How to hang a canvas on the wall like a pro

Before you start hanging a canvas on the wall, you’ll need to gather all the essential tools and materials. 

Though this list may vary depending on your hanging method, these are the basic canvas hanging tools you’ll usually need. 

• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Pencil
• Screws
• Spirit level
• Tape measure or ruler
• Wall protection pads

Along with these essential hanging tools, you’ll also need wall-hanging fixtures such as sawtooth brackets, wire, eye hooks and adhesive strips - depending on your preferred canvas hanging method (more on that below).

You should always hang your canvas at eye level, which is around 57-60 inches from the ground. To give your canvas plenty of breathing space, we also recommend hanging it at least 6 inches away from any furniture. 

There are other factors you need to consider too. It’s a good idea to hang your canvas away from direct sunlight, as this can cause colours to fade over time, while you also shouldn’t hang canvases in any damp or humid room, which can warp the wooden frame. 

Canvases can make fantastic focal points in almost any room, so look particularly impressive over dining tables, above beds and sofas, or large blank walls in hallways (especially near the entry to your home). 

Hanging your canvas with just a single flat-headed nail is definitely the quickest and easiest option. However, it’s not the most secure way to hang a canvas, and should only really be used for smaller and lighter canvases. 

This method involves simply hammering a nail into the wall and hanging your canvas by its wooden frame, instead of using any screws, brackets or hooks. Here’s how to hang a canvas using just a nail:

STEP 1: Mark where you want to place your canvas in pencil on the wall

STEP 2: Hammer your nail into the marked spot.

STEP 3: Don’t hammer the nail all the way in, leave around ⅓ of the nail sticking out.

STEP 4: Hang your canvas on the nail by positioning the top stretcher bar over the nail.

STEP 5: Use a spirit level to make sure your canvas is perfectly straight!

This is a stronger and more secure way to hang canvas prints, ideal for medium-sized canvases. It involves carefully screwing a sawtooth bracket into the middle of the canvas’ top wooden frame, and then hanging it over a pair of nails on the wall (which is obviously far more secure than hanging your canvas with just a single nail).

Here’s how to hang a canvas with a sawtooth bracket:

STEP 1: Mark the centre of the canvas’ top stretcher bar in pencil. This is where your sawtooth bracket will go, so make sure to measure accurately here. 

STEP 2: Position your sawtooth bracket on the marked spot, position screws in the little gaps, and carefully tighten the screws to attach the bracket to the back of your canvas. 

STEP 3: Measure the gap between the first and last grooves on your sawtooth bracket.

STEP 4: On the wall, mark where your pair of nails will be positioned and use a spirit level to make sure they’re even. The gap between them should match the sawtooth bracket measurement you’ve just taken. 

STEP 5: Hammer your nails into the wall, leaving around ⅓ of the nail sticking out of the wall

STEP 6: Hang your canvas on the wall by resting the first and last grooves of the sawtooth bracket on the nails. 

If you’re looking for ways to hang larger canvas prints, we recommend using a wire hanging instead of a sawtooth bracket. This method might be a little trickier but it offers even better sturdiness and steadiness - which is absolutely essential when hanging a great big heavy canvas!

Here’s how to hang a canvas with a wire hanging:

STEP 1: Along with your basic tools, gather some hanging wire, and two eye hooks (or D-rings).
 
STEP 2: From the top of your frame, measure about ⅓ of the way down and mark this in pencil on both sides. This is where the eye hooks will go. 

STEP 3: Carefully screw your eye hooks into position on the marked spots, with the hooks pointing inward.

STEP 4: Measure the width of your frame and cut your hanging wire about 6 inches longer than this. 

STEP 5: Thread the wire through one of the eye hooks and loop it back around to secure it. Repeat this process on the other eye hook, but leave some slack in the middle of the wire so that your canvas can hang properly. 

STEP 6: Choose where to hang your canvas and mark the spot on your wall in pencil

STEP 7: Hammer a nail into the wall on the marked spot (or a picture hook, if you prefer).

STEP 8: Hang your canvas by placing the centre of the hanging wire over the nail.

Adhesive strips are the easiest way to hang a canvas on the wall without nails. Since you won’t need to hammer anything into the wall, these easy-to-use sticky strips help you hang canvases without damaging anything. 

The weight of your canvas is a major factor here, however, as adhesive strips will struggle to hold large canvases securely. You can usually find specific weight capacity on your adhesive strips somewhere, so just make sure your canvas doesn’t exceed this!

Here’s how to hang a canvas without nails:

STEP 1: Measure your canvas and mark the position of each corner in pencil on the wall. 

STEP 2: Place an adhesive strip on each corner of the canvas frame. You can add extra strips to the sides of the canvas if you feel they’re necessary. 

STEP 3: Unpeel the outer sticky side of your strips

STEP 4: Position each corner over the markings on the wall and gently press your canvas into position. 

STEP 5: Use a spirit level to confirm it’s straight, then firmly press and hold your canvas against the wall to secure it. 

Each canvas hanging method has its benefits and drawbacks, so choosing what’s right for you comes down to personal preference. The weight and size of your canvas could be a big factor here, but we always recommend hanging your canvas in whichever way you're most comfortable with. 

However you choose to hang your canvas prints, they always look totally spectacular on your walls and bring memories to life in stunning detail. From gallery-wrapped canvases to collage canvases, you can find all kinds of picture-perfect canvas prints at Max Spielmann!