If you’ve always wanted a gallery wall in your home, but the thought overwhelms you before you even begin, keep reading. We have tons of tips and ideas that will help you create the perfect gallery wall without breaking a sweat!
1. Plan Your Layout
- Figure out how many images you will be hanging and what size they will be. Tip: Cut out pieces of paper the same size as the pictures to help visualize.
- Don’t overcrowd the wall, we know you love and are so proud of your family, but we don’t need to get a headache while looking at pictures of them. Leave some wall space at the ends!
- Leave about two to three inches of space between pictures.
- For a more formal look, use the same frame for all pictures. For a casual look, you can use different textures, shapes and colors of frames. However, be sure to stick to the colors you already have in the room.
- If the gallery wall will be above a bed or sofa, hang your pictures 5-8 inches above the couch or headboard.
- If your images are not above a sofa or bed, they should be hung 57-60 inches from the floor. Note: When hanging a cluster of pictures the middle point of the cluster should be at 57 inches. You want to look at picture at eye level or a drop lower not higher
2. Hacks and Tips To Help Hang Your Pictures
- Place a piece of tape on the back of your picture frame and then mark the tape in the spot where the screws belong. Take the tape off the picture frame and place it on the wall where u want to hang the picture. Use a level to make sure the tape is straight. Stick the nails in where the mark. Remove the tape and voila!!!
- Use toothpaste – put toothpaste on the back of the picture frame where the nails belong. Press the picture frame against the wall. When you remove the frame, you’ll see the spot of toothpaste transferred onto the wall. Now you know where the nails belong!
- Use velcro or double sided tape if the pictures aren’t too heavy instead of hanging with screws!
3. Printing Options
1. Gaterfoam
Gaterfoam is a heavy-duty foam board. Gaterfoam is perfect for digital and screen printing and is dent and scratch resistant. Gatorfoam (or foamcore) is a new alternative to a photo mosaic canvas or picture frame. It is the lower-cost alternative to other products such as Acrylglas or Alu-Dibond.
2. Styrene
Styrene will be your cheapest option and is created out of flat plastic. Sometimes called poster board signs, their plastic construction and assembly is resistant to weather, bumps drops, and scratches.
3. Metal
Metal prints, also known as metallic prints, are modern, high definition art pieces made of a sleek metal panel (usually aluminum), layered with any image of your choosing.
4. Canvas
Canvas is an image printed from an inkjet printer onto canvas. Once printed, the canvas gets stretched onto a frame. Some people opt for a frameless border while others prefer framed canvas prints.
5. Acrylic
Acrylic is a high end option, and is referred to by several different names. For instance, Plexiglass, Lucite and Perspex are all brand names of the acrylic material. Acrylic takes an image printed on high quality photo paper and protects it with an acrylic sheet (face mounting method). This acrylic sheet protects the image from warping, scratching or fading over time.
6. Standout
Standout prints are a great alternative to framing.
7. Wood
Wood printing is simply photos printed on a wooden plaque. The picture provided is directly printed onto the wood surface resulting in a more luxurious and vibrant photo.
Where to Print Your Photos
A great option to print your photos would be mpix, linked here. They have a lot of different options with great quality.
Mixtiles is a great option, too. Get your photos in a stylish frame that sticks directly to your wall and leaves no damage. All photos are moveable with no tools necessary.
One more cheap yet good option would be slidetiles.com. Slidetiles are magnet mounted metal prints that require no tool or holes in the wall. Just like the mixtiles all photos are moveable with no tools necessary.
We hope these tips help you make the gallery wall of your dreams! Be sure to show us the results if you do!
