Hang a String of Pictures on a Wall

So you have an empty wall. You think it's boring, you want to put something there, but framed pictures aren't what you're looking for? You want something classy, but industrial; sophisticated, but simple? This project will show you how to hang a string of pictures across an otherwise boring wall.

Steps

  1. Pick out some pictures from your library. Try to have a theme, otherwise it'll look silly.
  2. Resize them to 5X7 inches, and edit them to your liking (black and white is classic; make sure to remove red-eye). Two great picture programs are iPhoto for the mac, and Picasa (for Windows and Linux.
  3. Get your photos printed. A white border is recommended.
  4. Get some eye-hole screws, a length of wire sufficient to span the wall section you're using, a turnbuckle, and some crimps for the wire.
  5. Find the studs in your wall. Make sure that the eye-hole screws are going into your studs, or that you are using a wall-anchor. There will be some tension on the eye-hole screws, so make sure they are secure.
  6. Carefully measure (using a level) where the eye-hole screws will go. Having some help is very useful.
  7. Screw in the eye-hole screws.
  8. Attach some wire to the first eye-hole screw, and crimp it. Run the wire through the other eye-hole screw(s), if applicable (you can do a multi-row setup like the one pictured, or you can do a single row of hanging pictures).
  9. Instead of attaching the wire to the final eye-hole screw, attach it to the turnbuckle (first make sure the turnbuckle is fully loosened). When attaching the wire to the turnbuckle, make sure the wire is as taut as possible.
  10. Attach the turnbuckle to the final eye-hole screw. Tighten the turnbuckle.
  11. Glue or otherwise attach your photos to some cardstock. Black cardstock with black and white photos looks great, and gives a faux matte.
  12. Place the cardstock and photos underneath a heavy book afterward to make sure that they are flat.
  13. Use binder clips to attach the cardstock to the wire. Space them out evenly, and enjoy!

Tips

  • You can also remove the silver part of the binder clips for a cleaner look.
  • Use a stud-finder, if possible.

Warnings

  • Don't tighten the turnbuckle too much, or it may rip the eye-hole screws out of the wall.
  • You may damage your walls. Make sure to get landlord approval first, if applicable.

Things You'll Need

  • Pictures
  • Cardstock
  • Binder Clips
  • Turnbuckle
  • Wire
  • Crimps
  • Eye-Hole Screws

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Sources and Citations