How to Hang a Heavy Picture With a Lag Bolt
- 1). Locate a stud beneath the drywall with a stud finder, or tap with your knuckles on the wall until you find an area that does not sound hollow. Standard stud spacing is 16 inches apart, so after you find a stud, measure to either side to locate additional studs.
- 2). Ask an assistant to hold the picture on the wall, centered over the chosen stud, to determine the desired height of the picture. If the picture is too heavy to hold on the wall comfortably, cut a piece of flat cardboard to size and hold that up instead. When you determine the desired height, make a light mark on the wall at the center of the bottom edge of the picture.
- 3). Measure the back of the picture from the bottom edge to the highest point of the cable (the heavy wire for hanging) while pulling the cable upward in the center.
- 4). Mark the wall, directly over a stud, at the same distance above the first mark as the measurement you took from the back of the picture.
- 5). Drill a hole with a 3/8-inch drill bit. Drill at a slight downward angle, perhaps 5 or 10 degrees, through the drywall and into the stud beneath. The hole will serve as a guide to make installing the lag bolt easier.
- 6). Twist the lag bolt into the hole with a ratchet. You can also use a wrench to twist the lag bolt into place. Continue twisting until the head of the lag bolt is within 1/2 inch of the wall surface.
- 7). Hang the heavy picture, making sure the cable that holds the picture slips securely behind the lag bolt's head. The head will keep the cable from sliding off.
- 8). Straighten the picture by holding a carpenter's level to the bottom edge. Adjust the picture, from side to side, until the bubble in the level's window appears centered between the two guide marks. While holding the picture motionless, make a tiny mark on the wall at the bottom right edge of the picture. Make another mark on the wall on the bottom left edge of the picture.
- 9). Insert a finish nail through each mark, leaving only enough of the nail sticking out to hold the picture level. Finish nails are very thin and most people will not notice them while admiring your picture.
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