I want to string a ‘high’ tension wire between two walls, for hanging light decorations on. The word ‘high’ is in quotes because it only needs to be tight enough to keep the wire looking level across a 7' span with a few glass ornaments hanging from it:
Unfortunately I don't think that there are any wood studs for me to anchor into. (The drywall is actually facing iron I-beams that are supporting a catwalk and upper hallway.) Even if there were wood studs, the placement of this wire needs to be rather exact (to match built-in furniture below), so I cannot assume the studs would be in the correct spot.
So, I have three questions:
- How would you anchor into the drywall (or the underlying I-beam?!) in a way that will provide enough tensile anchor strength (away from the wall), as opposed to the typical shear strength (along the wall) used by picture hangers and shelves?
- (I found this link testing hanging strength of various mechanisms; if anyone has a similar page for pull strength I would love it.)
How would you tension the wire, if you didn't want an ugly turnbuckle tensioner left on the wire?
What is the most visually minimal way you can think of to secure the wire? In my ideal world, I'd tear a hole in the drywall, anchor and tension the wire inside, and then patch and paint it so that the wire appears to come straight out of the wall. Assuming I'm anchoring into the exterior of the drywall, though, how can I avoid things like ugly wire clamps and thimbles?
