Hanging things on walls seems simple until you put a nail in the wrong spot or pull a shelf out of drywall. Here’s how to hang anything on a wall the right way so it stays up and doesn’t damage your home.

The Golden Rule — Find the Stud

For anything heavy, always anchor into a wall stud. Studs are the wooden beams inside your wall, typically 16 inches apart. Use a stud finder — the Zircon MultiScanner is reliable and costs about $20. When you find a stud, mark it with a small pencil mark at the top edge of where you’re hanging.

For Light Items Under 20 Pounds

Standard picture hooks work for most artwork and small mirrors. They use a small angled nail that holds surprisingly well in drywall. No stud required for items under 10 pounds.

For items up to 20 pounds, use a drywall anchor. Drill a pilot hole, tap in the anchor, and drive the screw into the anchor. Drywall anchors spread the load across a wider area of drywall.

For Medium Items 20 to 50 Pounds

Use toggle bolts for medium-weight items when you can’t hit a stud. A toggle bolt expands behind the drywall and creates a very strong anchor point. They’re a bit more work to install but hold 50 pounds or more.

For Heavy Items Over 50 Pounds

Always anchor into studs for anything heavy. Shelves loaded with books, large mirrors, flat screen TVs, and cabinets all need stud mounting. Use lag screws for the strongest connection.

Getting the Height Right

For artwork, the standard rule is to hang the center of the piece at eye level — about 57 to 60 inches from the floor. For gallery walls, lay everything out on the floor first to plan your arrangement before making any holes.

The Two-Nail Trick

For frames with two hanging points, cut a piece of paper the same size as the frame. Mark where the hanging hardware hits. Tape the paper to the wall at the right height, hammer nails through the marks, and remove the paper. Perfect alignment every time.

Final Thoughts

Taking 5 extra minutes to find studs and use the right anchors is the difference between something that stays on your wall for years and something that crashes in the middle of the night.

Just moved into a new home? Check out our guide on what to do when you move into a new house.

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