Around the house · Easy · about 20 minutes

Find a Stud and Hang a Picture

Hanging a picture well means it sits level and stays on the wall. Behind most walls are wooden posts called studs, and a hook or screw that reaches a stud holds much better than one in drywall alone. When there's no stud where you need one, a wall anchor rated for the weight does the job.

When to teach it: Watch from about 6, help from about 8, do it alone from about 12.

Studs are usually 16 or 24 inches apart, measured center to center. Pull the wire tight before you measure.

You'll need

Stud finder
Tape measure
Pencil
Bubble level
Picture hook, eye-hook, or screw
Wall anchors rated for your picture's weight (if there's no stud)
Hammer, and a drill or screwdriver
Painter's tape (optional)

Before you start

Pick a spot where a heavy frame or mirror won't hang over a bed, couch, or chair, in case it ever falls.

Step by step

Tick each step as you go if you like; ticks stay on this device.

Pick the spotHave a helper hold the picture up while you step back. Lightly mark the top center with a pencil.
Find a studSlide a stud finder sideways along the wall and mark where it signals. Mark the middle of the stud, not its edge. Studs run from floor to ceiling and are usually 16 or 24 inches apart, so once you find one, measure over to check for the next.
Check the wall typeTry pushing a thumbtack into the wall. If it won't break the surface, the wall is probably plaster rather than drywall.
Work out the nail heightPull the picture's wire up tight, the way it will hang, and measure from the wire to the top of the frame. Your hook goes that far below where you want the top of the frame.
Use the stud if you canUse a hook or screw long enough to go through the drywall and into the stud. For large pictures, FEMA suggests eye-hooks at least 1 to 2 inches long. You should feel steady resistance the whole way in; if it suddenly goes easy, you've probably missed the stud.
Use an anchor if there's no studPick an anchor whose package says it holds more than your picture weighs. Drill the hole size the package lists, tap the anchor in until it's flush, then drive in the screw.
Use two hooks for big framesLarge pictures and mirrors are steadier on two hooks than on one. Space them evenly from the center.
Hang it and level itHang the picture, set the bubble level on top of the frame, and nudge it until the bubble sits between the lines.

Math

How it works: Spacing, measuring, and the bubble

Studs are usually spaced 16 or 24 inches apart. Builders measure that spacing from the center of one stud to the center of the next, called 'on center.' If you find a stud center 30 inches from a corner and the spacing is 16 inches, the next ones are likely near 46 and 62 inches. The pattern helps you guess, and the stud finder confirms.

Hanging height is subtraction. If you want the top of the frame at 64 inches and the tight wire sits 4 inches below the top, the hook goes at 64 − 4 = 60 inches. To center a picture on a wall, divide the wall's width by 2.

A bubble level is a small tube of liquid with an air bubble inside. Air is less dense than the liquid, so the liquid pushes the bubble up to the highest spot. The tube bulges slightly in the middle, so when the level is perfectly flat, the highest spot is the center, and the bubble rests between the lines.

hook height = height you want for the top of the frame − distance from the tight wire to the top

Try it: Tilt a capped water bottle with a little air in it and watch the bubble race to the higher end. Lay it on a table, then slowly raise one end with a book and watch the bubble move.

Keep learning: Ray's Arithmetic

Teaching it to your kids

Let your child run the stud finder and mark each signal with painter's tape.
Have them do the hook-height math on paper before anyone makes a hole.
Make them the 'level reader' who calls out 'left side up' or 'right side up'.

Tips

Painter's tape lets you mark the wall without pencil smudges.
Check the anchor package for the weight it holds and the drill bit size it needs.
Skip patched or water-damaged drywall. Anchors can slip out of it.
Nails or hooks that go only into drywall or plaster are less secure than ones that reach a stud.

Common mistakes

Mistake	Instead
Hanging a heavy frame from drywall alone.	Use a stud, or an anchor rated for more than the frame weighs.
The screw suddenly goes in easily partway.	You've probably missed the stud. Find its center again, or switch to an anchor.
Measuring to the wire while it hangs loose.	Pull the wire up tight, the way it sits on the hook, before you measure.
Hanging a big mirror over the bed or couch.	Choose a spot where a fall couldn't land on anyone.

Safe habits

Don't hang large pictures or mirrors over beds, couches, or chairs.
Use hardware rated for the weight. Check the package.

Sources

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