When you move into a new home, it doesn’t feel like your own until your pictures and art are on the walls. For most people, it’s hard to relax without installing these personalized touches.

A canvas or hanging frame on wall mounts can be a challenging endeavour.

We’ve listed everything you need to know to do it right the first time. Be confident in your process and techniques, sit back, and admire your new decor without worrying about anything falling on top of you.

Find out how to hang your next frame like a professional below.

First, choose the best spot to hang the picture.

Hanging photos at or above eye-level is best. If the frames are too low, they will blend into the furniture. Lower pictures are also easily destroyed by people walking past or bumping them off the wall.

A higher position for pictures and art makes rooms feel larger and less cluttered. It draws the eyes up so that you notice the ceilings and space. The artwork also stays protected, even in a busy home.

Second, secure the frames firmly.

The best technique for hanging a picture depends on what you’re attaching to the wall. There are different hooks for framed prints and canvases, for example.

Before hanging any picture, it’s crucial to find a stud.

A stud is the solid, wooden, support structure behind the interior wall. It supports and strengthens the walls. Hanging a heavier picture on the wall is more secure when attached to a stud.

To find a stud, bang on the wall until you can feel something behind it—it is that simple. If you need certainty that you’re hitting the best spot, you can use a stud finder.

If there’s no stud, like in plaster walls, you’ll need a special anchor to ensure a robust connection. You’ll see this clearly when hanging pictures on drywall.

The best choice is an expanding anchor that pushes out toward the wall to keep itself in place. The outward force keeps the hanger secure.

Once you have the anchor, choose the best hook.

The best choice of hook depends solely on the type of picture that you’re hanging. Framed prints have different characteristics to canvases. Here are the differences:

How to hang a framed picture

To hang a picture frame, use a hook or picture wire. With wire, you first attach the cable to both sides of the back of the picture frame using tiny, closed hooks. Then you slide the middle of the wire onto the wall hook.

When using this method, the wire shouldn’t be long enough that you can see it sticking out behind the picture; unless an exposed hanging wire meets the modern style that you’re creating in the room.

The hook method of hanging a frame on a wall uses the ridges on the back of the frame to hook directly onto the wall. This option is the easiest but is less forgiving when you’re trying to straighten items, and it sits slightly away from the wall.

How to hang a canvas painting

For a canvas painting to sit flush against the wall, you’ll need a special kit. Unsurprisingly, these are called flush mount wall hanging kits.

Most options are straightforward. The only challenge is checking the alignment of the final product.