How To Hang A Gallery Wall Without Mistakes
A gallery wall is a perfect way to display family photos or your favorite pieces of art in modern, personal way. A well-planning gallery wall creates a focal point, tells your story, adds color, and reinforces your overall decor style.
Installing a gallery wall makes your home feel personal, is an inexpensive way to add art to blank walls, and - best of all - can be easily changed over time as your style evolves.
And believe it or not, poking that many holes in the wall doesn't have to be nerve wracking.
In this post, I'll show you how to hang a gallery wall without mistakes. These DIY gallery wall tips will help you create the right gallery wall layout, avoid unnecessary holes, and hang your pictures with confidence.
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Table of Contents
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How To Plan A Gallery Wall
Decide on a gallery wall layout
The first thing step in creating a successful gallery wall is deciding on your layout.
Take all the frames you plan to use and lay them out on the floor. This allows you to experiment with spacing, balance, and overall look and feel before anything touches the wall.
I do this right in front of the wall where I'll be hanging my display so I can see the height and width more accurately. If that's not possible, take measurements and tape off a similar-sized square on your floor to guide you.
Play around with your gallery wall layout until you like what you see.
Label your gallery wall frames
Once you've chosen your frames and layout, label each different-sized frame with a number. If you have two frames of the same size, they'll both have the same number.
This simple step makes the hanging process much easier and prevents confusion later.
Create templates for each frame
Trace each frame onto newspaper or kraft paper with a black marker. Cut out each shape and label it with the same number as the corresponding frame.
Using painter's tape, attach each paper template (cut to the sizes of your frames) to the wall in the gallery wall layout that you planned on the floor. Don't stress about getting it perfect right away. Just focus on the overall spacing and balance.
Bonus Tip: Once you get it the way you want it, walk away.
Go do something else for a bit, but make it a point to walk by your photo wall a few times and see how it feels. If something is already bugging you now, it’s definitely going to bug you even more once there’s a hole in the wall.
I actually left my newspaper up for a day or two – partly because my projects are done in small chunks (hello, kiddos) and partly because I wanted to be totally sure it felt right before committing.
Level and adjust the templates
Once everything is the way you want it, level each template and adjust the spacing between them as needed.
Remember: these paper templates represent the edges of your frames, so now's your chance to fine-tune everything before committing to nail holes.
How To Hang Your Gallery Wall
Use the right hanging tool
You can absolutely hang pictures the old fashioned way, but this Hang and Level Picture Hanging Tool has been one of my favorite purchases ever! It makes the process so much easier, especially when working with multiple frames.
The Picture Hanging Tool allows you to get the frame exactly where you want it and mark the hole perfectly every time, regardless of how far the hanger is from the top of the frame. This is a game-changer when hanging a gallery wall without mistakes!
Mark the nail holes
Hang each frame on the tool and position it directly over the matching paper template.
Holding the picture hanging tool steady, remove the frame and mark the nail hole by pressing the tool's marking tab.
Hammer in the nails
With the hole marked, gently hammer the nail into the wall right through your paper template.
Once all the nails are in place, remove the paper templates and hang each frame.
If your frames are close together, you may want to hammer in all the nails first before removing the templates and hanging your frames.
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Common Gallery Wall Mistakes to Avoid
One of the biggest gallery wall mistakes I see is rushing the process. Skipping the planning step often leads to uneven spacing, crooked frames, or a layout that feels unbalanced once everything is on the wall.
Another common issue is hanging the gallery wall too high. As a general rule, artwork should be centered at eye level especially in living rooms, hallways, and bedrooms.
Taking the extra time to plan, level, and space your frames properly will save you frustration (and patching walls later).
Final Thoughts
There are endless gallery wall ideas and what you choose to display should reflect you - your family, your travels, your memories and your style.
If you’re feeling unsure about what type of gallery wall fits your home best, it may be helpful to take a step back and get clear on your overall decorating style first.
To help with that, be sure to check out How to Find Your Decorating Style, where I walk you through simple ways to define your style so you can make decorating decisions with confidence.
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