To Hook or Not to Hook? Here are Some Alternatives

Let’s face it, not every one of us is handy with a hammer.The very thought of putting in nails and hooks onto your wall gives you thatfeeling that it’s not going to end well. Fret not. You can still enjoy thesight of your newly-bought inline oval frames on your wall. There are actuallya lot of wall-hanging alternatives that don’t require you to wield the dreadedhammer.

A quick visit to your neighborhood hardware store will showyou the best and nail-free way to hang that antique picture frame. Here aresome of them:

• -Monkey orhurricane hooks. These nifty hooks are simple to use and easy to install.All you need to make is a small hole in the wall. Then, you will insert themonkey hook into the hole until only the hook at the end shows. This hook is surprisinglystrong. It can hold up to 50 pounds due to its unique design that shifts theweight of the frame and places that weight onto the wall.
• -Picture-hangingstrips. These handy hanging strips provide a damage-free alternative whenhanging picture frames. Depending on the size of the strip, you can hang framesand items that weigh up to 3 to 4 pounds. All you have to do is remove the tapefrom the adhesive strip and stick the strip onto the wall. There are someversions where you also place a number of strips on the back of the frame andslide these strips onto the strips in the wall. The picture-hanging strips canbe attached and removed easily, without leaving any damage, residue or stain onthe wall. The strip will work and stick onto materials such as tile, paint,metal, glass or wood. When applying the strips, though, make sure that thesurface is clean and free from dust.
• -Picturerail hooks. Older homes come with wall rails that are not only decorativebut quite utilitarian. It can hold rail-hangers that hook on both sides – thetop hook (which faces the back) can be hung into the picture-rail hanger whilethe lower hook (which faces the front) is where you will hang your pictureframe.
• -Posterputty. This only works for small and lightweight frames. Poster putty comesin handy when you want an easy way to hang a frame. You just need to stick theposter putty onto the wall and press the frame to the putty until it sticks.Word of warning, though. This is not for your jersey display case or any heavy frames.At best, this can be a temporary measure such as when you are renting a placefor the short term, when you want more leeway for you to change your mindwithout having to worry about making and leaving holes in the wall.
• -Picturehanging systems. Although this involves a one-time installation, it stillis handy because you only need to make a hole that one time. After that,hanging and moving your frames is a breeze. To install, place the hanging railsystem inconspicuously behind the trim or finish carpentry. Then, you make useof stainless steel or transparent Nylon cables which are then used to hold theframes firmly in place.

When you are deciding on the most suitable alternativelisted above, you should also take note of the size and weight of the pictureframe, as well as where you will be hanging it and onto what kind of material.