Hanging a few photos is a great and simple system of making any place feel like home. Concrete walls can sometimes come across as cold and lifeless; therefore, pictures can help to bring them back to life.
When thinking of hanging pictures on concrete walls, you often picture yourself having to hammer some holes into the wall to hang up a hook for the picture; however, this mustn’t be the case. There are excellent alternative methods for hanging a picture on solid concrete, and most of them are very simple to execute.
All you have to do is check the weight of your photos before you choose a technique by which to hang them on your concrete walls. Based on the weight of your pictures, some approaches are preferable to others. It’s essential to opt for the proper mounting hardware after you’ve chosen the perfect place to display your painting.
Masonry anchors, adhesive hooks, and hard wall hangers are the three most popular methods for hanging photos on concrete. Each of these ways is effective for hanging a painting on concrete, but they serve distinct purposes. Mounting photographs on a concrete wall is more difficult than hanging them on a wood-framed wall.
But don’t let it hold you back. In this post, you’ll see three different ways to hang photos on the concrete wall so far.
Adhesive Hooks
The simplest technique to hang up a painting on concrete is with adhesive hooks. They are easy to put up, take down, and discard, and they aren’t permanent. That means that you use adhesive hooks to hang a picture without wire and they do not affect your wall at all.
They are, however, the weakest method of hanging as there are chances of falling if not mounted correctly. Look at the label of the adhesive hooks to what kind of weight your hook can hold, and make sure you know how much your image weighs.
If you put up a painting that is too heavy for the hook, it would get detached from the wall. Nevertheless, for a conventional picture weighing less than 10 pounds, adhesive hooks would usually be perfect. Because they do not even need drilling, adhesive hooks are an excellent way to attach a picture to concrete. They feature an adhesive back that adheres securely to the wall.
Adhesive hooks work better on concrete walls with a smooth surface. There is n old rule for putting up pictures. For items that weigh more than 8 pounds, use a drill and anchor. For items that weigh just less than 8 pounds, use glue strips. With practice and experience, you can safely hang pictures on your concrete walls.
Steps to Hanging Pictures with Adhesive Hooks
For a really strong hold, clean the surface where the hook will go on the wall before actually sticking the hook to the wall. Use an alcohol-based cleaner and warm soap with water.
Rinse the area with a washcloth soaked with a cleanser. An adhesive hook’s glue adheres considerably better on clean edges. You won’t be able to get a good grip if the wall is covered with dust or dirt. Before you connect the hook, ensure that the area is completely dry and clean.
Make a mark with a pencil on the spot where you would like the hook to go. Ensure the mark you make on the wall is level because you won’t be able to adjust it at a later time if the hook adheres. It is essential to try your best, be meticulous, and avoid making mistakes.
To attach the adhesive hooks to the surface, remove the protective covering. Keep your fingers away from the adhesive since the oils on your fingers might cause the glue to degrade. For about half a minute, gently push the anchors to the wall. Ensure the hook is precisely where you would like it and that you press it gently. Try not to be too forceful.
Before hanging any picture on the hook, probably wait thirty minutes to an hour. The adhesive takes a while to cure and fully adhere to the wall. Ensure nothing too heavy is hung. If your image is too heavy, use additional hooks or acquire strong hooks. It’s OK to hang a weighty painting with two or more hooks.
Hard Wall Hangers
Hard wall hangers are made to be used on masonry walls made of brick, marble, stone, or other materials. They are moderate hangers that can handle up to 25 pounds (11 kg). That’s more than twice as strong as standard sticky hooks.
Using a hard wall hanger to hang photos on concrete is simple and quick. They have strong pegs that hold the base in place against the wall. Multiple hard wall hangers can be used to hold images that exceed the weight restriction.
Steps to Hanging a Picture with Hard Wall Hangers
Make a mark on the ground where you want the hanger to go. It’s critical to be precise while working with concrete. Hard wall hangers are made to be lasting; thus, the hook may not be adjusted afterward.
Install the hanger in the designated area. Use the other hand to grip it firmly while using the other hand to peg the four pins into the surface. At first, only hammer the pegs in approximately halfway. Before hammering these all the way in, examine to see if the hook is now in the proper place. Keep striking the pins when you have made sure it’s exactly at the position where you would like them to be.
You’ll really have to bring it back out and reset it if the hooks aren’t in the proper place. Pound the pins in place but know that it’s not the same as hammering a nail. Slowly moving the hook will help to hold it in position until all of the pins are set. This will also help you avoid mishaps and keep all your fingers intact.
Ensure the photo you want to hang is level. Ensure you don’t hang a painting that’s too large for the hard wall hanger, just like you wouldn’t with adhesive (sticky) hooks. You could tear the hooks off the wall if you hang a picture that’s too weighty for them.
Masonry Anchor
Masonry anchors have always been the most durable and long-lasting way to hang a painting on concrete walls. Some of them can withstand more than ten times the heaviness of a hard wall hanger and more than thirty times the heaviness of adhesives. Masonry anchors are available in many different designs, sizes, and materials.
Each was created with a specific purpose in mind. Purchase the one that is suitable for the weight you want to hang. You’ll need a masonry drill as well as some bits to install all masonry anchors since they all entail drilling a pilot hole into the concrete wall before securing the anchoring.
Masonry anchors necessitate the drilling of pilot holes in concrete walls, which necessitates the use of specialized equipment. If you can get your hands on the proper bit, you can accomplish it with any drill, although you may prefer a hammer drill.
This drill is not like a conventional drill in that it doesn’t merely spin. As it rotates and forces the drill bit in, it also moves back and forth. Drilling stuff into concrete is considerably easier with hammering and whirling than with a drill that simply spins.
When you purchase a masonry anchor, its box will specify how deep and broad the hole should be. But you will need the proper diameter and bit length to drill the hole.
Steps to Hanging a Picture with Masonry Hangers
Before you begin drilling, mark the location where you need the hole to be. Drilling into masonry should be done slowly and with a lot of force. You usually don’t need to push too hard until you strike a stone, in which case you’ll need to use extra force.
With a normal drill, you’ll need to use more force. Ensure the hole is not drilled at an angle. The anchor tip will be flat next to the wall as a result of this.
Protect your hook when the hole has been drilled. Many masonry anchors used for pictures require hammering some sort of plastic piece inside the hole, followed by a screw. Carefully push the plastic into place before screwing in the screw. Don’t pound the plastic into the wall too deeply or too hard.
It needs to be flush with the wall when finished. If you’re having trouble pushing the anchor in, possibly, you may have bored the hole to be too small or too shallow. Make any necessary adjustments if you have to. But don’t dig a hole that’s too big or too deep to grip the anchor.
A screw gun or a screwdriver can be used to install the screw. Both methods work great, but some people love to put in their screws manually. You need to stop the screwdriver at just the right point so that the screws are not completely flat against the wall and some of it sticks out. Hang your picture and adjust it until it looks perfect.
