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I have a large (est. 5'x7') sheet of plastic foam with a poster printed on it. It weighs maybe 3 lb and is reasonably stiff.

I'd like to hang it on a solid rectangular concrete pillar about 2' wide. The pillar is rough but flat and is covered with paint. Everything is indoors, in a large office building.

I'd avoid drilling concrete for such a light load.

One way would be using large amounts of 2-sided adhesive tape: 5'x2' contact area seems enough. Will such attachment last?

What are other options?

Actual solution

I used 10 Velcro-based adhesive 3M stripes (2 packs of 5 stripes, ~$10 total) which stuck to the concrete quite well, and made mounting/adjusting the poster rather easy. Multiple points of contact hopefully provide some redundancy for the case of any one strip unsticking.

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  • nail it in it's not drilling and the holes are much more easily hidden
    – ratchet freak
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 0:14
  • How windy is the area, and how long will your poster be hung? Winds will stress your mounting and possibly tear the poster.
    – Kevin Reid
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 14:09
  • @KevinReid: the area is not windy, it's indoors. I'll update the question.
    – 9000
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 15:02

3 Answers 3

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Google 3M Command products. We have successfully used these to hold items to brick, so I imagine that they would work with concrete - especially if the concrete is sealed or painted.

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Tape and concrete don't really mix that well. It might initially hold, but it will eventually let go.

The best solution is to drill a hole and use a light concrete anchor or concrete nail. Alternatively, you can use a special metal band that wraps the pole and has an attachment on it (sorry, I don't know the exact name of these) - they are often use for street signs like in the below image.

Metal Band
Image Source: http://isostainless.com

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  • 1
    You could easily use cable ties for this sort of thing.
    – Ambo100
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 13:59
  • I suppose, but they don't really have anything to anchor to. Also, a lot of cable ties aren't really that strong - they are for tieing cables together, not supporting loads. And a 2'x2' column needs a cable tie that is over 8' long - I've never seen one of those!
    – Steven
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 14:45
  • The idea of metal or plastic strips looks interesting, thanks.
    – 9000
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 15:04
  • @Steven: I can easily find metallic cable ties that are long enough (30cm/11.8 inches). They're strong enough to hold up a poster when fully tightened.
    – Ambo100
    Commented Mar 16, 2012 at 15:11
  • @Ambo100 8'= 96". I think Steven is right in saying that cable ties that long will be extremely hard to find.
    – Doresoom
    Commented Apr 3, 2012 at 18:53
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Depending on how artistic you want it to appear you might try some wide ribbon available at sewing supply store.Wrap it around the pillar twice and tie in a knot.If the pillar is rough the surface should keep it from sliding downThen hang the poster to the ribbon with ahook.If you dont mind a more industrial look you could try a canvas cargo strap with a spring loaded buckle available at camping or outdoor stores.You could also try tying a 1x2 inch board to the pillar.Let the bottom rest on the floor so the strap is only holding it to the pillar not supporting any weight.You can then screw the poster to the board.May be paint the exposed board for better appearance.

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