The "No Holes" Way to Hang Paintings in the Studio

The "No Holes" Way to Hang Paintings in the Studio

I get lots of questions about what type of hanging system I use in my studio for my paintings - usually from people that watch my painting videos on YouTube. I use a very versatile, easy to install system that keeps me from having to punch holes in the wall everytime I want to hang a painting.

I use a system of horizontal 1x2 wood strips (actual size 3/4" x 1-1/2") screwed to my wall at specific heights. Into these strips I then insert 1-1/2" long wood screws (put in by hand) wherever I need to hang a painting. I only use 1-1/2" deep gallery wrapped canvases, so they hang perfectly on the wood screws. The wood strips should be a rather soft type of wood so that the screws can easily be installed into it. You can find these wood strips and wood screws at any lumber yard or big box home improvement store. 

I have the strips installed allowing the canvases to be hung at heights that are comfortable for me given my height and preference for placement. You must also take into consideration the sizes of canvases that you work on. The sizes, placement preferences and your height should all be taken into consideration to determine the correct heights that will work for you. For me at 5'-9" tall, I use four strips placed at 36", 54", 64" and 78" above the floor respectively. I paint on canvases from 12x12" to 48x72" so these heights for strip placement work for me. Experiment to see what heights work for you. 

I have both masonry walls and drywall/stud walls in my studio. In the masonry walls I anchored the wood strips with Tapcon anchors and on the drywall areas I simply anchored the strips with wood screws through the drywall directly into the studs. You can also use construction adhesive (glue) to mount the strips, but if you ever remove them the construction adhesive will pull the paper face from the drywall.

This is such an easy system to install and use. I can place paintings anywhere in my studio without putting a single hole in any wall. Adding the screws to the strips is so quick, easy and versatile that it's hard to believe it is so low tech, easy and inexpensive.

Let me know how this system works for you.