Top Tips for Hanging Pictures with Ease, Straight from Art Experts

Hanging artwork properly is nearly an art in itself—ensuring each piece is level, securely mounted, and evenly spaced is often more challenging than anticipated. If not done right, you risk crooked frames, wall damage, or awkwardly arranged art.

To hang artwork properly, it's essential to have the right tools and expertise. So, we reached out to art and framing professionals from Minted and Framebridge to share their best advice on how to hang art—so you can focus on the beauty of the artwork itself, rather than the errors around it.

Use Painter’s Tape to Plan Your Layout

If you're arranging several pieces of art, it's a good idea to plan ahead. Chrissy Morford, Minted's general art manager, suggests using painter's tape or even paper cutouts of the same size to help you map out where your art should go. She explains, 'This technique is especially useful for gallery walls or layouts where you want to experiment with the placement before committing.'

Leave Around 2 Inches of Space Between Frames

Determining the ideal space between photos can be tricky, but it doesn't have to be! According to Morford, a 2-inch gap between frames is perfect. 'For spacing, try to maintain consistency—two inches between each frame is a good guideline, but nothing greater than 6 inches apart.'

Hang Art at Eye Level (Sort of)

A popular piece of advice for hanging artwork is to place it at 'eye level,' but this can be misleading. Julia Lovett, Framebridge's head of marketing, points out, 'It’s easy to say you should hang art at ‘eye level,’ but whose eye level is the question, especially if you live with someone who is a very different height than you.' She suggests, instead, hanging art with the vertical center (the midpoint between the top and bottom of the frame) approximately 57 inches from the floor.

She continues, 'This rule applies to both single pieces, such as photos, paintings, and posters, as well as multi-frame layouts like gallery walls. If you're placing frames above furniture such as a couch, bed, or desk, aim for the bottom of the frame to be 7 to 10 inches above the top of the furniture.'

Check the Back of Your Frame

Just like people, not all frames are the same. Some have wire backs, others have sawtooth brackets, and some even feature rings. This will affect how you hang your artwork. Regardless of the type, always mark your wall at the center top where you want the artwork to go.

Then, Morford explains, 'For example, with art that has hanging wires—first, decide where you'd like your art to go. Next, determine where to place the nail or hook and measure the distance from the top of the tightened hanging wire to the top of the frame. Mark the same distance below on your wall. Secure the nail, hook, or screw into a stud or anchor, and then hang your art!'

She notes that sawtooth brackets make it easy to adjust your artwork on the wall. 'The bracket and nail don’t need to be exactly parallel, as the sawtooth design will compensate for any slight difference.' For frames with rings, however, you'll need two nails instead of just one.

Pick the Correct Hanging Hardware

In addition to nails and a hammer, you might need a few extra tools like a stud finder (to avoid hammering nails into the metal frame of your home!) and wall plug anchors for heavier items. Lovett recommends the OOK brand for a wide selection of quality picture-hanging hardware.

If you're worried about making holes and damaging your walls, you can still hang your art without nails. Command Strips work great for pieces under 20 pounds, but Morford swears by 3M’s Claw Picture Hangers for heavier pieces. She says, 'We love them. They're foolproof for large format pieces, heavy artwork, or pieces placed near doors or in high-traffic areas. They hold things in place, even if a door slams.'

Use a Level for Precision

After hanging your artwork, ensure it's perfectly aligned by using a level, so your home doesn’t feel like a quirky, disorienting fun house. Life hack: Many smartphones come with a built-in level function! Lovett advises, 'Simply align the level with the top edge of your frame and adjust until the bubble is centered in the vial. If you don’t have a level tool nearby, try the measure tool on your phone—it’s a fast, convenient, and accurate way to get your frame perfectly aligned.'