Hanging a picture on a wall is a home improvement project that is often taken for granted. Hanging a picture is not that difficult, but there are a few things that need to be considered and planned out before you attempt to properly get the picture up on the wall. Some may find the following tips quite useful, especially if you have been one that has hung pictures before by the trial and error method.

One of the most important factors in hanging a picture on the wall is the choice of fasteners. Fastener types vary from nails to hooks to elaborate wall hangers. Nails and hooks are probably the most often chosen fastener because of their simplicity and availability, but they are usually not the most appropriate fastener to use in all cases.

Another thing to consider when hanging a picture is wall type. Wall types could be brick, concrete, stucco or regular drywall with spaced studs behind. The type of wall will point you toward a fastener selection since the certain fastening systems will only work with certain wall types.

An example is trying to hang a picture with a nail in a brick or concrete wall. The nail simply will not work since it is next to impossible to get it into the wall without bending it. Here, a concrete screw would be better. The bottom line here is to make sure you are using the right type of fastener for your wall surface.

Once you have determined the proper fastener to use with the wall type you have, you can proceed with the placement of your picture.

First, determine the desired height of your picture. It is common practice to center the picture at eye level. You can determine eye level by having someone hold the picture against the wall at an estimated height. Then measure the distance from the base of the wall to where you think your eye level is. This is where the center of the picture would go.

Second, determine the mounting height of the picture and if the picture has a hanging wire on the back of it, pull the wire taught at the center. Measure the distance between that point and the bottom of the picture to determine the wire offset. Next, determine the center dimension of the picture itself by measuring the picture height and dividing by two. Now, determine the difference of the center dimension to the figure you got when you determined the offset of the wire before. To center the picture at eye height, add this number to the eye height you previously measured to get the overall dimension of where the bottom of the fastener or hook should be placed on your wall.

Third, make a mark on the wall to visually place the vertical mounting point of the picture on the wall. Now you must horizontally place the picture in the center of the wall at the vertical height. To do this, measure the width of the wall and the width of the picture. Divide both of these figures by two to get the centers. Line up the center at the vertical mark you had previously determined and make a cross hatch mark. This point should mount the picture centered on the wall horizontally at your desired eye height.

Whew! Most of the work is done now. All you have left to do is to position and place your fastener into the wall and hang the picture. Again, make sure the fastener type suites the wall type.

If you are not satisfied with the height of the picture, you can alter the height by tightening up on the hanging wire on the back of the picture instead of locating a new hole in the wall. Revising the horizontal position though, would cause you to relocate the fastener.

If you find the above procedure too daunting or do not mind the potential for a little inaccuracy, you can use a home made picture mounting stick to locate your picture on the wall.

Take a thick paint stick and drive a short pointed screw through one end so the screw point protrudes from the stick about a quarter of an inch or so. Hang the picture wire around the screw head and, while holding the end of the paint stick, locate the picture in the approximate place you want on the wall. Once you have done this, push the screw from the back of the picture into the wall so the pointed end marks the wall. The mark will be where the bottom of the hook should be positioned.