blackest Loc: Ireland

Yes a lot of them have picture rails but my little place doesn't at a fair guess its been boarded out on the walls and dry lined the walls are thick enough its an old country cottage. The ceiling is a little unusual as it goes up into the roof rather than flat and is wood panelled. Which would allow me to run some thing from floor to ceiling I've seen library exhibitions which use thin steel cables vertically and the frames anchor to that some how.

I might end up doing it with the pins and accept i will need to do some repairs if and when i move, I've been here 4 years now.

thank you all for the great advice

It would be nice to declutter my surfaces and just use the walls.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I used the 3m pic hangers. They work great ( most of the time) I have one room they will not work in. They just drop off the wall usually about 2 hours after I put the pic on them.

Joburg

Command hooks are great. Also have ones with Velcro strips

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

While I agree with most everything you have posted about old houses, Victorian and most other styles, the difference is in the inner wall construction. The earlier house's interiors were built up with a wood lath covered by a coarse horse hair plaster and finished with a plaster somewhat brittle finish plaster laid over the underlying coarse coating. Somewhere around the early 1900's contractors starting using cement over the lath; and then finishing the wall with a final plaster coat. Finally after about WW II, a cement board, similar to the present day dry wall was developed and true lath walls became history; even new houses specifically built to replicate old homes use drywall with the old style plaster applied to the visible surface. It's easier, faster, less expensive, but the old plaster craftsmen are a vanishing breed.

The problem was that old plaster has very little internal strength; it shatters or cracks internally or on the back side unless great care is taken to drive nails and will not support much weight so the only way to hang pictures and have any hope of their staying up was to use a molding anchored--screwed or nailed-- as you described to the wall studs but hopefully secured more than at the ends. Rods or wires and hooks were then dropped from the rails to where the pictures were wanted. The wood lath was generally too thin to support either the old (and heavy) picture frames or the hanging rail, and the odds of hitting lath or a stud with a single picture nail in the location where the picture was to be located was slim. Back then there was no 16" on center rule for studs; they were frequently +/-24" on center.

Single nails thin driven cleanly into modern drywall will support photos in 'typical' frames and there are all sorts of anchors that can be driven into a drilled hole in drywall that will hold heavier weights, but as I said earlier, don't reuse an old hole.

Why am I familiar with these problems you may ask? For 30+ years we had a closet remodeling company, and did a lot of work in downtown Boston and other old cities in Mass; we became very proficient in dealing with the old walls to hang laminate and wire shelving systems. That said, if the walls are in poor condition or have become wet, the only solution is to use toggle bolts.

One more tip for hanging on drywall in poor condition, don't use nails but rather anchors and screws. I'd suggest 1", #8 sheet metal type screws in properly sized anchors; when you drill the anchor hole, start with a sharp 1/16" bit, then a 1/8" and finish with a 3/16". You will have to tap the anchor into the hole--gently! Install the screw leaving about 1/8" exposed for the wire to hang on. If you need more exposed length use a 1 1/4" screw.

Jim Bob

Ask Peter Johnson. Two heads are better than one.

(Download)

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

The installation of crown molding around the room will give you a hidden surface (on top) to install a sliding track to allow you to rearrange pictures to your hearts content. Also adds slight value to property.

Collie lover Loc: St. Louis, MO

The package directions says not to use Command strips on wallpaper, so if your walls are wallpapered, these strips can't be used.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Horses think with the big one, and men with the little one...., NO?!?! LoL
SS

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

That is definitely true, although the OP's comment about being 'Landlord friendly' could imply that it is a rented property and thus installing crown molding or picture rails may not be an option.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

Each landlord has its own rules, but generally, and this is a vast generalization, most don't seem to care if you add something that is an improvement and is well done; it's the removal of any "improvements" that can be an issue especially if the tenant doesn't patch the walls. Removal is generally prohibited in the lease.

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Agreed, but the details are important, and if a rent or a lease it may well depend upon the terms as to whether it is an option. For a 999 year lease, or even a 99 year lease it shouldn't be an issue. For a 1 year lease,, that could be a different consideration...

If not a self owned property, the details seem quite relevant...

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

That's an interesting background in niche marketing, remodeling closets! But seriously, how many clients wanted to hang pictures in their closets?

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

Those that like water colors, perhaps? It may depend on the type and size of closet!

BHC Loc: Strawberry Valley, JF, USA

I'll have you know that some of my biggest fans hang my most valued prints exclusively in their closets! Attics, basements and garages are close behind.

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

You are absolutely correct about the details; however, the original post included a reference to a "landlord" and the installation being "landlord friendly"; that led me to believe it is a rental property.