How to Hang a Gallery Wall

Learn how to hang a gallery wall easily with this super trick. Wrapping paper with a cutting grid on the back will make hanging a gallery wall easy.

Many years ago I shared how to hang multiple frames on a wall using paper. It made hanging frames easy, but now I have an even better trick that I can’t wait to share with you.

Use Wrapping Paper with Cutting Grid to create a Gallery Wall

A friend of mine shared a beautiful gallery wall she put together in her home. As soon as I saw it I knew right away that it was the perfect wall solution for my kitchen wall. 

I bought 9 large frames and had photos I have taken printed.

I placed brown craft paper on the floor and placed my frames on it. (The same method I have always used).

I started measuring each frame making sure they were all placed squared and equal spacing between each. It was taking more time than I thought. Since they all needed to be inline, there was no room for error.

Then I remembered the trick I used to create our 3d snowman. I used wrapping paper with a cutting grid on the back to make my pattern.

Let me explain how to use it to hang a gallery wall.

How to hang a gallery wall

Supplies:

• Frames
• Wrapping paper with a cutting grid on the back
• Pencil
• Painter’s tape
• Nails
• Drywall plugs and screws

Tools:

• Measuring tape
• Level
• Hammer
• Drill
• Screwdriver

Instructions:

Step 1: Unroll the wrapping paper (print down) to the desired length. If the wrapping paper isn’t long enough, you can use painter’s tape to attach more together. Make sure the squares line up evenly.

Step 2: Place the frames on the wrapping paper grid evenly by counting the squares in between each frame. 

Step 3: You can trace the frames onto the paper once you are pleased with the layout.

Step 4: Turn over a frame and measure the edge of the frame to the hanging hardware. (Mine have saw tooth hangers.) This is to determine where the nail/screw will be in order to hang the frame on the wall. 

Take that measurement and place a dot on each traced frame on the paper template you made with the wrapping paper. (In my case, each frame is identical, but if you are using various frames make sure to measure each frame.)

If the dots for your nails don’t fall directly on a line, you can easily put your dots on the closest line anyways, just make sure to do the same for each traced frame. And when you come to hang your template on the wall, remember to base the layout on your hanging dots rather than the traced frames. (The frames will be a little higher or lower than what you traced because you changed the location of the hanging dots.)

Step 5: Place a T centered on the top of your wall where you’d like your gallery wall to be, use a level to make your horizontal line in order to make sure it’s straight. Attach your template onto the wall using painter’s tape making sure the center of the template is lined up with the T on the wall.

Remeasure to make sure your template is centered and placed exactly where you’d like it. Place a level over the traced frames at the top of your template to make sure they are level (straight).

Step 6: Hammer nails in each dot of the traced frames.

(Optional) If your frames aren’t heavy, you can hang them right away. In my case, I prefer to use drywall plugs and screws.

Step 7: Remove the nails and replace with drywall plugs and screws. You will need to drill into each nail hole the required size of the plugs. Hammer the plugs and insert screws.

Step 8: Hang your frames and enjoy your gallery wall!

DIY Gallery Wall

I sure love how my gallery wall turned out! The grid wrapping paper trick sure makes it easy! This trick can be used for many types of wall art, like for hanging multiple things on a wall like these modern triangles as an example.

I hung up something new in my living room if you want to check it out: how to paint a metal sign. It was supposed to go outside, but it turned out too good! hehe

I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial on how to hang a gallery wall.

Have a wonderful day!
Christine