Do you catch yourself staring longingly at the blank wall above your couch, desperate to put your wall art up but have no idea where to start? Do you have all the décor you love lying on the floor, yet the fear of messing up is paralyzing you? It’ll be okay! Take a deep breath, and let’s get into it.
It’s important to have the walls of your home represent you and your style. Blank walls are boring, so let’s get those plastered blank canvases filled. Think of an empty wall as your next art project—will you fill it with wood charts? Posters? Memorabilia? And how do you even go about hanging them up in the best way?
What Does Your Wall Art Say About You?
Everything! Whether it’s wedding pictures or a nautical wood map of the Great Lakes, the art displayed in your home tells a story. Think of the blank wall as a perfect excuse to express your inner self on the outside!
Perhaps hanging your nostalgic art will have your friends buying their own sentimental wood charts from all over the globe! Your art tells a story about you, so let’s make hanging it up as easy as possible.
5 Ways to Hang Your Wall Art:
- Nails
- Screws
- Curtain rod
- Wall strips
- Picture ledges
1. Nails Can Do the Job for Hanging Wall Art
A single 1 ½-inch or 2-inch nail will support almost every type of wall art (even wood maps) when nailing into walls. The real trick is to hammer the nail into the wall at a sharp 45-degree angle to give it extra strength for holding up your prized art possessions.
2. Use Screws to Hang Heavier Wall Art
Generally, if a piece of wall art is a bit heavier, such as a heavy wood chart, and you don’t trust a nail, use screws to hang your art! Since a screw rotates into the wall, it is held tightly in place. Many say that screws provide the hanging art with better support and stronger tension, so your wood map will be secure!
3. Use A Curtain Rod to Hang Your Wood Map
Instead of putting millions of holes in your wall, hang your special décor - wood charts and posters alike - from a rod! The rod only needs a few screws to hold it in place. Then, each piece you choose hangs at different levels from chains off the rod. You can easily play with levels and focal pieces to get the look just right.
4. Wall Strips for Displaying your Wood Chart or Wall Art
Wall strips can feel tricky—there are so many to choose from! Do you need the Velcro kind or the tape ones? And how many? Explore the world of wall strips as another fool-proof way to hang lighter art on your walls. With so many different types, one of them is sure to be able to hold up your beloved wood map!
5. Displaying Wall Art with Picture Ledges
For a very refined look, install picture ledges. They act as little shelves for you to place your framed art on. Since the art itself is not attached to the wall, you have endless options of mixing and matching to your heart’s content. One ledge can hold wood charts, posters, family portraits, and more!
Where Do I Find Unique Wall Art?
It can be tricky finding wall art that truly represents you as a person. A great tip is to start now is to buy art that stands out to you on your travels or around your own hometown. Finding unique pieces can start here, with lovingly crafted wood charts and wood maps of locations that mean the most to you.
Perhaps you vacation on Martha’s Vineyard every year with your family and want a stunning conversation piece—consider a wood map of the Island to hang over your fireplace. Gift your homesick fiancé with a wood chart of his birth country of Ireland. Staring at art that brings so many memories to the surface will never get old.
TikTok Hacks and Tips for Perfectly Hanging Your Wall Art
TikTok is a phenomenal resource when finding easier ways to do mundane and daunting tasks like this one. Creators from all over the globe share their wisdom daily. If you’re looking for creative TikTok hacks to perfectly hang your wall art, wood maps, clocks, and everything in between, look no further!
3 TikTok Hacks for Hanging Wall Art:
- Use toothpaste
- Tape it off
- Use a plain old fork
1. Use Toothpaste to Mark Where to Hang Your Art
It sounds crazy, but it’s true! Stamp the hanging clips on the back of the art you wish to hang with a dot of toothpaste and press it to the wall where you’d like it to go. When you remove it, a spot transfers to the wall. Take your hammer and nail right through the middle of the dot! A perfectly positioned wood map every time.
2. Grab a Strip of Tape to Hang Your Wall Art
Place the wood map face down and position a strip of tape over the part where the nails need to be. Using a marker, put holes where you need the nails to go. Put the tape on the wall where you’d like to hang the wood chart and hammer away at the marked spots - the nails will be in the perfect place every time!
3. Use a Plain Kitchen Fork to Hang Art
Everyone has a fork lying around! For wall art that has a hanging wire, this trick makes installation a breeze. After inserting a screw or a nail in the wall, wedge your fork tines onto it with the handle sticking up and out, away from the wall, giving you an easy visual of exactly where you are about to hang your wall art. The string attachment on the back of the art will slip on with ease—remove your fork, and voila!
Did you once think hanging your wall art wood chart would be daunting? Now you have a plethora of options to get started! With these tips, tricks, and hacks, you have the resources (and hopefully the confidence) to finally put those wood charts and wall art pieces up on the empty wall. If you're still searching for the perfect piece for your gallery wall, you can never go wrong with an intricate and beautiful topographic map of your favorite destination.