These instructions will also work if your picture is being mounted to the wall with “standoffs”!  The hardware is IDENTICAL. Here are instructions to help you install your bretwebsterimage if it is one with a brushed metal backframe with standoffs. Museum mount hanging instructions are further down in this document! Every wall mounting situation is different and you will want and need to assess your individual circumstances and structural considerations!

PREPARATION

Fasteners – You will notice that six (6) special wall mounting screws/drywall anchors were included with your picture (There will only be four (4) if your picture is smaller).  Additional hardware is included for securing your picture to the wall.  Here’s a pic of the typical hardware assembled and as components.

These fasteners may have been taped to the back.  These screws/drywall anchors are two-piece fasteners.  If you find that your mount location for any particular standoff will be into wood/stud then you can use the appropriate allen-wrench (not included) to disassemble the screw into two pieces so that only the “wood screw” portion of the screw remains. Otherwise, the fastener is setup to be used as a drywall anchor and it is threaded into the wall using the appropriate allen-wrench (number 4).  You do NOT need to align your picture with wall studs.

LOCATION AND HEIGHT

We recommend that your picture be mounted at a “height” such that the very center of the image itself is somewhere between 62” and 52” high.  Of course, many locations will have special geometries that require differences from this…no worries!  In our gallery we use 57”.  Your judgment prevails always!

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES 

You will need an allen wrench (number 4) that fits the back side of the wall-mount fasteners/screws that were supplied with your picture.

There are 2 different methods/approaches to hanging this kind of image!  The first is the easiest!

METHOD 1: Making and using a foamboard template.

If you have a large enough piece of “foam board” or VERY FLAT sturdy cardboard, you can use it to make a template for the hole locations. Place this board on a flat surface for use in the next step.

After removing most of the packaging from your image – place your image carefully face up on top of the cardboard/foam backing. Very verrrry carefully mark the position of the exact hole centers in the metal onto the board template. You may want to use masking tape/blue tape to keep it in place while you do this. (THE SECRET TO SUCCESS HERE IS TO MARK THESE HOLES AS PRECISELY AS YOU CAN WITH THE TEMPLATE AS FLAT AS IT WILL BE ON THE WALL.  There’s not a LOT of play in the hole diameters for “off-measurements”). Next, use a sharp tool to penetrate the foam completely.  BE SURE THE FOAM DOESN’T MOVE WHILE YOU ARE MARKING THE SUBSEQUENT HOLE LOCATIONS!

Now that the holes are marked (hopefully perfectly), hold the foam template up to the wall to determine the location, height, etc. you will want your picture to hang.  The foam will make a reasonable facsimile of the size of the picture and the hole locations. As you hang the foam on the wall, lightly mark the wall on the bottom of the foam (with a pencil!) and on one side to remember where the piece will hang.

Once you have the foam held in place on the wall where you plan to mount it, use this template to mark (with a pencil) the center holes (marked on the foam previously) on your wall first. If you have a 24” piece it will only have 4 holes. Now that everything is marked, remove the foam and level. Using a laser level (preferably), make sure the two side hole marks are level with the center hole mark on both rows of hole locations. (i.e. the laser level line should bisect your center hole mark and if you must, then move the side marks up or down until they are on the laser line also. Be as accurate as you can so that the image will fit easily onto the hanging bolts once they are installed.

Once you have accurately marked all six-hole (or four-hole) locations, you can go directly to step 5 below!

Method 2: “Measure carefully and hold the picture in place while marking holes – 2 people minimum.”

STEPS:

1. Calculate, locate and mark the position of hole #1 – then install the wall hanger screw by threading it into the drywall (or wood/stud, etc. – see above) – this will be for the top hole/standoff hanger in the middle of your picture. Assuming a goal of mounting your picture with the center of it at 57” high then usually the first hole will be approximately 80” high IF YOUR IMAGE SIZE IS 40 INCHES (Not framed size but IMAGE size).  Mark the hole location with a pencil then use an allen wrench to strongly screw the wall hanger screw into the drywall (or the wood screw section of the wall screw into the wood).
2. Screw/thread the standoff barrel onto the wall hanger screw – the threaded section that protrudes after the screw has been inserted into the wall.
3. Using two people – lift the picture carefully and place it over the standoff barrel so that you can now thread the standoff cap (with threaded lug) into the barrel. The picture may now be PARTIALLY supported by the one barrel but do not allow it to support all the weight of the picture.  With one person maintaining support of the picture (just hold it from the bottom to keep the total load from bearing on the one fastener now in the wall) have that same person carefully hold the picture in position so that it is level.  Another person will then make the adjustments to the picture until it is level – preferably using a laser-level but a regular level will suffice. Once it is assured the picture is level the other holes can be carefully marked.  Be sure to mark the wall exactly in the center of the corresponding holes.
4. Once all hole locations are marked, carefully lift the picture back down and place it safely nearby.
5. Using the allen wrench, screw the remaining wall hanger screws into the hole locations just marked and thread the standoff barrels onto them.

Once again, the picture be lifted to the correct position on the barrels so that the holes on the brushed metal backframe line up with the holes on the barrels now secured to the wall.  Quickly and carefully thread the standoff caps onto the barrels. Be very careful not to slip and scratch the metal backframe surface.

Once all six standoff caps have been secured the picture should hang safely.  Inspect for any minor variation from the desired level position.

If necessary, the standoff caps can be loosened slightly, and the picture held in a more level position and then retighten the standoff caps to hold the picture in the re-leveled position.

Method 3: “Measure the holes on the metal frame carefully, then mark the wall”

STEPS:

1. As precisely as possible measure (and record) the exact distances from the middle of each hole in the brushed metal frame of your picture. Do not measure to the EDGE of the hole but to the MIDDLE. BE CAREFUL NOT TO SCRATCH YOUR BRUSHED METAL WITH YOUR TAPE MEASURE – IT IS EASY TO DO!

Once you have determined the location and HEIGHT that you want your image to hang then calculate, locate, and mark the position of hole #1 which should be the HOLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TOP ROW ON THE FRAME (Not the side holes…it just works better). Then using the measurements you made earlier AND USING A LEVEL (PREFERABLY A LASER LEVEL) measure horizontally from the middle hole to locate and mark the exact middle of the holes on either side. Make sure your marks are perfectly level with the middle mark.

Repeat the process to measure and mark the bottom row of hole locations.  You MUST BE EXTREMELY ACCURATE HERE (Especially measuring STRAIGHT DOWN) or you may have issues mounting your image. If there are two of you please consider lifting the picture carefully into position and having someone confirm that your measurements appear in the middle of each actual hole location on the metal frame…. (this is not that easy to do because you must briefly place and hold the picture in the correct position….but possible and good as a quick see).

2. Using an allen wrench, screw the wall hanger screw into the drywall (or use the wood screw section of the wall screw into the wood if you hit a stud). Be careful NOT to screw the wall hanger too far into the wall.
3. Screw/thread the standoff barrels onto the wall hanger screws – the threaded section that protrudes after the screw has been inserted into the wall.

Using two people – lift the picture carefully into position and onto the bolt studs protruding from the metal “barrels” that were in turn screwed onto the wall hangers.  Thread on the metal caps now to finally secure the picture.  Be careful not to scratch your metal backframe with the metal caps!