how would you hang something heavy and breakable?

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N

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
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I need suggestions, I'm a super noob.

I've got this framed stained-glass window that was taken from the house where my grandparents used to live before they sold it. I want to hang it up on the wall in my house, but I've got this gigantic fear of it falling down and shattering.

any suggestions on the most secure methods of hanging it? everything else in my apartment that's hanging up is either lightweight (picture frames) or drilled into the wall (spice rack, magnetic knife board).
 
Baked

Baked

Lifer
Dec 28, 2004
36,052
17
81
Take it to a professional place and have it framed. Then get a heavy duty picture frame hanging kit from home depot. Make sure to use a stud finder to mount the anchor so it doesn't fall off.
 
W

weadjust

Senior member
Mar 28, 2004
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41XSJYPGYCL.jpg
 
roguerower

roguerower

Diamond Member
Nov 18, 2004
4,563
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(1) Find Stud
(2) Find Edges of Stud
(3) Screw Large Bolt into Stud
(4) Hang Picture/Shiny Object
(5) Sit back with beer in hand and admire Picture/Shiny Object

If it's especially heavy and wide (24"+) hang it off 2 studs.
 
lxskllr

lxskllr

No Lifer
Nov 30, 2004
59,227
9,721
126
Butterfly toggles as long as you have drywall. If you have plaster, screws directly in the lathes.
 
N

nageov3t

Lifer
Feb 18, 2004
42,808
83
91
pcgeek11 said:
These work better than you would think... I use them all the time.
Click to expand...
do those actually work for heavy things?

(and just for clarification, the item itself is already framed. it was hanging in my parents house, but my mom gave it to me when they redid their living room)
 
BoomerD

BoomerD

No Lifer
Feb 26, 2006
65,757
14,174
146
How heavy? An 8-penny nail into a stud should be good for 40-50 pounds. If it's more than that, go to a 16 penny nail.

OR, you could go with the old "French Cleat" method:

http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/improvement/interior/4337905

A more reliable method is to use the time-honored French cleat, a system that uses two beveled lengths of wood. The top block is screwed to the hanging object. The other half is attached to the wall with wood screws. When you place the top half of the cleat over the bottom half, the picture is locked firmly in position. (See the illustration at left.)

To make the cleat, rip two pieces of wood at an identical angle on a table saw or, lacking that, using a circular saw. The length of the pieces matches the width of what you are hanging. For large pictures, mirrors or cabinets, each cleat should be at least 2 inches wide and 3/4 inches thick, fastened with 2-inch-long No. 6 or No. 8 wood screws. Assuming 1/2-inch thick drywall, each screw would penetrate 3/4 inches into the framing lumber. That's plenty of holding power for all but the heaviest loads. Of course, if you're sure there's no wiring or plumbing running through the framing and you have a truly heavy load to hang, you can use an even longer screw. Ideally, the bottom cleat should be attached to two studs, with a pair of screws driven into each. If that's not possible, you should still have plenty of holding power by attaching to one stud and using a couple of hollow wall fasteners at the opposite end of the cleat.

One small drawback of the French cleat is that it takes up at least 1/2 to 3/4 inch of space behind whatever you're hanging. To keep the object from tipping against the wall, attach a spacer block to the wall or to the back of the frame
Click to expand...

hanging-200c-1109.jpg
 
Last edited:
MovingTarget

MovingTarget

Diamond Member
Jun 22, 2003
9,002
115
106
roguerower said:
(1) Find Stud
(2) Find Edges of Stud
(3) Screw Large Bolt into Stud
(4) Hang Picture/Shiny Object
(5) Sit back with beer in hand and admire Picture/Shiny Object

If it's especially heavy and wide (24"+) hang it off 2 studs.
Click to expand...

My initial response was going to be "very carefully". However, since good advice has already been given here, I'll just quote it.
 
Fayd

Fayd

Diamond Member
Jun 28, 2001
7,970
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www.manwhoring.com
feralkid

feralkid

Lifer
Jan 28, 2002
16,824
4,919
136
roguerower said:
(1) Find Stud
(2) Find Edges of Stud
(3) Screw Large Bolt into Stud
(4) Hang Picture/Shiny Object
(5) Sit back with beer in hand and admire Picture/Shiny Object

If it's especially heavy and wide (24"+) hang it off 2 studs.
Click to expand...



Bolt?....don't think so!
 
S

sonambulo

Diamond Member
Feb 22, 2004
4,777
1
0
BoomerD said:
How heavy? An 8-penny nail into a stud should be good for 40-50 pounds. If it's more than that, go to a 16 penny nail.

OR, you could go with the old "French Cleat" method:
Click to expand...

Beaten like a red headed step child.

Only info I can add is that if you don't want to rip the cleats yourself you can find them in steel/aluminum labeled as 'z-clips.'
 
M

marvdmartian

Diamond Member
Apr 12, 2002
5,442
27
91
I have a similar problem I'll be facing, some day. My grandfather (whom I never met, since he died 10 years before I was born) was an avid collector of native American Indian arrowheads, spear points, utensils, etc. Once he had a pretty good collection going, he was able to procure a display case from a retailer, and mounted all of it in there.

The display case is ~48" square, and 4" deep, and it's no lightweight! While I'm sure I could fashion a way to mount it to the wall, so it wouldn't fall off, what I'm more afraid of is that once mounted, the case itself (which is probably 70 years old) wouldn't last. It's a beautiful case, and having the collection in there definitely adds to the nostalgic value, so replacing the case is not an option, IMHO.

What I believe I'm going to do is build a stand to support it from below, that the case will sit on, and which will be much more sturdy than any wall hanging hardware ever could hope to be. :cool:
 
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