggle into the wall. Tighten it to keep it in place.
Molly Bolts
These bolts are ideal for hanging up to 50 pounds of weight. Most heavy pictures fall in this weight limit so molly bolts are great hanging hardware for them.
You would have to step up your handyman game to work with molly bolts as they are a little complex to use. If you are using pointed molly bolts, you can hammer them into the wall.
For a non-pointed version, you will have to make an installation hole and these mostly work with plaster walls. Molly bolts can even hold bigger mirrors, curtain rods and shelves so they will surely hold a big picture.
How to Hang a Heavy Picture on Drywall?
Now that you have a little idea about the kind of hanging hardware, you can use, let us go ahead and inform you about the steps involved in this process.
Step 1: Weigh the Item
Before we proceed, let us say that you can use this method for hanging an antique mirror or another such item too. First of all, weigh the picture that you want to hang on the wall.
You can use your bathroom scale for this. The weights are divided into three categories.
Light load: A load of up to 10lbs is considered a light load.
Medium load: A load of up to 25lbs is considered a medium load.
Heavy load: A load of up to 50lbs or more is considered a heavy load.
It is important to weigh the picture so that you can choose the right hanging hardware according to this information.
Step 2: Determine the Hanging Position
Mostly, pictures are hung at eye level so that everyone can appreciate them. In case you’re remodeling the house, you should also be careful of the height for the light switches. Find the right spot for your picture and mark the spot with a pencil. You can also use painter’s tape for this if you have it at home.
Step 3: Mark the Position of the Wall Fastener
Now, you have to mark where the wall fastener goes. This can differ based on the kind of frame you want to hang.
If there is a wire at the back of the frame, pull it up to the highest point where it can go. Start measuring from this highest point to the top of the frame. Make a mark on this new spot with a pencil.
Mark it as X. You have to drill the fastener at this point in the wall.
Measure from the loop to the top of the frame for frames that come with a D-ring or a loop. Remember the original mark you made in Step 2. Measure down this distance from the mark you made in Step 2.
Mark the spot with an X to determine where the fastener will go.
Step 4: Mark a Second Point
If you want the picture to be stable on the wall, go ahead and mark a second hanging point. Use your previous mark as a reference to make the second mark.
Keep in mind that as the distance between the two marks increase, the stability also increases.
Step 5: Drill the Fastener
You are ready to drill the fastener into the drywall now. Choose the appropriate hanging hardware according to the weight of your picture.
Picture Hangers
Picture hangers were used traditionally for hanging heavy pictures. If you insert one nail, the picture hanger will be able to hold up to 25lbs. For heavier loads, use picture hangers with two nails.
Use a hammer to screw the hanger into the marked points on the wall and hang your picture on it.
Anchor Bolt
Use anchor bolts with plastic wings for drywall as they expand out when screwed into the wall. Drill a hole in the diameter and insert the anchor in this hole.
Pull it out. Now, screw it in place, and this will make the anchor active. Screw it out and then back in after attaching a picture hanger to it.
Toggle Bolt
They are the best for heavier loads. Drill a hole in its diameter and insert the bolt into this hole. When you let go, its wings will open up behind the drywall. Pull it out and make it tight using a drill.
Conclusion
That is it! You now know how to hang heavy pictures on drywall, so it should not be an issue when you have to hang a new picture up on the wall.
Impress your friends and family with your beautiful picture collection and keep your drywall safe at the same time.