How to Hang Pictures and Plan a Gallery Wall: Heights, Gaps and Fixings

The short answer

Hang a picture, or a whole gallery wall treated as one picture, so its centre sits about 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor. That is the figure given by Rossetti Art^[1], Dick Blick^[2] and Frameology^[3], while David Wilson Homes says about 57–60 inches^[4]. Rossetti suggests 53–55 inches (135–140 cm) where people sit, such as dining rooms and home offices^[1].

Be clear about what that number is. It is a gallery convention, a handy average of eye height, not a law and not a building regulation. Rossetti’s page says museums and galleries have used the rule for decades, but gives no source^[1], and none of the other pages I read gives an origin. Treat 145 cm as a starting point, then adjust for the furniture below and the people who will look at it.

The rest of this guide covers what you need, how to find cables and pipes before you drill, which fixing suits which wall, step-by-step hanging, how to plan a gallery wall on paper, and a worked example with measurements.

What you need

• Tape measure, pencil and spirit level.
• A pipe and cable detector. David Wilson Homes lists one with the basic tools^[4].
• Drill, masonry and wood bits, hammer, screwdriver, safety goggles^[4].
• Fixings matched to the wall and the weight: rawlplugs and screws, plasterboard hooks, picture hooks, or hollow-wall bolts (see the fixings section).
• Kraft or brown paper and painter’s tape to make templates^[2].
• Picture wire or D-rings already fitted to the frame.

Check for cables and pipes first

Before any drilling, nailing or screwing, check behind the wall. David Wilson Homes tells you to use a cable detector once you have chosen the spot and before marking or drilling^[4], and Homes & Gardens says to check for cables or pipes before nailing^[5].

Bosch DIY’s guidance for digital detectors is specific: remove rings, bracelets and watches and keep phones away; hold the device flat on the wall with your other hand flat on the wall 20–30 cm away; move slowly and pass the same spot several times; and switch on a light or appliance so a live cable carries current. Green means nothing detected, yellow means recheck, red means something is there^[6]. It adds that insulating footwear can stop the device detecting live cables^[6]. The page does not give a detection depth. After detection, Bosch says to switch the power off before drilling and to drill a small test hole first to identify the wall material^[6].

Our caution: no detector is perfect. Stay away from the vertical line above and below sockets and switches, and from the area around radiator pipes, unless the detector and the circuit say otherwise. That is a general rule of thumb, not a sourced figure.

Height and clearances

These figures come from Rossetti Art and Frameology; the centimetre equivalents are our conversions.

A caution on the mantel: the Canadian Conservation Institute says to skip the mantel for paintings you want to keep, because the chimney area gets hot, dry and sooty^[7]. It also advises keeping direct sunlight off paintings, because light causes fading that cannot be reversed, and keeping them away from cooking areas, smokers and spots where drinks might splash^[7]. Its stable-humidity guidance is not above 60% or below 40%^[7]. Those are for pictures you value; a framed poster is more forgiving.

Which fixing for which wall

Match the fixing to what is behind the paint, and to the weight. Always test a small hole first; Bosch advises drilling one to learn the wall material^[6].

Plasterboard

David Wilson Homes says light frames can use plasterboard hooks, while heavy frames need a drilled hole and rawlplugs^[4]. It gives no weight figures^[4].

Solid brick

EasyFrame advises drilling soft old brick and lime mortar slowly, with little or no hammer action to avoid breaking the face, and asking for advice in a listed building or where historic brickwork is exposed. For hard engineering brick, use a powerful hammer drill and a sharp bit, starting with a smaller pilot hole^[8]. It also says to drill into the face of the brick, away from its edges, for anything but the lightest picture, and to drill about 10 mm deeper than the plug is long^[8].

Lath and plaster and older plaster walls

Homes & Gardens quotes experts saying plaster is denser and more brittle than drywall, that hammering can loosen the bond between lath and plaster so you should pre-drill small holes, and that screws are much more secure in plaster than nails^[5]. If you have a period home, see our guide to plaster ceilings and walls in a period home.

Picture rail

A plaster picture rail system suits heavier art, and the rail should be 1–2 inches wider than the frame on each side^[5].

Rented walls

EasyFrame suggests brick clips on recessed mortar, a picture shelf or leaning the picture on a mantelpiece, and says adhesive hooks are rarely reliable on bare brick^[8].

By weight

The two sources that give weights use different units, which is why the chart below is labelled with both. Homes & Gardens says adhesive hooks under about 5 lb, nails or hooks driven at a downward angle for 5–10 lb, and screw anchors, or plaster hooks rated up to 25 lb, over 10 lb^[5]. EasyFrame says to use more than one fixing for anything over about 5 kg, and a split batten (French cleat) for heavy mirrors or canvases^[8]. The CCI prefers hooks sized for the painting’s weight over nails, and two hooks per painting to keep it level^[7].

Step by step: hanging one picture

1. Choose the spot. Pick the centre height (145 cm, or lower if the room is mainly for sitting) and the horizontal position.
2. Check behind the wall with a detector (above).
3. Find the fixing point. David Wilson Homes: mark the top centre of the picture with a pencil, then measure the drop from the top of the frame to the wire pulled taut^[4]. EasyFrame notes the hook sits lower than the frame’s top by the amount the wire stretches^[8].
4. Mark. Transfer the drop to the wall from your centre line.
5. Drill or fix with the right fixing for the wall and weight.
6. Hang and level. Check with a spirit level; a pair of small pads behind the bottom corners can steady a frame on rough brick^[8].
7. Stand back and check the height from across the room.

Planning a gallery wall

Treat the whole group as one picture. Rossetti says the whole grid goes at 57 inches, centre^[1], and Frameology says to centre the entire arrangement at 57 inches, measured to the middle of the group^[3]. Build outward from your largest or most dominant piece^[2].

Width. Frameology says the gallery should span roughly two-thirds of the anchor furniture’s width, for example about 48–56 inches over a 72–84 inch sofa^[3].

Gaps. Both Dick Blick and Frameology say 2–3 inches between frames for most walls^[2][3]. Dick Blick suggests 1½–2 inches for a denser look and 3–4 for an open feel^[2]; Frameology gives 1.5–2 inches for frames 8×10 and smaller and 3–4 inches for 18×24 and larger, and says gaps of eight inches or more look disjointed^[3]. Consistency matters more than the exact measurement^[2].

Method. Cut kraft paper to each frame’s size, mark the hanger positions, and tape the templates to the wall. Live with the arrangement for a day if you can, then nail through the marks, removing each template as you go. Start at the centre with the anchor piece and work outwards^[2][3].

Worked example: a 2.1 m sofa and a 2.4 m wall

Sofa 213 cm (84 in) wide, back 85 cm high (illustrative), ceiling 240 cm.

• Gallery width: two-thirds of 213 cm = 142 cm (56 in), matching Frameology’s example for an 84 in sofa^[3].
• Centre height: 145 cm.
• Gap above the sofa: the sources say 15–25 cm, so choose 20 cm: the bottom of the group is at 85 + 20 = 105 cm.
• Group height: the centre is 145 cm, so half the height is 145 − 105 = 40 cm and the group is 80 cm tall (105–185 cm).
• Ceiling clearance: 240 − 185 = 55 cm, comfortably above the 20–30 cm minimum^[1].
• Frames: six frames with 5 cm gaps. Left column 38 × 37.5 cm twice; middle column 56 × 50 cm anchor and 56 × 25 cm; right column 38 × 25 and 38 × 50 cm. Widths 38 + 5 + 56 + 5 + 38 = 142 cm; heights per column all add to 80 cm.

The 5 cm gap sits in the 2–3 inch (5–7.6 cm) range. If you hang a pair of wall lights on each side, our guide to wall light height and spacing shows where they go.

Common mistakes

• Hanging too high. The centre, not the top, goes at 145 cm; the rest of the group follows.
• Measuring to the top of the frame instead of the centre^[1].
• Drilling without a detector. Always check first^[4].
• Hammering into old plaster. It can loosen the bond^[5].
• Using adhesive hooks on bare brick^[8].
• Gaps that vary. Consistency matters more than the exact figure^[2].
• Hanging a valued picture over a mantel or in direct sun^[7].
• Skipping the templates. Mistakes on paper are free.

Quick reference

Glossary

Anchor piece

The largest or most dominant picture, hung first at the centre.

Salon hang

Many frames close together on one wall, usually of mixed sizes.

Rawlplug

A wall plug that holds a screw in masonry or plasterboard.

French cleat

A split batten that spreads a heavy frame’s weight along a wall.

Molly bolt

A hollow-wall anchor that expands behind plaster or board.

Picture rail

A moulding near the ceiling from which pictures hang on hooks.

What to do next

1. Measure your furniture and wall, and do the arithmetic in the worked example.
2. Cut paper templates and tape them up for a day.
3. Check the wall with a detector and plan your fixings.
4. Light the wall: see wall light height and spacing.
5. If you are repainting first, read how to paint a room in the right order.

Keep reading

• Wall light height and spacing
• How to paint a room in the right order
• Plaster ceilings and walls in a period home
• Styling a hallway with architectural details
• Mixing period and modern

Shop the look

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Frequently asked questions

How high should I hang a picture?

Centre it at about 57 inches (145 cm) from the floor. This is a gallery convention, not a rule. Rossetti suggests 53-55 inches where people sit, and David Wilson Homes says about 57-60 inches.

Is 57 inches a rule?

No. It is a gallery convention. One source says museums have used it for decades but gives no origin, and none of the sources I read explains where it came from.

How far apart should frames be on a gallery wall?

About 2-3 inches (5-7.6 cm) for most walls, per Dick Blick and Frameology. Use 1.5-2 inches for small frames and 3-4 inches for large ones; keep gaps consistent.

How high above a sofa should a picture go?

Rossetti says 6-8 inches above the backrest and Frameology says 6-10 inches (15-25 cm).

How wide should a gallery wall be?

Frameology says about two-thirds of the width of the furniture beneath it, for example 48-56 inches over a 72-84 inch sofa.

What fixing should I use on plasterboard?

David Wilson Homes says plasterboard hooks for light frames and drilled holes with rawlplugs for heavy ones. Always check the fixing rating against the picture weight.

How do I hang a picture on an old plaster wall?

Homes & Gardens quotes experts saying plaster is brittle: pre-drill small holes, avoid hammering, and use screws rather than nails. Check for cables first.

Do I need a cable detector?

Yes. David Wilson Homes, Homes & Gardens and Bosch all advise checking for cables and pipes before drilling or nailing, and Bosch says to switch the power off before drilling.