How to Hang Art in Your Office

Hanging art in your office is an easy way to add color to your space and visually display your company values and culture. Once your art arrives, it can be somewhat nerve wracking to actually start putting holes in the wall, especially if you moved into a new space or recently repainted.

While you always have the option to hire a professional handyman to take care of the job for you (which costs just $80 an hour), knowing how to hang art is a good skill to have.

Here are our step-by-step instructions on how to hang art in your office:

1. Choose your location

While obvious, the first step is determining where you want to hang your art. If you are looking to fill empty space above a couch or an entryway table, make sure your art is at least ⅔ the width of the piece of furniture. If your art is any smaller, the piece will look strange and out of proportion.

Depending on the age and style of your office building, you may be working with drywall, plaster, brick, or even concrete walls. Once you know what kind of surface you’ll be hanging your art on, you’ll be able to determine what supplies you need to hang the piece securely.

2. Collect your supplies

You will need a pencil, a tape measure, and a hammer. The type of nail you use will depend on the wall and the weight of your art.

Drywall and plaster:

• Standard nails for art less that weighs less than 5 pounds
• Picture hanger nails based on the weight range of your art for up to 50 pounds
• Screw, wall anchor, and drill for art that weighs more than 50 pounds

You will only need a stud finder if your art weighs more than 100 pounds or you are working with very brittle plaster or soft drywall. After you nail into plaster or drywall, pull down on the nail with your hand to see if the drywall tears or the plaster crumbles. If this happens, you’ll need to use a stud finder and reposition your nail. If your art weighs more than 100 pounds, we recommend hiring a handyman.

Brick and concrete:

• For brick mortar (easier to repair later): Masonry or drywall screw, wall anchor, and drill with a masonry bit
• For brick and concrete: Metal sleeve anchor and a hammer drill

We recommend hiring a professional if you’re hanging on concrete or brick surfaces, as you have little room for error as these surfaces are hard to patch.

3. Measure using the 57” rule

On the wall you want to hang your art, measure 57” up from the floor with your tape measure and mark it with your pencil. This is the point that the center of your art should sit at. The number 57 is the average eye level, which is the guideline used by most galleries.  

Now measure the height of your piece of art and divide it by two to find its center. Then subtract the space between the top of the art and the tightened wire you’ll be hanging it from. The number you are left with is how many inches above the 57” mark you want to place your nail.

Ex. If your framed art is 18” tall, divide by two to find its center: 9”. If the space between the tightened wire and the top of the frame is 2”, you subtract that from 9” and end up with 7”. You will measure 7” above your original 57” mark, or add them and measure 64” up from the floor.

If you’re wondering how to hang art above a couch, the 57” rule still works, but make sure you have 6” - 8” between the top of the couch and the bottom of your art. This will look small, but most people hang their art too high!

If you’re hanging more than one piece of art on a single wall, make sure each frame or canvas has at least 2” of space between them.

4. Hang your art

Now that you’ve done the math and found the right spot, it’s time to hammer your nail or drill your wall anchor into the mark you measured.

If you’re using a nail, hammer it into the wall at a 45 degree angle. If you’re using a screw and wall anchor, you’ll need to drill a hole the size of the anchor’s outer width, and then use your hammer to tap it into place until it is flush with the wall. Then use your hand or a screwdriver to put the screw in. Leave enough of a lip between the wall and the screw head to hang your art on.

Hang your art on the nail or screw and gently slide the wire back and forth until it feels centered. Step back to see if it looks straight and adjust as needed!

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