Visiting museums and art galleries gives a rush of excitement and serenity that makes you linger at the moment. Aside from the beauty of the art pieces on display, it’s the way they’re hung that makes a great viewing experience. They’re well-lit, level, and most importantly, secure. 

Have you ever wondered if you could follow the same concept and do the same thing in your space? 

The answer is yes, you can! We have a few picture hangers to recommend to make that happen. By the end of this article, you can start planning your art gallery-themed wall!

Hanging anything on the wall successfully starts with checking the wall. Make sure it's strong enough to support the weight of what you’re hanging.

Then, identify the wall type. Different hangers work on different wall types, and you have to ensure that the hanger you’re going to use is compatible with the wall you have.

Picture hangers have different weight capacities. As a rule of thumb, you should choose a hanger that can handle the exact weight of the artwork or more.  

To save time and minimize mistakes, layout the frames first using paper templates. Start by tracing the frames on paper and then cut them to size. Tape your paper templates on the wall using painter's tape and adjust accordingly.

We understand the value of each artwork and picture. Every artist invested their time, talent, energy to create a masterpiece. So, it’s only suitable to acquire the most reliable art hangers to secure their work on the wall.

Our top 5 picks consist of three types of hanging hardware that are installed on the wall, and two hangers that go on the back of the frame.

Here are the three of our chosen wall hanging hardware: 

A gallery system is a picture hanging system trusted by professionals. It has three main components — the picture rail or wall track, hanging cords, and the picture hooks. When used together, they can hold multiple frames on the wall by suspension from the ceiling.

Here at Picture Hang Solutions, we have the following gallery systems:

A Gallery Kit contains Picture Rail Hooks, Loop Hanging Cables, and Picture Hooks. It’s an all-in-one package with everything you need to hang art on the wall, and this is ideal for houses with Ogee moldings.

An Ogee profile is a decorative molding often used for skirting, architraves, worktop edges, and more. You can skip drilling many holes on the wall when you have this and opt for a gallery system. 

You might notice that the components in this kit have different weight ratings. The rule of thumb is to follow the one with the lowest maximum holding power. Check out the following components and their corresponding weight capacity:

• Picture Rail Hooks - 25 lbs
• Loop Hanging Cable - 33 lbs
• Picture Hooks - 44 lbs

In this case, the Picture Rail Hanging Hooks has the lowest holding power. This means that you should hang artwork that weighs less than 25 lbs, or use multiple cables and hooks for heavier pieces.

If you don’t have built-in Ogee moldings in your space, that’s okay because the next two types of gallery systems are perfect for you.

Brass Gallery Kits contain a J-Channel Molding (a.k.a. Wall Rail), Brass Gallery Rods, and Adjustable Hanging Hooks. They work the same way the Gallery Kits do, except that you have to fasten the Wall Rail onto the wall using the hardware included.

Once the rail is installed, attach the Brass Gallery Rods onto the channel and Picture Hooks onto the rod. Then, you can hang your artwork. 

We have two types of Wall Tracks: TR101 and TR100. Check out the difference between the two:

This type of track has an extruded aluminum profile designed to fit the cables’ hooks perfectly.  The track has pre-drilled holes making installation easier and faster.

Track 101 works similarly to the Brass Gallery Kits in terms of installation and assembly. The only difference is that the wall track itself has a different profile. The Brass Gallery Molding has a J-profile, while the Track 101 has a C-profile.

Unlike the previous track, Track 100 has a more subtle look when installed on the wall. The track design hides away the fasteners, giving it a classy look. Because they have different profiles, Track 100 uses different hardware for installation.

Adjustable J-Hooks are two-part picture hooks that support up to 100 pounds per pair. One reason why they’re helpful in art galleries and museums is that they permit high-level adjustment. With 3/ 4” adjustment capacity, you can move the art up and down with ease.

T-Head Screws are T-shaped screws that secure the artwork on the wall by locking it in. Their lock-in system helps prevent falling, theft, and tampering, which is why they’re ideal for art galleries. 

The magic is in the wrench, which is the only one that can engage and disengage the screw. T-head Security Screws work by drilling a hole in the wall for the T-lock to go into. Then, you would have to attach a mounting plate to the back of the frame, aligned with the screw on the wall.  

Aside from gallery systems, people use D-Rings to hang art too. They are also known as Strap Hangers because a doubled-over metal strap holds their D-shaped steel rings. D-Rings vary in size ranging from small to large, and can support up to 200 lbs.

To ensure security, use D-Rings in pairs and install them on each side of the frame. Insert the screws in the pre-drilled holes on the strap and attach them to the wood frame using a screwdriver.

You can use D-Rings as is, but you can also use them with picture hanging wire, which brings us to the next section.

Using a picture hanging wire is another way to hang frames. Picture Wires vary in thickness and type, and as a rule of thumb, the thicker the wire, the heavier the frame it can support.

Picture wire can support 12 to 100 lbs, based on the frame’s thickness. Depending on each type, you can choose the thickness you want starting at #2 - #9.

With that said, there are three different types: 

Traditional Braided Picture Wire

This type of wire is made from interwoven strands of galvanized steel wire. It’s strong yet flexible.

Stainless Steel Picture Wire

This type of wire is made of seven strands of stainless steel that are twisted under tension. Stainless Steel Picture Wire is stronger than the Traditional Braided Wire, but the latter is more flexible. 

Vinyl Coated Stainless Steel Wire

Think Stainless Steel Wire, but with protective vinyl coating. This type of wire is softer and easier on the fingers but is still considered a high-strength wire. 

Curation and lighting aren’t the only things you need to set up your own art gallery in your space. You’ll also need reliable and robust picture hanging hardware to hang the actual artwork. Now that you know our top 5 picks, you can check out the hangers you want and work on your wall!