Tips for Hanging a Gallery Wall

I love gallery walls.  


I just don’t like the process of hanging a gallery wall.


And I certainly don’t like having lots of “do over” holes in the wall due to his my measurements being wrong. 

So here’s an approach I came up with for hanging a gallery wall; hope you find these tips helpful!

First, here’s the small (starter) gallery wall in our den I’ll use for my example.

{"Starter" gallery wall in the den incorporating original watercolors, an IKEA print, and a photo of our dog Beaver}

Tip #1:
I do all my pre-hanging work … composition and mesaurement, on a single sheet of paper laid on the floor.  

Obviously, you’ll need a very large piece of paper and you’ll want it to be heavy duty paper as well; I purchased a large roll of "flooring paper" at the hardware store (typically used to lay on top of newly finished floors to protect the surface during construction, etc.) for around $10.00.  I’ve used this single roll of paper for so many projects that the cost per use is way under 50 cents!  


I’m counting the hardware store paper roll as Tip #2. 

To start planning your gallery wall, lay the paper on the floor and move the pictures around until you like the composition and balance.

Here’s how our “starter” gallery wall recently looked on the floor … you’ll notice at the bottom of the arrangement I needed to add more paper ...  this photo was taken before I used heavy-duty tape and attached another strip of paper. 

{Our gallery wall laid out on the floor in the "planning stage"}

Tip #3:
The in-process photo above is actually my next tip for you.  I took this photo so I could view it on my camera display to make sure this was the layout I wanted.  You see, we perceive spatial relationships differently when we look down at something (pictures on the floor) than when we look forward at something (picture on the wall); looking down at items can distort and skew shapes.  By "proofing" my layout on my camera's display held in front of me, it more closely simulates how the arrangement would be viewed on a wall.  Or, you can display the proofing photo on your computer.

Once you have an arrangement you like, make sure the pictures are squarely positioned relative to each other and the spacing between pictures is what you want.  Then, using a Sharpie marker, trace around each picture to transfer an outline to the paper. 

Here’s how the layout paper will look when complete and taped to the wall (low tack tape, please!) as a hanging guide.  See the picture outlines?

{The hanging guide taped to the wall}

Even though I'm showing the hanging guide on the wall, let's look closer at a detail you'll need to add before you tape the guide to the wall ...

For each outline on the hanging guide, you’ll need to measure and mark the position of the hanging device (wire or hook) on the back of each picture. You’ll want to mark both: 

• the distance from the top of the picture and 
• the distance from the side of the picture (typically the center of the picture unless you have a picture with 2 hooks on the back).

Now there is one final set of measures and marks to make; this could be done before you tape the guide to the wall, of after.  But since I mentioned hanging the guide, when you do that step make sure you use a level and check multiple horizontal lines on the guide to ensure they are level.  Sorry, I forgot to take a photo of that step ... that's a newbie blogger in training goof!

So now here's the last set of marks you need to make; you need to mark where you will place the nail for your picture hangers.

For example, let's say you have a 2" hanger; the bottom of the hanger (the hook part) will align with the bottom of your vertical mark ... but that isn't where you'll place the nail. The nail is at the top of the hanger which means you need to measure up from the bottom of the vertical mark 2" to determine where the nail will be placed; mark a dot or line at the nailing position on the vertical line.

Once you've marked the nailing position for all pictures, grab a hammer and enjoy!  In just a few minutes you'll be able to stand back and admire :)  OK, it may feel like it was a lot of prep time to arrive at the point where you get to swing that hammer, but it's that good old 80/20 rule ... 80% planning, 20% doing.  At least for me using this technique for hanging gallery walls, there isn't an additional amount of time for re-do'ing!

{spray paint saved the day for these picture frames}

The pictures I used for this starter section of the den gallery wall were originally each in different rooms in the house; I used spray paint to unify the frames for a cohesive look allowing me to repurpose these pictures for use in the den.


I've written before about the den being the "room of misfit furniture" and that includes these misfit pictures; you can read that post here.  


Perhaps you already know that our den used to be our dining room and that we've flip-flopped our downstairs floor plan; if you are interested in more detail on that switch you can read about it here. 


I have a few pillows to make for the sofa and some trim to sew on the curtains and then I'll post a full reveal of the den.  You can check back at your convenience for the reveal or become a Follower so you'll automatically know when I post that update.


Thanks so much for visiting and I hope you found some helpful tips for hanging gallery walls.  


If you already have a gallery wall post on your blog feel free to leave the URL in a comment below as I'd love to come look (and I'm sure others will hop over as well).


If you use my approach for hanging a gallery wall in the future please stop back and leave a comment letting me know how it worked for you ... and links to your photos if you have them.

------ This post is linked to the following: ----------

A Bowl Full Of Lemons, http://abowlfulloflemons.blogspot.com/2011/08/one-project-at-time-tuesday-link-party_30.html
Debbie-Doos Blogging and Blabbing, http://debbie-debbiedoos.blogspot.com/2011/08/upcycled-wood-pallet-2-newbie-party.html
Home Stories A to Z, Tutorials & Tips Tuesday Link Party {27} | Home Stories A to Z
Savvy Southern Style, Savvy Southern Style: Wow Us Wednesdays 29
DIY Design,DIY by Design: Sizzle into Summer - It's a Party #29
Clean and Scentsible, Clean & Scentsible: The Creative Spark {No. 6}
Somewhat Simple,SYS Blog Link Party + Jacquilyn Avery Giveaway | Somewhat Simple

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