When it comes to hanging artwork, the traditional approach is usually straightforward: choose a spot, measure carefully, put a nail or picture hook into the wall and hang your frame.
For a single picture that you don’t expect to move, that can work perfectly well.
But what if you like changing your artwork, want to create a gallery wall, or simply don’t want to keep putting new holes into your walls?
That’s where a picture hanging system offers a very different approach.
So, which option is better? The answer really depends on how you use your artwork and how much flexibility you want.
Nails and Picture Hooks: Simple and Familiar
Nails, screws and traditional picture hooks are inexpensive and familiar to most homeowners.
If you have one or two pictures to hang and you know exactly where you want them, they’re often all you need.
However, the biggest disadvantage is that every picture normally requires its own fixing point.
If you decide the picture is slightly too high, too low or would look better somewhere else, you’re left with a hole to fill before trying again.
Multiply that across an entire gallery wall and it’s easy to understand how walls can quickly become marked with old fixing holes.
How Is a Picture Hanging System Different?
A picture hanging system works by installing a track along the upper section of the wall, usually close to the ceiling or cornice.
Cables or clear hanging lines are suspended from the track, with adjustable picture hooks attached to them.
Your artwork hangs from these hooks rather than being fixed directly into the wall each time.
Once the track has been installed, pictures can be moved, adjusted and replaced without repeatedly drilling new holes.
This gives you considerably more flexibility than traditional picture hooks.
Which Is Better If You Like Changing Your Artwork?
This is one area where a picture hanging system has a clear advantage.
Perhaps you’ve bought a new painting, want to change family photographs, or simply feel like rearranging a room.
With nails or fixed picture hooks, changing the display may mean measuring and drilling again.
With a hanging system, you can move the hanging line along the track and adjust the hook up or down until the picture is in the right position.
You don’t have to decide on the perfect location forever.
This can be particularly useful for people who collect artwork or enjoy refreshing their interiors regularly.
What About Gallery Walls?
Creating a gallery wall with traditional picture hooks requires quite a lot of planning.
You need to calculate the position of each frame, account for different hanging points on the backs of the pictures and hope everything looks as good on the wall as it did when you planned it.
Even a small measuring difference can leave one frame looking slightly out of place.
A picture hanging system allows you to make adjustments after the pictures are on the wall.
You can step back, look at the overall arrangement and move individual pieces until the spacing and balance feel right.
If you’d like to add another picture later, the entire wall doesn’t need to be replanned.
Which Option Creates Less Wall Damage?
If you’re hanging one permanent picture, there may not be a significant difference. You’ll need to make a fixing in the wall either way.
The difference becomes more noticeable over time.
Traditional hanging methods generally require another fixing whenever a picture moves to a new location.
A picture hanging track is installed once and then becomes the support for multiple pictures and future arrangements.
This can significantly reduce the number of holes made in the main wall surface over the life of the system.
For newly decorated rooms, rental properties, offices and frequently changing displays, that flexibility can be particularly valuable.
What About Heavy Artwork?
Whichever method you choose, the weight of the picture must always be considered.
A small, framed photograph and a large, heavy piece of artwork have very different hanging requirements.
Traditional wall fixings need to be selected according to the weight of the picture and the construction of the wall.
The same applies to picture hanging systems. The track, cables and hooks all have specified load capacities, so it’s important to choose a system suited to the artwork you’re displaying.
Gallery Systems offers different hanging solutions for everything from everyday household artwork through to heavier pictures and professional gallery displays.
What About the Appearance?
Some people initially imagine that a picture hanging system will look very obvious.
Modern systems, however, are designed to be discreet.
Tracks can sit neatly against the ceiling or cornice, while clear hanging lines can become surprisingly unobtrusive once artwork is in position.
Stainless steel cables are another option and can create a more contemporary gallery-style appearance.
Rather than focusing attention on the hanging equipment, the aim is to let the artwork remain the main feature.
So, Which Should You Choose?
There isn’t one hanging method that’s right for every situation.
If you’re hanging one lightweight picture that is unlikely to move, a traditional picture hook may be the simplest solution.
However, a picture hanging system becomes increasingly useful when you:
- Display several pieces of artwork
- Regularly rearrange pictures
- Create gallery walls
- Collect artwork and add new pieces over time
- Want to minimise unnecessary holes in your walls
- Need a professional display system for an office, gallery or commercial space
- In rented premises where you are unable to put holes in the walls to hang pictures.
The real difference comes down to flexibility.
A nail or picture hook gives you a fixed hanging point. A picture hanging system gives you a display that can continue to change.
A Hanging System That Changes With Your Home
The artwork in our homes rarely stays exactly the same forever.
We find new pieces, update photographs, redecorate rooms and change our minds about where things look best.
Installing a picture hanging system means your walls don’t have to be permanently committed to today’s arrangement.
At Gallery Systems, our range of picture hanging systems is designed to make hanging and rearranging artwork simple, while providing a neat and professional finish.
Whether you’re displaying a single collection at home or regularly changing artwork throughout an entire space, a flexible hanging system allows your display to change with you.
