By Laura Jean Whitcomb

What’s the quickest way to decorate a room? Take some photos of family and friends, mount them in nice frames and you’ve filled that blank space with some personality. Or find some artwork that speaks to you — a watercolor of a Vermont landscape, for example — and hang it where you can see it every day.

It may sound easy, but hanging photos and artwork does take a bit of planning — and patience. If you’re like the majority of frame aficionados, hanging photos or artwork is sometimes done by trial and error.

“I stand behind the installer and direct: a bit higher, a bit lower, a little to the left, a little to the right,” says Eleanor Shepard from Shepard Interior Selections in Quechee, Vt. “I don’t use any set standards; I do it visually.”

Here are some tips to help you through the process.

Grouping Photos

Hanging just one photo can be a daunting task — what about hanging a group of photos? Before you get out the hammer, arrange a trial grouping on the floor. Stand on a chair and view it from different angles. Or, make photocopies of your photos and use low tack painter’s tape to hang them directly on the wall. Stand back and view the arrangement.

It’s common to hang photos and artwork too high. Experts suggest hanging pictures at eye level, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches.

Daniel Kelly, owner of Duke’s Art & Frame Shop in Hanover, N.H., provides this advice: “Measure the space where the grouping is to be hung, then arrange the art on the floor as near the space as possible. Keep the perimeters of the grouping within the measure of the space.

If hanging above a sofa, observe the height of the sitters; above tables, consider the objects that are displayed on top. Try to establish a high and low borderline and maintain it.”

There’s a lot you can do with a grouping. Pick a favorite frame and make that the center of your picture arrangement. Hang other photographs around the center to finish off the look. You can use frames with the same finishes or just the same color to unify the gallery of photos. Or you can use frames of different colors and finishes, just make sure they all have similar widths.

“Group photos by subject, style or color — whatever your eye tells you,” suggests Andrew Korn from the Red Roof Frame Shop in West Lebanon, N.H. “If a group of photos have a lot in common, put them together. If they don’t, don’t.”

“Look at images and how they relate to each other. Don’t be afraid of experimenting,”says Karen Miller, education director at AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H.

Location, Location, Location

Choose a safe location for photos. Avoid direct sunlight, heat sources and areas with high humidity such as bathrooms. There are exceptions. “Though I would never hang valuable original art and/or photos in a bathroom, professionally glazed and sealed framed art will generally do well in a vented room,” says Kelly. “If the room has a condensation problem, fine art grade Plexiglas glazing can reduce or eliminate condensation in a frame.”

How High?

It’s common to hang photos and artwork too high. Experts suggest hanging pictures at eye level, between 5 feet 8 inches and 5 feet 10 inches. Hang lower in areas where people are usually seated (such as a dining room) and higher where people are standing (such as a hallway).

Korn notes that this is a subjective process. “Your decisions should also be based on wall size, art size, etc.,” he says. For example, photos and artwork hung at waist height will bring more attention to the furniture in the room, while photos hung higher will bring more attention to a cathedral ceiling.

When in doubt, go for eye level. “Generally you hang a picture so that you don’t have to adjust the angle of your head in order to see it,” says Kelly. “Since eye level might fluctuate in any given household, a comfortable medium should be found.”

Stud or no stud?

It’s a misconception that you have to find a stud in the wall to hang a picture. “You’ll need a stud only for very large artwork, such as glass over 20-by-35 inches,” says Korn.

“Picture hangers are meant to carry the weight of the picture. And use hangers — nails will bend and your art will fall off the wall and crash.”

“It is seldom necessary to find a wall stud in order to hang most pictures,” agrees Kelly. “Even mirrors and larger pictures generally require no more than the appropriately sized picture hooks. Wall studs are only necessary when hanging framed oversized plate mirror or possibly cast metal or stone works that are extremely heavy. These items usually require steel cable rather than picture wire, and are usually hung from two or more heavy lag screws drilled directly into wall studs.”

The classic brass hangers used to hang framed pieces are available in three sizes, and are capable of holding up to 40 pounds of weight. The 20- and 30-pound hangers take one nail, while the 40 pound takes two nails. If the artwork is large, AVA’s Miller suggests using two hooks spaced apart to distribute the weight equally.

Grab the Hammer

To hang art on wood or drywall (sheetrock) walls, you’ll need some tools: a light hammer, tape measure, a pencil with an eraser and picture hooks with hardened steel nails. For plaster/lathe walls, you will also need a portable drill with picture hook nails secured in drill chuck instead of a drill bit, white artist tape, 1H drywall screws and a screw bit.

“When installing picture hooks on plaster walls, I will mark my spot, cover the mark with a piece of white artist tape, drill a hole where the nail is to be with the nail bit held at the appropriate angle, being sure to penetrate the wood lathe beneath the plaster,” describes Kelly. “Then I insert the nail or nails through the picture hook and secure in the wall with a light tap of the hammer. If I’m hanging something heavy or if the plaster seems exceedingly soft, I drill a dry-
wall screw through the hook into the lathe for extra security.”

When hanging pictures on a papered wall, use a razor knife to cut a small V in the paper, lift the V and attach the hanger under it. Later, if the picture is removed, you can glue the flap of the paper back down and the damage to the wallpaper will be unnoticeable.

Don’t Rock the Boat

Do photos rock when you pass by? “Use two hooks on either side to stabilize,” says Korn. “Just make sure they are level.”

Some Web sites say to use putty, but that might stain the wall. Kelly suggests felt or rubber “bumpers” on the backs of pictures where they contact the wall. “These bumpers will usually keep pictures from tilting and also allow “breathing space” in order to eliminate condensation transfer from the walls to the artwork,” he says. “In extreme cases, one can install special hanging devices which will eliminate tilting.”