A sawtooth picture hanger is a great way to hang pictures that weigh less than 10kg. It’s a perfect addition to your art wall and picture hanging system. It gets attached directly to the back of the frame, and from there, you can place a nail on the wall and easily hang the picture from the sawtooth hanger. Many picture frames come with installed sawtooth hangers, but if you need to do it yourself, it should only take a couple of minutes.
1. CHECK THE WEIGHT
Check that your sawtooth picture hanger can support the weight of the picture. Sawtooth hangers are made to support 10kg of weight at the most. Anything heavier than that will need to be hung by a different means. To easily weigh the picture, hold it as you step onto a scale and subtract your weight from the total. For heavier pictures, you’ll want to use a wire installed across the back of the frame.
2. MEASURE THE FRAME
Measure the frame’s width and mark the centre point. Use a tape measure and a pencil or pen to make the mark. This will help you properly situate the sawtooth hanger once ready to install it. Suppose you don’t have a tape measure. In that case, you could also use a yardstick or something similar to get the measurement so that the weight is distributed more evenly.
3. LARGE FRAMES
Use two sawtooth picture hangers if the frame is longer than 50cm. This will help keep it level and make it less likely to get bumped out of place over time. If doing this, position the sawtooth hangers about 15cm from each side. This isn’t a requirement, but it will make your frame more stable when it’s finally hanging up.
4. CENTRE THE HANGER
Centre the sawtooth picture hanger and mark the nail holes with a pencil. Position the sawtooth hanger over the mark you made in the exact centre of the frame. Hold it down and make a visible mark through each nail hole so you can quickly find your place again in case you accidentally drop the hanger. Many sawtooth hangers have a spot in the centre to make it easier to line it up on the back of the frame.
5. SECURE THE HANGER
Secure the sawtooth picture hanger into place with two small nails. Take a nail, line it up with the hole in the hanger, and gently hammer it into place. Hammer as straight as you can so the nail doesn’t go in at an angle. Repeat this action on the opposite side. The nail will be short, so it doesn’t go through the front of the frame, so be careful not to catch your fingers with the hammer. Some sawtooth kits come with nails, and some come with screws. Use whatever comes with your kit to ensure the hanger is attached correctly.
If it comes with screws, you’ll need to use a screwdriver rather than a hammer. The sawtooth picture hanger needs to be attached to the frame. Even if there is sturdy canvas paper covering the back of the picture, the hanger will rip through it once you place the picture up on the wall.
Sawtooth picture hangers are very easy to install. That’s why they are so popular regardless of what picture hanging system you are using.