Put up Posters

Whether you want to put a classic piece of art on your wall or simply something from the latest video game, there’s likely a poster to suit your needs. However, you may not be sure of the best way to get the poster up on the wall. Regardless of whether you decide to frame the poster or not, you can easily put it up on the wall without even damaging the wall or the poster!

Steps

Putting Up Unframed Posters without Damaging the Poster

  1. Clean your hands before handling. Before even removing your poster from the tube, you should wash your hands. Even normal amounts of grease and oils on your hands can leave smudges, especially on the darker areas of the print.
  2. Lay the poster flat. Fresh out of the tube, the poster will naturally want to roll up, which will pull against any adhesive you use and make the poster curl away from the wall at non-adhered spots as well. By laying the poster flat with the print side up and weighing it down at each corner, you can straighten the poster before attempting to put it up.
    • Posters on a thicker stock that didn’t come in a tube obviously don’t need this step.
  3. Clean the space on the wall where you plan to put the poster. Even without us touching them, walls get dirty. Humidity, dust from the heating and cooling systems, and even people breathing in a room over time can create slick spots that make it hard for posters to adhere. Use a damp towel maybe with a tiny spot of dish soap to clean any oils or grease off the wall.
    • Also try to remember how recently the room was painted. The putty-like substance you can use to adhere posters will cause the covered spot to oxidize less than the rest of the wall. For really fresh paint, that can lead to slight discolorations.
  4. Use a removable adhesive. You have a couple of different options when it comes to removable adhesives. There are specific types of removable, double-sided tape often marketed as poster tape. You can also choose a removable adhesive putty, which is often marketed as poster tack.
  5. Attach the removable adhesive to the back of the poster. Rather than try to space the adhesive on the wall and squish the poster against it, it’s much easier to place the poster facedown on a clean surface and attach the adhesive to the poster before putting it on the wall.[1] You want to get all four corners, the midpoints between the corners, and one piece right in the center as well to keep circulating air from either fans or air conditioning from getting behind the poster and blowing it off the wall.[1]
    • If the poster is longer than two feet on any side, you may want to put two pieces of adhesive equidistant between the corners to be safe.
    • If you’re using poster tack, then you’ll need to rub a piece roughly the size of a chewed piece of gum between your fingers to shape it and make it stickier.
  6. Put up the poster. With the adhesive on each spot, you’re now ready to put the poster on the wall. Start at the top two corners and push firmly against the exact spot where the adhesive is. Then work down the sides and keep the poster taut as you go so as not to form any bubbles or wrinkles in it. Finally, push down the spot opposite the middle piece of adhesive to make sure it sticks as well.
    • If you’re worried about making sure the poster is straight, you can first mark the wall in pencil using a level, or you can simply get a friend to stand back and tell you if it’s straight when you hold it up but before you press it against the wall.
  7. Peel to remove. When it comes time to take the poster down, don’t simply pull the poster off the wall because it will rip. Instead, peel the poster back with your fingers very close to the piece of tape or tack you’re peeling against. This will keep the force on the tack rather than the much weaker paper the poster is printed on.
  8. Use a magnetic based hanger for a non-sticky way of doing it. Frustrated with the stickiness? Simple! Use magnets! There are magnetic poster hangers out there that use really strong magnets to hang your posters without damaging them.

Putting Up Framed Posters without Damaging the Wall

  1. Frame your poster. Before you can put the framed poster up on the wall, you obviously need to frame it. This in itself can be a process that requires a bit of thought and effort. If you’re still stuck on the framing part, you can learn more at: How to Frame a Poster.
  2. Use removable adhesive strips. Once your poster is framed, you’re ready to pick the adhesive. The poster tape and poster tack from the first method don’t really have the sticking power to hold up the weight of a frame, so framed posters require something else. Many companies now offer removable adhesive strips marketed as picture hanging strips or damage-free poster strips.[2]
  3. Weigh the framed poster. These strips have different weight limitations that will be printed on the packaging, so you’ll need to weigh the framed poster—within two or three pounds is fine, so you can use a bathroom scale—to find out the minimum number of strips to use.
  4. Attach the strips to the back of the frame. Find the spot of the back of the frame that will come flush with the wall and attach the strips by first removing the paper backing and then holding the adhesive side to the frame with pressure for several seconds. Place at least one strip on each upper corner of the frame, and then place more if two strips isn’t enough for the weight of your frame.
    • If the frame already has a hook screwed into the back that sticks out further than the frame, make sure to remove it.
  5. Attach the corresponding velcro side of the strips meant for the wall to the strips on the frame. Rather than measuring and placing the strips on the wall to perfectly align with the strips on the frame, you can simply attach them to the frame strips before removing the paper backing. After that, you can easily place the entire thing on the wall.
  6. Place the framed poster on the wall. With all of the strips in place and the corresponding wall strips attached, you are ready to peel the backing off the wall strips and place the poster. You can’t relocate the strips like you can poster tack, so you’ll want to make sure you get it right the first time.
    • If you’re concerned with keeping the poster level, then you can use a step stool in order to see the top of the poster and balance a small level on the top of the frame. When you have the poster at the height you want, simply make sure the bubble indicates that the frame is level as you press the strips against the wall. If you end up off by a hair, the velcro-like adhesion between the strips will allow you to shift the frame a few degrees.
  7. Hold each strip firmly for ten seconds. In order to make sure the wall strips properly adhere, you’ll need to put pressure against each one for approximately ten seconds. Push against each strip firmly but not so hard that you risk cracking the glass in the frame.
  8. Lift up to remove. When it comes time to remove the poster, don’t pull the frame straight back away from the wall because that’s how the velcro-like teeth in the strips connect. Instead, start at the bottom of the frame and lift the bottom up and away from the wall.
    • The same goes for the wall strip that will remain on the wall when you disconnect the two strips. If you just pull away from the wall, you may damage the paint. Instead, pull the tab that sticks out from the velcro portion to the side in the same direction the tab is facing to remove it.[2]



Tips

  • These methods are also great for putting up posters on brick or block walls where nails and thumbtacks really aren’t an option.
  • Some cinemas have posters of new films coming out, so if you like the film make sure to look into the posters!

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-11t-XqSIk
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-hang-a-p-92595
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