Congratulations on receiving your finished frame! Now comes the fun part: hanging it up! If you lost the instructions that came with your frame, or ordered a Simply Framed Black Label frame with a cleat, here is our step-by-step guide to hanging your frame. Want more tips for how to hang your piece perfectly? Don't miss this visual guide.
Your hanging technique depends on the type of hardware your frame shipped with, so scroll to find the instructions that apply to you and your gorgeous new piece of artwork.
What you'll need
A hammer, a screwdriver, measuring tape, a pencil or painter's tape, a level, a friend (if your piece is very large), and some enthusiasm! Short on everything but the friend and the enthusiasm? Check out our Tool Kit.
If your frame has a Wire
- Hold frame to wall at desired position and lightly mark on the wall where the center of the frame is with pencil or removable painter’s tape.
- On the back of the frame, find the center of the hanging wire and use your finger or the end of a tape measure to pull the hanging wire toward the top of the frame, so all slack is taken out of the wire.
- Measure the distance from where you are holding the wire taut to the top of the frame.
- From your mark designating the center top of the frame on the wall, measure down the distance measured in Step 3 and mark an X in light pencil. This is where you will hammer your hardware into the wall.
- Position your hook and nail on the wall and hammer the nail through the hook.
- Erase the pencil marks or remove the tape from the wall.
- Use your hands to help guide the wire securely onto the hanger. If your piece is too large and too awkward to handle yourself, have a friend hold the frame while you guide the wire onto the wall hanger.
- Once you’ve got the wire onto the wall hanger, check it with a level.
If your frame has a Sawtooth
- Hold frame to wall at desired position.
- Leave finger or make light pencil mark at sawtooth hanger location.
- Apply drywall screw with Phillips-head screwdriver.
- Hang on sawtooth hanger and check with level.
If your frame has 2 D-rings
*DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ADD A WIRE. The two D-rings are meant to hang on two separate hooks. If you received your piece with a wire already attached to the two D-rings, it is meant to be hung on the wire (see those instructions below). If your piece is too large and awkward to handle yourself, have a friend help.
- Rub pencil on the corner of the D-rings and make sure the D-rings are flipped up. That's how they'll eventually hang on the picture hangers.
- Hold your frame straight using a level.
- Gently place frame against the wall in your desired position. This will transfer small pencil marks for the picture hangers onto the wall.
- Position your picture hangers so the hooks align with the pencil marks on the wall.
- Hammer the nails through your two picture hangers.
- Hang the D-rings on the picture hangers. Check with a level.
If your frame has a Cleat (Simply Framed Black Label only)
*If you plan to hang your piece using the french cleat, first you will have to remove the wire hardware on your frame using a Phillips head screwdriver. Otherwise, the wire hardware will prevent the frame from laying flush against the wall.
- Measure across your frame to determine the center of your frame.
- Hold frame to wall at desired position (for large pieces, enlist a friend to help!) and lightly mark the position of the center of the frame on the wall with pencil or removable painter's tape.
- Measure the distance from the center of your picture frame to the bottom of the cleat.
- On the wall, measure the distance determined in Step 3 down from the mark made in Step 2 and mark with an X in light pencil.
- Measure the width of the cleat to find its center point. Line the cleat up on the wall so that the cleat’s center point and its screw holes intersect with the X you made in Step 4.
- Be sure to position the cleat so the ridge to hold your picture is facing up and out from the wall.
- Use a level to ensure that the cleat is level.
- Using the hanging hardware provided, screw your cleat firmly into the wall.
- Hang your frame on the cleat.
As always, if you have any questions you can visit our Help Center. Happy hanging!
