Hanging pictures: the hammer-and-level method

Picture hanging is the most common job in a home and the one most people improvise. The improvised version uses a shoe as a hammer and a squint as a level. The ten-minute version follows.

Find the hook point

Hang the picture from your finger by its wire, pulled taut as it will sit on the wall. Measure from the top of the frame to the wire at that point. Now decide where the top of the frame should sit on the wall, measure down by that distance, and that is where the hook goes. Mark it with a pencil.

Eye level is lower than you think

Galleries hang the centre of the picture at about 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor. Living rooms run a little lower because people sit. Measure with the tape rather than guessing; the 6 ft tape on the Kelvin 36 covers it in one pull.

Tap, do not swing

Picture hooks are designed to go in at an angle with light taps. Set the nail in the hook, hold it to the mark, and tap with the hammering surface until the hook sits flat. A multitool's hammering surface is small and controlled, which is what this job wants. Save the framing hammer for framing.

Level the picture, not the hook

Hang the picture, set the level on the top edge, and slide the frame along the wire until the bubble centres. A tiny ball of painter's tape on the back bottom corners keeps it from drifting afterwards.

Two pictures side by side

Hang the first, level it, then hold the level from its top edge across to where the second will go and mark. Levelling across beats measuring twice.

Heavy frames

Anything heavier than a few kilograms wants a wall anchor or a stud, not a picture hook. Find a stud by tapping (solid, not hollow) or with a stud finder, then drive a screw with the screwdriver arm.