HOW TO: How to hang wall letters...

I have frequently been asked, "What is the best way to hang the letters?"  I have several of my own tips, plus several great ideas from customers!

TIP:  Hang the letters OUT OF BABY'S REACH!  If you are hanging them above a crib, please make sure that they are high enough so Baby cannot pull them down.  They are hard, have sharp edges, painted with acrylic paint, and well, they just aren't baby-friendly.

TIP #2:  It is more aesthetically pleasing to hang them at average-height eye level.  I am on the shorter side of 5'7" and like them to be just slightly higher than if I am looking straight ahead.  My husband is 6'3" and I do NOT like things hung at his eye level.  Once again... as long as it is out of Baby's reach!


Now that that's out of the way... So, how do I hang letters?

Well, when it's in my own home, I eyeball it.  (In someone else's home I may actually take the time to measure it out - but for some reason, this is the one of the only times I'm really impulsive).  Now before you jump to conclusions and assume that I have a natural gift to make things straight, I have a "friend" who helps me.

Meet my friend, Command:  Command™ Brand has a fabulous line of damage-free hanging solutions.  From hooks, to organization products, to picture and frame hangers, this company offers a hole-free option to hanging things on your walls.  And for someone who recently spent 5 days painting an entire house, ceiling, walls, molding and doors... a hole in my wall is the LAST thing I wanted (especially if you try to eyeball it like I do and sometimes have to redo it).

My FAVORITE product of theirs is the reclosable hanging strips.  These strips act like Velcro.  Each strip has 1 sticky side, and one Velcro side and you use two strips at a time.  If you like to eyeball it like me, this allows you to peel of your letter and restick it to the wall (or to the other Velcro strip) as often as you want to get it perfectly straight.

I peel off the backing of one strip and stick it to my letter.  Then I take a 2nd strip (with the backing on) and stick its Velcro side to the Velcro side of the strip on the letter.  I then remove the backing of the 2nd strip and, here's where the eyeballing comes in, stick it to the wall.  Press firmly to make sure the 2nd strip is stuck to the wall.  If I need to adjust the letter, I remove the letter (gently so as not to remove the strip on the wall), and adjust as needed.

The thing is, they are REALLY expensive compared to other options.  (Coupons for their products are available here).  If I need to use a lot to hang something larger or heavier than letters (like bulletin boards or large canvases), I sometimes use Scotch® foam double-sided mounting tape (coupons here).  You get more sticky for your buck, but they are definitely not as damage-free as the Command Brand strips. 

This is the way you should REALLY hang wall letters, as opposed to eyeballing it like me:

Supplies:

• Tape Measure
• Level
• Long-straight edge (such as a yard stick)
• Painters Tape
• Letters (from Kidspired Creations, of course ;-) with hanging tape on the back

Steps:

1. Using a tape measure, find the center of the area that you want to hang your letters.
2. Use painters tape to mark center.
3. Stick painters tape to the back of a long straight edge (make sure it is very light-weight).
4. Hold your straight edge against the wall at the level that you want the bottom of your letters to fall.
5. Use your level to make sure the straight edge is perfectly level, then press firmly so the tape will stick to the wall.
6. Starting with the middle letter, or 2 middle letters, remove the backing of the mounting strips, and place the bottom of the letter to the top of your straight edge, then press the rest of the letter firmly against the wall.
7. Next, hang the 2 letters on either side of the middle letter(s) (then the next two, and the next two until you get to your first and last letter).
8. To ensure the same amount of spacing between each letter, I use at LEAST a 2-finger space... 3 or 4 fingers are better (or you can use another straight object that has a width that would be a good distance for each of your letters.)

Here are some other hanging options that my customers have used for their wall letters:

RIBBONS

Ribbon adds a nice, soft touch to wooden letters.  It can be tricky to make sure all of the bows will hold the letters at the same height, so I would attach 2 different ribbons to each letter, hang the nail in the wall, THEN tie the bow last (this way you can adjust the height of the letter as you are tying it).

CURTAIN ROD

Using ribbon and creating a simple loop around the rod to hang the letters creates a really classy look.  For letters that are divided in the middle, H, K, M, N, U, V, W, X, and Y, use 2 loops to make sure the letter is balanced.  Letters L and J are tricky to balance.

KNOBS

I haven't used decorative knobs yet, but I'm dying to do so... please contact me if you're interested!!!

Using a drill gun, drill a hole into the wall that is the diameter of the knob screw and just twist the knob into the wall!

Yes, this creates rather large holes, so please don't eyeball it!

Then, attach your ribbon to your letters and tie them around the knobs just as I described above.

(If you would like for me to include matching knobs with your order, this will add anywhere from $3-5/letter.  If not, you can find these at craft stores like Hobby Lobby.) 

NON-STRAIGHT, NON-HORIZONTAL LETTERS

• ARCH - Start with your middle letter, then angle the letters on either side of the middle one at a slight angle.  If you have a 5 letter name, begin with letter 3, then hang letters 2 and 4, then letters 1 and 5.  (Hint:  Using a poster board and a compass, draw and cut out an arch first and tape it to the wall to line up your letters).
• VERTICAL - Why hang them across, when you can hang them up and down?  I would start with your middle letter (like always) and place it at eye-level.
• DIAGONAL - Begin with the middle letter, then stair step them up and down.
• ZIG-ZAG -  I would do the higher ones SLIGHTLY higher than eye level, and the lower ones SLIGHTLY lower than eye level, that way the WHOLE NAME is at eye level.  Get it?

 
 

BE CREATIVE!

Ava's mommy used her letters to hang picture frames!  I absolutely love how this turned out! 

This picture, and the pictures taken inside of the frames, were taken by the 

absolutely fabulous Baton Rouge-based photographer, Abigail Devall. 

Go check out her site!  www.abigaildevall.com

She also took these pictures of my boys (and yes I'm just using this as an opportunity to show my kids off).