Picture Hanging Service and Shelf Fitting

• Pictures and photo frames: Single pictures, pairs and groups, hung level and at a consistent height.
• Artwork hanging: Framed prints, canvases and heavier framed pieces, with hangers suited to the weight.
• Gallery walls: Groups of frames planned and hung as one arrangement.
• Shelves: Floating shelves, bracket shelves, alcove shelves and twin-slot rail shelving.
• Other wall-mounted items: Such as coat hooks and hook rails.

Curtains, blinds and mirrors have their own services: curtain fitting, blind fitting and mirror fitting.

It depends on the weight:

• Light pictures: Traditional picture hooks with hardened steel pins, driven in at an angle, hold well in plasterboard. The packet gives the weight each hook takes.
• Medium pictures: Self-drill plasterboard anchors or metal cavity fixings.
• Heavy artwork: Fixed into the timber or metal studs behind the board, or onto heavy-duty spring toggles.

Using two hooks rather than one keeps a picture level and spreads the load. For valuable pieces, we can use security hangers that lock the frame to the wall. We check for cables and pipes before every hole.

A gallery wall looks effortless when it has been planned:

1. 1

   Lay it out: arrange the frames on the floor until the group works.

2. 2

   Make paper templates: cut paper to each frame's size, mark the hanging point, and tape the templates to the wall.

3. 3

   Set the spacing: keep the gaps even, typically 5 to 8 cm between frames.

4. 4

   Set the height: centre the whole group at roughly eye level, typically around 150 cm from the floor, or a little above a sofa or sideboard.

5. 5

   Hang from the centre out: start with the main piece and work outwards, checking level as we go.

A shelf holds only as much as its weakest part: the wall, the fixing, the bracket or the shelf itself.

For bookshelves and heavy storage, twin-slot rail systems spread the load across several fixings down the wall, and the brackets can be adjusted later.

Floating shelves hide their support inside the shelf, usually on metal rods or a concealed bracket. That means all the load acts on a few fixings at the back, so they need a solid wall or studs. On plasterboard without studs in the right place, floating shelves suit light decorative items only. Long floating shelves need extra support points along their length.