How's It Hanging?

This "Tool School" Tuesday post it inspired by Elaine over at Love2Junk. She left a comment on one of my posts about the best way to attach a door headboard. I got to thinking about how challenging it can be sometimes to hang projects -- especially the big, heavy ones. So, Elaine, I'm not sure if this will help for your particular piece, but I thought I'd share a few different ways in which I've attached/hung some past projects.

#1. Well, I do have to say that my favorite of all methods is whenever possible to screw directly through the front of the piece right into a stud in the wall. This is quick, easy, and very secure. Unfortunately, you will leave marks in your piece, but sometimes I don't mind or it can/will be hidden.

#2. If I don't want to mess with the front, my next thought is usually key holes placed on the back of the piece. They will give you a very secure hold using nails in the wall. There is a special Dremel attachment for making them, but my local store did not carry it so I have a similar program.
I first drill a hole maybe 1.5-2" from top of piece. The drill bit should be slightly bigger than the Dremel bit (keep reading!).

The depth depends on your item, you just don't want it too shallow -- 1/4" is probably okay.

This is the Dremel bit (sorry for the lousy photos, closeup shots never seem to turn out for me -- even with my new camera! What? I didn't tell you about my new camera? We'll talk later.)
It's a round disc looking thing with zig-zag edging all around -- like a tiny little saw blade. You will need a drill bit slighly larger than the stem.

You need to create a canal of sorts. Probably a better tool for this, but I just drill a few holes close together, drill through the "walls", and run the bit back and forth a few times.

Not the most professional looking, but it does the trick. This "canal" should be about the same depth as the hole and should be on the top side of hole.

Now, using that Dremel (I think that bit I described earlier is in the engraving category), place in bottom of hole, turn it on, and travel up the canal. Run it back and forth a few times to create a nice underground slot. The idea is that a NAIL head fits into the hole and slides into the slot.

#3. Another one of my favorite methods of hanging, especially with something quite heavy.

I used it for hanging this (which is heavier than it looks!).

Sorry no photo for the first step, but you need a board that is almost as wide across as your item. The board should be shallow -- like 3/4". The width doesn't matter as much, but should be at least 4" -- so a 1x6 or 1x 8 is great for this. Cut this board in half long way (2 long pieces when done), using a table saw on a 45 degree angle.

One of the halves will be mounted on the top part of the item and the other on the wall. You want to mount it to the wall with screws into studs.

The placement might be a little tricky, so plan on some measuring and figuring. And you want to make sure that the cut is on the top, with the shorter side touching the wall.

The board you attached to your piece should have the cut edge down, with the shorter side touching the piece. The pieces will then "nest" together.

You just place the item's board into the wall board and it holds amazingly well. Just get it on the board and you can slide it where you need it (of course, you don't want the wall board to show!).

#4. Here's something I've, done once or twice.

I had this piano shelf that I certainly couldn't and wouldn't go through the front. And there was not a back area to use. But.....

There was a cavity area in the back.

So I attached to the wall a board approximately the size of that gap. Then I just slipped the piece onto it.

To secure it, I screwed down through the top (which I didn't mind as much) into that piece of wall-mounted lumber.

#5. One last method.

This 4' x 4' window is super, super heavy! And I hope you can see in the photo, is resting on two big nails/screws. The top is secured with some rope we attached and secured from above. I'm not saying to do things EXACTLY like that, but similarly...

A very heavy piece should be supported from underneath, simple L brackets can usually do the trick.

You can simply mount bracket to wall, place piece on top, and secure with screw through holes.

If you don't care for that to show, simply decide where you want it to go and first attach one arm to wall, stem upward, then place item on it, then secure with screws from below. Use this same technique to secure from the sides or from the top, too, if needed. If you plan carefully you can place brackets so they will barely show, but they give a very secure hold.

I hope these ideas were helpful and clear enough to understand. I basically just wanted to give an overview of a few ideas that have worked for ME (as opposed to them being the best). There are probably a lot more out there, (but mine, of course, required they be done "on the cheap".)

So....did we ever answer the question...How IS it hanging?

Midge