How to Hang a Heavy Picture - 5 tried and tested solutions

Weigh your picture

The first step is to figure out is how much your picture weighs. You can use a bathroom scale to do this. If your picture weighs less than 10 pounds, it is considered light and most hanging solutions should work. To avoid damaging your walls however, read our article on how to hang pictures without nails. For pictures that weigh more than 10 pounds, you'll need to use a wall stud, a rail track, or learn about the different hanging solutions below. 

How heavy can a picture be to hang on drywall?

Interior walls are usually built using a wood structure with some type of covering. In older homes (especially before 1940) plaster-wall was often used. In modern homes, drywall is most often used, therefore you will probably be hanging heavy pictures on drywall.

As a rule of thumb, pictures that weigh less than 5 pounds can be hung with hanging strips, adhesive wall hooks or mounting tape. For pictures that weigh between 5 and 20 pounds, a good option is plastic drywall anchors and for pictures between 20 and 50 pounds, you can use a metal wall anchor or make sure to use a wall stud. For anything heavier, or a good all around solution for hanging multiple pictures, use a rail cable hanging kit.