Is it OK to tack picture hooks onto a plastered wall?

I want to put a few pictures up in the bedroom on the outside wall but am not good with the power tools... My OH says that it must be drilled and pluged first but I know he wont get round to doing it.


Would it really be that bad to just tack a few nails in the wall to hang them on? i'm not worried about the plaster cracking but just want to make sure the pictures stay up.

Is it OK to tack picture hooks onto a plastered wall?
Yes, you can put hooks into the plaster. Just to make it a little more secure take two pieces of masking tape and make an X - put the hook in the center of the X. It will help prevent the wall from cracking and give a little more support to the hook. You need to judge the weight of your pictures because the heavier the picture/frame, the larger the hook you need.
Reply:The weight of the picture plus the frame will pull it self from the wall.


If there is any weight you will need to put in anchors to hold it up.


Good Luck
Reply:The OH is right on the outside wall.


On a plaster board wall is fine just angle your nails slightly upwards and be careful they will get loose if pictures are moved often or to heavy
Reply:LISTEN TO THIS PLEASE I TRIED ORDINARY NAILS NO GOOD USE MASONARY NAILS SMALL ONES THATS WHAT THE LANDLORD TOLD ME TO DO AFTER HE HAD TO RE PLASTER THE WALL ORDINARY NAILS SEEM TO CRACK THE P[LASTER WHERE AS MASONARY NAILS ARE HARD AND TOUGH AND GO STRAIGHT THROUGH THE PLASTER WITHOUT CRACKING IT
Reply:3M makes these self stick hooks. They come in all sizes for different weights. I buy them and they are great. Just make sure you let them set for the time they say. They have a small pull tab on them. If you decide to remove them you pull the small tab and it actually peels off of the wall leaving the paint in tact. It's great. I rented a brand new condo and when we left there wasn't one spot on the walls. And they are reusable too. You buy the refills for them. I hang my robe and coats from them. I've hung pics and stucco decor off of them too. And now I see they have a super strength one that is silver. Haven't tried that yet but probably will. Good luck. Hope this helps.
Reply:if you hav plaster walls you have "picture moulding" where the crown mould should be or just below it...it has a small gap between it and the ceiling...that is for the hooks, use piano wire to attach to your pictures...it is a sin to put nails in plaster walls and the god of plaster will get you for it (not to mention that driving nails or tacks into plaster compromises its integrity and you will have huge cracks in the wall before too long)
Reply:There is a real good chance it will crack the plaster. I would drill small holes and insert plastic anchors and screws. Then if you later decide to take the pictures down you can easily patch it. That is one of the most important things I tell my tenants to do.
Reply:I live in a very old Spanish house, when I tack nails in the plaster falls off, so I don't do it.


You could try what I do:


Get a 4 inch nail and whack the bugger into the wall :o)


It works a treat and the plaster don't fall off as bad.





Hmmm or try NO Nails...that's good too.
Reply:Yes, go ahead, but don't knock them in too far.
Reply:for plaster, your OH is correct. do you know anyone else that would do it for you? you don't want to destroy beautiful plaster, it is so hard to find a plasterer now!





another idea, depending on the weight of the pictures, is to get picture hangers at a hardware store that are for plaster walls, not drywall. ask the clerk.





if you have true "picture hangers," which are slats of wood that are below your ceiling, but run around the walls of the room, what you do in that case is use a strong, invisible wire. you just put a thin nail inside of the plaster, against the wooden casement where you can't see it, and use the see-through wire (a good, long length of it), threading it through the wire on the back of the picture or though the hole in the frame, making it into an angled shape, therefore hanging the picture on the wall.





picture hangers on walls look something like "chair rails" on victorian plaster walls. they were put there so that the backs of chairs would not damage the plaster walls.
Reply:I bought some of those "Hercules Hooks" you see on TV, and they work great. Try those.
Reply:I do but you are better off with picture hooks the little nails are thinner and do no damage
Reply:If they are not too heavy shouldn,t be a problem


but ideally you should drill %26amp; plug
Reply:I agree with the answer from modeller, but don't forget the electrics, if you have a socket/plug, the wires if installed correctly, will go vertical from the socket, steer clear unless your hair looks nice as an affro
Reply:Use masonry nails, then they will go into the brick as well. Inch to inch and a half should do it.
Reply:You will NOT crack the plaster if you use small masonry nails.Better still, buy some picture hooks. They provide hardened nails with the hooks. Perfectly satisfactory to hammer into a plaster wall.
Reply:You can buy hooks and tacks ,and the tacks will tap into the wall with a light hammer



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