The frame protects the painting from everything except the most common way paintings are destroyed, which is falling off the wall. That is a hardware problem, and it is entirely avoidable.
Two principles cover almost all of it. Hang from two points, never one. And rate the hardware well above the actual weight, because the load when something is knocked is far higher than the load when it is hanging still.
Match the hardware to the weight
| Finished weight |
Use |
Notes |
| Under 2 kg |
Sawtooth hanger |
One fixing point, so small work only. Tilts easily. |
| 2 to 9 kg |
Two D-rings and wire, on two hooks |
The common set-up. The wire is the weak link. |
| 9 to 20 kg |
Two D-rings straight onto two hooks, no wire |
Sits flat, stays level, nothing to stretch. |
| Over 20 kg |
French cleat |
Spreads the load along a rail. Into studs. |
Weigh the finished piece, not the artwork. Glass is heavy, and a large glazed frame can easily be three times the weight of the artwork inside it.
Why wire is the usual failure
Wire is convenient and it is what most frames arrive with, but it has three weaknesses. It stretches over years, so a picture that hung level slowly drops. It concentrates the entire load at a single hook, whatever it is attached to at the frame end. And braided wire fatigues where it flexes over the hook, which is invisible until it parts.
Past about 9 kg, skip it. Two D-rings hooked directly onto two wall hooks is stronger, cannot stretch, and holds the picture flat and level permanently. It is also easier to hang straight, because the picture cannot swing.
If you do use wire, fit the D-rings about a third of the way down the sides, not at the top, and keep the wire tight enough that it does not rise above the top of the frame when lifted.
The French cleat
Two interlocking bevelled rails, one on the wall and one on the frame. The weight is carried along the entire length of the rail rather than at two points, the picture sits flat against the wall, and it cannot be knocked off its hooks.
This is the correct answer for anything heavy, anything very wide, and anything in a public or commercial space. It is also what to use for a diptych or triptych, because a single rail keeps all the panels on one line. See framing a diptych or triptych.
What is behind the wall
This decides more than the hardware does.
Drywall alone
Holds very little. A nail or a picture hook in bare drywall is fine for a couple of kilos and unreliable above that, because the fixing crushes the gypsum around it and gradually works loose.
For 2 to 9 kg use a proper anchor: a self-drilling threaded anchor or a plastic expansion plug. Above 9 kg use a toggle bolt, which opens out behind the board and spreads the load, or find a stud.
Studs
The right answer for anything heavy. Studs in most homes here are at 400 mm or 600 mm centres. Find them with a detector, confirm by drilling a small pilot hole, and screw directly into the timber. A screw into a stud will hold far more than anything you are likely to hang.
Plaster over lath
Common in older Vancouver houses. Drill slowly, never hammer, because the plaster keys behind the lath break easily and you can bring down a patch. Fix into the lath itself or into a stud, not into plaster alone.
Concrete and brick
Common in condos, particularly on party walls and structural columns. You need a masonry bit and a hammer drill, plus a sleeve anchor or plug. It holds enormous weight once in. Check your building's rules first: some strata bylaws restrict drilling into concrete, and post-tensioned slabs must never be drilled without professional advice, because there are tensioned cables inside them.
Height and levelling
Centre of the picture at about 145 to 150 cm from the floor. Over furniture, leave roughly 150 to 250 mm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the frame, which matters more than the absolute height.
To place the hooks accurately: measure from the top of the frame down to the taut hanging point, then subtract that from where the top of the frame should sit. Measuring from the top of the frame without accounting for the drop is the reason so many pictures end up too high.
Bumpers
Small self-adhesive felt or rubber pads on the bottom two corners of the back. They keep the frame off the wall so air can circulate behind it, stop the frame marking the paint, and let you nudge it level without it slipping straight back. They cost almost nothing and every framed piece should have them.
Choosing a fixing: our guide to hanging hardware and wall types covers drywall, plaster and concrete, and how to weigh a framed piece before picking an anchor.
Choosing a fixing: our guide to hanging hardware and wall types covers drywall, plaster and concrete, and how to weigh a framed piece before picking an anchor.
Common questions
How much weight can a picture hook hold?
Whatever the wall behind it allows, which is usually less than the hook is rated for. A hook rated for 20 kg in bare drywall is a 20 kg hook in a wall that will not hold 20 kg. The fixing into the wall is the limit, not the hook.
Should I hang from the picture rail if the room has one?
Yes, if it is genuinely fixed into studs, which in an old house is not a safe assumption. Check before hanging anything heavy. Keep the cords vertical and parallel rather than splayed.
Do you fit the hardware before shipping?
Yes. Anything we frame ships with hardware fitted and rated for the finished weight, so it is ready to hang on arrival. See ready to hang, explained.
What is the difference between a D-ring and a sawtooth hanger?
A D-ring is a small metal loop screwed into the back of the frame, strung with wire to a wall hook, and it suits medium to heavy framed pieces. A sawtooth hanger is a small notched bracket that catches directly on a nail or hook, and it is common on lighter, unframed gallery-wrap canvases rather than heavier framed work.
Why do heavier frames use two D-rings instead of one?
Two points spread apart keep the piece level and distribute the weight across two wall fixings instead of one, which reduces the load on each individual fixing and stops the frame from tilting or swinging if bumped. A single-point hang is only appropriate for lighter pieces.
What is a French cleat and when is it used?
A French cleat is a pair of interlocking angled wood or metal strips, one fixed to the wall and one to the back of the frame, and the frame simply lifts onto it. It is used mainly for larger or heavier pieces because it distributes weight along the full width of the strip rather than at two small points.
Does the type of wall change which hardware I should use?
Yes, significantly. Drywall alone needs a rated anchor sized to the actual weight, plaster over lath needs a fixing that will not crack the surrounding plaster, and a masonry wall needs a masonry anchor and a different drill bit entirely. Always match the anchor to both the wall type and the piece's real weight.
How do I know the finished weight of a piece before I hang it?
We provide the finished weight for anything we frame or ship, so you can choose the right hardware before it arrives rather than guessing. For a piece you already own, a bathroom scale under one side of the frame while supporting the other gives a workable estimate if the exact figure is not known.
