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I would like to hang this fairly large framed picture on my living room wall. The frame measures 167x75cm, and weighs roughly 8.5kg. Both top and bottom of the frame had snapped previously (while being transported from abroad), and have recently been repaired by a local framing specialist. Here is a photo of the back of it - you can see the 4 metal braces where the repair took place:

back of picture frame

The wall it needs to go on is a 9mm plasterboard with 30mm insulation board on top. As you can see in the photo the frame already has two D rings fixed to the frame for hanging from two hooks.

I would like to put any fixings into the studs which are 400mm apart. Unfortunately to get the picture in the centre of the room, both D rings fall more or less halfway between studs.

Would anyone be able to provide some advise on the most secure way to hang this please? The two options I've thought of are:

  1. Rotate the D rings 90 degrees so they point each other, attach a cord/wire, and hang on two screws screwed into the 2 closest studs (roughly 200mm from each D ring)
  2. Hang using 2 hooks to match the current position of the D rings, and fix into the plasterboard using some kind of drywall fixing.

If going for the cord/wire option, do I want to use a cord or wire? And should it be attached taut or with plenty of slack?

If fixing to drywall I would assume a metal spring toggle would be the most suitable - however I've never seen drywall fixings used where there is insulation board in front of the plasterboard, and not really visualise if that gets in the way of the fixing at all?

Also should I worry about the stability of the frame at all after the snap and repair? The braces look to be strong but I suppose the frame still won't have its full original strength?

Any advise would be much appreciated! I'm just really nervous that if not done properly, the picture will fall one day and knock someone out...

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3 Answers 3

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I'd use picture wire between the two D-rings to hang the picture. Leave some slack in the wire, as that will give you some scope for adjustment to make sure it can hang level.

Usually, I'd suggest picture hooks, but with insulation in front of the plasterboard, my suggestion would be to drive decent length screws into the studs, leaving the head protruding a little, and hang the picture wire over the screw heads

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    The more slack on the wire, the less force trying to pull the sides together. When the wire is nearly taught, the force pulling the sides into each other is multiplied many times (5 to 30) by the weight of the picture + frame. As the wire droops to be at 45 degrees, the force decreases toward 70% of the weight.
    – wallyk
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 7:53
  • @wallyk - Excellent point.
    – Chris Cudmore
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 13:44
  • @John - Thanks for the precise suggestion which is what I was hoping for. With the 30mm insulation + another 5mm or so protruding, I assume the screw would need to belong enough for me to get about 40mm of it inside the stud?
    – Fan Yang
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 14:13
  • @wallyk - sorry for my ignorance but is it good or bad to have a lot of force pulling the sides into each other..?
    – Fan Yang
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 14:14
  • @FanYang: Generally it is not useful and, if strong enough, will damage the frame, pull out the fasteners into the frame, or break the wire.
    – wallyk
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 16:40
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Depending on your taste, and the number of pictures you'll be hanging. Here are a few other options...

Picture Rail

Picture rail is a type of molding that is installed around the top of the room, about 7-9 feet above the floor.

Picture Rail

You then use picture wire, and picture rail hooks to hang pictures. Many different types of hooks can be found, from very basic to ornate.

Picture WirePicture Rail Hook

enter image description here

Picture Ledge

Picture ledges are also an option, and come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. They can even be custom made, to suit your style.

Picture Ledges

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  • We built a ledge in our dining room to solve this: we love it.
    – Nathan DeWitt
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 13:31
  • I have considered the picture ledge before but didn't believe it would hold the weight. The height of my picture is also way over the recommended 35cm limit for the ledge I was looking at from IKEA. The rails probably won't be suitable for the room but they may suit another one of our rooms well - I assume they are fixed to multiple studs and therefore will not have any issue with weight?
    – Fan Yang
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 14:06
  • I've hung a 20 lb. mirror (about the same as your 8.5 kg item) using this method. I didn't want the wire to be visible, so I used fishing line designed to support 50 lbs. It worked great and you could barely see the wire it was hanging from.
    – Katie Kilian
    Commented Oct 22, 2013 at 20:48
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The picture should be hung using braided steel picture wire between the two D rings. Pictures need two support points to both spread the load and to allow a steady hang that does not swing.

I would strongly recommend Ook type hooks

ook

The heavy duty versions can support up to about 100 lbs.

If the surface is not as solid as drywall, consider using anchors with hooks attached. A discussion of various kinds of anchors can be found here.

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