I finally got around to putting up the gallery wall in our room and I’m sharing a simple trick that will make hanging your next gallery so much easier. Because let’s be honest, if you’ve ever tried hanging one before, you know how difficult it can be, pull out all of my hair, difficult. Luckily, very little hair pulling happened during this project 🙂
I came across this simple solution when we were decorating the apartment in Jacksonville. We didn’t want to patch a bunch of holes at the end of the lease and were looking for an alternate option. That’s when we came across the Command Large Picture Hanging Strips! These bad boys made it super easy to hang, align and get this DIY project done quickly. Okay, when I say quickly, it took me a few hours, but not too bad considering there are 9 frames!
What You’ll Need for this Project:
- Command Strips – Picture Hanging Strips
- Scissors
- Measuring Tape
- Level
Follow these Simple Steps to Make your Gallery Wall Project Simple:
Determine the Layout
Lay your frames on the floor, this helped me get a better sense of what it would look like on the wall. I was able to move around the placement of images this way.
Do the Math
Next, measure a frame’s height and multiply it by the number of frames going vertical. Then, measure a frame’s width and multiple it by the number of frames going horizontal. This will help you determine the space needed between frames based on the wall space. For example, the frame size is 17 x 13, so 17 inches multiplied by 3 frames = 51 inches, I determined 4 inch spaces between frames would work for my wall, so 4 inches multiplied by 2 spaces = 8 inches, 51 + 8 inches = 59 inches, total measurement top to bottom. I did the same thing to determine the overall width.
Figure Out Placement
Once I figured out the measurements of the frames on the wall, I hung a piece of kraft paper to give me a sense of overall size and used that as my guide. I also knew I didn’t want to go above the height of the door, so I started at the top and worked my way down.
Prepare the Frames
Pull the backing off of the command strips, apply to the canvas or picture frame.
With another strip, leave the backing on and stick to the command strip already attached to the frame, it should be velcro to velcro.
Hang Your Gallery Wall
Once you are ready to hang it, pull off the sticker, line up on the wall and press on.
Like I said, I started with the top left frame and worked my way around (yes, literally around), something I don’t recommend. I only did this because my center picture wasn’t ready (aka I couldn’t make up my mind), and I would have to re-do it if I put it up and changed my mind. So I worked around, which made the bottom frames a bit challenging. I used the levels and tape to help me keep straight lines, making it way easier to accomplish this as a one-woman show.
Picture Frames: Ikea Ribba 12 x 16 Frame
That’s it! It is so simple to get the pictures up because you don’t have to worry about all the measurements of where the nail needs to go to align with the hook on the frame. The gallery wall may not be perfectly straight but I was able to get the project done by myself, while Mike was tackling the bed frame, I’ll share an update of the full room soon!
Do you have any hacks for hanging a gallery wall? I’d love to hear others!
