hanging a picture straight seems like a pretty basic concept, right? are you already good at this? because i am terrible. or at least, i used to be.

maybe it’s because i am a recovering perfectionist who is still more perfectionist than recovered. sigh. maybe it’s because my husband and i have VERY different ideas about what hanging a picture straight looks like. his version looks like put as many holes in the wall as it takes to get it straight. mine looks like i better get it right the first time because i DO NOT want to have to get out the spackle and paint.

for these reasons, it took over a year for me to hang a picture in our house with an actual nail. yikes.

since that time, in addition to becoming better at hanging pictures with the method discussed below, i created this fun DIY project planner. i LOVE DIY, but as a busy mom, i don’t have time to go to multiple stores, multiple times, and i do not have time to wait another year to make a project happen. that was crazy, but without a plan, it’s easy to do. to save time and keep myself organized, i created this super helpful printable and now before new projects, i fill it out. easy peasy. you can snag a copy for yourself in the LITTLE printable library. if you’re like me, you know when you’re organized in small ways like this, it creates big room to notice the things you love the most about DIY and your space!

so, back to hanging pictures. when it comes to hanging ONE picture straight, i am not SO terrible. that is pretty basic. most walls in our house, however, require more than one picture to fill the space. this is probably true for you too. those pictures need to be even with each other, and that can be tricky, but i’ve figured out a method that works every time!

for this first gallery wall project, i avoided the use of nails entirely and used all command strips.

any time i hang more than one picture, i use painters tape to create a grid for myself. that way i can make sure i am staying even as i go. you can read more about how to hang a gallery wall like this here.

command strips are God’s gift to perfectionists. they are amazing and allow you to essentially “stick” your picture to the wall. if it’s not straight? just unstick and readjust. so easy. this particular type of command strip is sold in different weight increments, depending on the weight of the item you want to hang. my favorite is the variety pack you can find here on amazon.

after the successful hanging of our that first gallery wall, you can imagine my disappointment when i tried to hang the pictures for this wall, only to realize command strips would not work on these frames. i tried but shattered two frames in the process. eek!

by design, each of these frames hangs by a wire. you can see i got all set up with my painters tape grid. sadly, after the command strips didn’t work, the thought of trying to get nine wire-hanging frames straight was enough to make me put off the project for another year .

then i stumbled across this crazy, amazing, magical picture hanging tool. it is called the hang & level by under the roof decorating.

this product is truly a miracle worker, and it’s only $14.99! i remember being at the hardware store, debating whether to buy it. thank goodness i decided to go for it! it has taken away all of my anxiety about putting holes in the wall because now i always get it right on the first try.

the hang & level has a built-in level, a way to help hang wired pictures, and a way to help hang pictures with sawtooth hangers. those are the ones that have hangers that look like little alligator teeth. {i had to look up this technical term, by the way}. it has a LITTLE plastic button you press that puts a mark on the wall when you have your picture in the right spot. then you take your picture down, place your nail or screw where you marked, and hang the picture up. it is that simple!

i’ve written about the hang & level in previous gallery wall posts. this week, i reached out to the company, to see if they could provide readers {YOU!} with a special discount and they said YES. happy dance! to grab your discount code for FREE shipping on this product {along with many other helpful freebies to help you focus on what you truly love about DIY}, click here. you can buy this picture hanger in some stores for the same price as utr’s site, but there is currently a copycat product that is fooling customers. best to grab the product right from the creator and support a small business! they responded immediately to my email so i am SURE their customer service is great.

with the use of a couple yard sticks, painters tape, and the hang & level tool, i was able to hang all nine frames in one afternoon, by myself! after waiting over a year, this was quite an accomplishment. if i can do it…so can you!

i also used the hang & level to get all the pictures straight in this gallery wall project in my husband’s office. he wanted pictures of ALL kinds – wires, sawtooth, guitars even! it was so great to have ONE PRODUCT to help me with so many different picture types {not the guitars, though! their hangers came with easy mounting instructions}.

as it turns out, hanging a picture straight is not as intimidating as i initially thought. you just need the right tools! command strips are perfect for lighter frames and even canvases. the hang & level tool works for anything that requires a nail or screw in the wall (discount code here). luckily for picture hanging, these tools are both very affordable. a small price to pay for keeping your wall paint in tact!

for me, they each eliminate the fear of extra holes in the wall and are easy to use all by myself. if you’re like me, and you have picture hanging anxiety, i hope you can find some peace with these two helpful products!

and don’t forget to grab this helpful DIY planning resource here in the LITTLE printable library.

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