Rental apartment: hanging pictures without nails and drilling

1. Stand pictures up

This is probably the fastest and easiest way to display your pictures: simply place your framed pieces on a shelf or sideboard. This looks particularly stylish if you use several pictures at the same time or combine them with other decorative items.

Large pictures can just be propped up against a wall, but leave space around them for the best effect.

Advantage: fast and cheap, because you don’t need any additional materials.

Disadvantage: little flexibility about where you place your pictures, and they could fall over.

When hanging your pictures, make sure they are no heavier than the maximum weight specified by the manufacturer and follow the manufacturer’s application tips. That way, you’ll avoid damaging delicate surfaces such as wallpaper. If necessary, test the product somewhere inconspicuous.

Advantage: supports a heavy load depending on the product; can be removed without leaving a trace.

Disadvantage: depending on the product you choose, they are relatively expensive compared with conventional nails and screws.

Be wary of other adhesive solutions

In principle, you could hang your pictures using double-sided sticky tape or self-adhesive magnetic strips. But beware: you may find that you can’t remove these products without damaging the wall surface. Before using them, find out more from the manufacturer or test them somewhere inconspicuous.

3. Use nails, not screws

It’s much easier to cover up nail holes than it is to fill holes that have been drilled and plugged. If you have lightweight pictures and light masonry, using steel nails can therefore be a good alternative to plugs and screws. As a general rule: if you’re in any doubt, ask for advice from a specialist retailer. For more stability, knock the nails into the wall at a 45-degree angle.

In addition to a classic frame, you could use poster hangers or picture cord or wire to hang your pictures. Go online for inspiration, for example at Pinterest (search for “hanging pictures”). You’ll also find numerous instruction videos on hanging pictures on the Internet.

Advantage: cheap and causes little damage to the wall.

Disadvantage: some pictures are too heavy for the cord/wire.

4. Can’t hang pictures without drilling?

If your pictures are very heavy, there’s no option but to drill into your wall. Take care to limit the damage as much as possible.

Installing wall plugs correctly: instructions

Good preparation is essential if you need to put a plug in the wall. That way, you’ll make sure that it holds from the start, and that the drill hole doesn’t cause cracking. Keep the following points in mind:

• Use plugs and screws that are suitable for the substrate you are drilling into. If you’re not sure what that is, a drill test can help.

  • Very fine white-grey dust from a drill hole indicates a concrete wall.

  • Brick will produce red drill dust,

  • while sandy white dust comes from sand-lime brick walls.

  • Fine white drill dust that sticks to the drill bit is a sign of plasterboard.

• The hole needs to be deeper than the length of the plug. As a rule of thumb: the hole should be 1 cm deeper.

• The diameter of the hole should correspond to the diameter of the plug. A size 6 bit therefore takes a size 6 plug, and the right screw diameter is 1 or 2 sizes smaller than the plug.

• It’s also important to use the right type of drill:

  • In the case of plasterboard, aerated concrete and wood, this is a standard drill without a hammer function.

  • For natural stone and brick, you will need a drill with a hammer function.

  • A hammer drill is needed for concrete.

Detailed step-by-step instructions can be found online. Try DIY store websites.

Work with picture ledges or gallery tracks

Picture ledges are a type of narrow shelf that you can place your pictures on. On the other hand, gallery tracks are fixed to the ceiling, with pictures hung from them using wire or cord.

Both solutions will require you to do some drilling, but you can usually use the same ledge or track to display several pictures at once, and you can switch them around whenever you like. Another advantage with gallery tracks is that the drill holes are not anywhere conspicuous.