How to Hang Art Without Nails: Adhesive Strips, Step by Step

Renters, people with plaster walls and anyone who dislikes holes often ask how to hang art without nails. The usual answer is an adhesive picture strip, the kind sold under the Command name and by other makers. Used well, the strips hold a frame flat and come off without a hole. Used badly, they let a picture fall. This guide follows the steps in Prudent Reviews' guide to picture hanging strips, which covers each point in detail.

Before you start

Check three things first: the weight of the picture, the surface of the wall and the age of the paint.

Weight. Each strip pair has a weight rating, and the rating is printed on the package. Ratings differ between sizes and between brands, so read yours. Prudent Reviews lists small strips at 1 pound per pair, medium at 3 pounds and large at 4 pounds. The review notes that a frame that is too heavy for its strips will fall.

To weigh a canvas, step on a bathroom scale alone and note the number. Step on again while holding the canvas, and subtract the first number. Divide the canvas weight by the rating of one pair, then round up. That is the number of pairs you need. A 6-pound frame needs six pairs of small strips, or two pairs of large strips, as the review's example shows. When you are not sure, add one extra pair.

Surface. The review lists surfaces to avoid. They are brick, wallpaper, textured walls, cork and glass in direct sun. The strips need a smooth, clean surface to grip.

Paint. Do not use strips on a wall that was painted in the last week. The review says to wait about a week for the paint to cure.

Step 1: clean the wall

Wipe the spot with rubbing alcohol. Other household cleaners can leave a film that weakens the hold. Let the wall dry before you go on.

Step 2: attach the strips to the canvas

Each pair has two halves that press together. Separate the pair, then peel the liner from one side and press it onto the back of the canvas. The review places strips by count:

• One pair: centered at the top.
• Two pairs: at the top corners, one on each side.
• Three pairs: one centered at the top and two at the top of the sides.
• Four pairs: two at the top of the sides, and two on the sides about two thirds of the way down. Keep the lower strips off the bottom corners, because that makes removal harder.

Our canvases are stretched on a pine frame that is 0.6 inches deep. Press each strip onto a flat part of the back, and check that it sits firmly before you move on.

Step 3: press the canvas on the wall

Peel the remaining liners. Line up the canvas at the height you chose and press it onto the wall for at least 30 seconds. Push on the strips, not on the middle of the canvas. The review says the maker advises removing the canvas and waiting an hour before you hang it again. The reviewer skipped that step without trouble, but he suggests adding one more pair when you are unsure.

If the canvas is crooked, pull it off. The two halves of the strip separate, so you can line it up again and press it back.

To choose the height, see how high to hang pictures. The center of a picture belongs 57 inches above the floor, and you can mark the spot with a pencil before you clean the wall.

Removing the strips

Do not pull the canvas straight off the wall. Lift it by the bottom corners and ease it away slowly. The two halves of each strip then separate. Next, stretch each pull tab straight down along the wall, about 12 inches, until the strip lets go. Pulling the tab toward you can damage the wall.

Strips are single-use. After you stretch one, you cannot use it again.

Other ways to hang art without nails

If strips do not suit your wall, a canvas can also lean on a shelf, a mantel or a dresser. That needs no hardware at all, and it lets you change the art whenever you like. Leaning works best with a vertical canvas in a size that fits the shelf, such as a 12x18 print.

A note on gallery walls

When you hang several canvases, plan the positions on paper before you stick anything. Strips are hard to move once they are set. Our gallery wall layout guide explains how to tape paper templates to the wall and adjust them for a few hours.

Quick checklist

1. Weigh the canvas and find the number of pairs you need.
2. Check the wall: smooth, clean and painted more than a week ago.
3. Wipe the spot with rubbing alcohol.
4. Press the strips onto the back of the canvas in the right pattern.
5. Press the canvas to the wall for 30 seconds or more.
6. Pull each tab straight down to remove the strips later.

Find prints to hang in the shop, or begin with flowers or botanical leaves.

Sources

• Picture hanging strips review, Prudent Reviews: weight ratings, how to count pairs, strip placement, surfaces to avoid, the 30-second press, the one-hour wait and removal steps.
• How high to hang pictures, Bob Vila: the 57-inch center height.