apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Max's first suggestion is the best. We had a wall in the hallway that we turned into a gallery with all my artwork and we drilled holes one by one, it seemed easier than getting to do what Max suggests, which I thought of, but then with the monofilament I get all concerned about the picture being crooked and I can't stand that. I used to work in a gallery, and it was funny that some artwork would always sag 2 millimiters on one side. I can;t tolerate that ;-) So we did the drilling one by one. But being a rental you might have a problem with the landlord when you depart. So go with MAx's first suggestion.

What is your ceiling made out of? You could really do some neat stuff if you were to have pictures on your wall that were hung from the corners of your ceiling (where the wall meets the ceiling). You'd still have artwork on the walls, but you wouldn't have to hassle with drilling concrete.

If your posters aren't framed (or even if they are just matted), you could use the putty that college students use for dorms to hang light-weight posters on the cement walls.

can you, would do and do you want to paint those concrete walls? if so, here's a solution... magnetic paint. http://www.rustoleum.com/product.asp?frm_product_id=644&SBL=1

here's a great article where i just read about it. http://www.myaimistrue.com/archives/2007/01/magnetic_poster_wall.html

Ask your local hardware store for concrete picture nails. They are very sturdy and will not bend, they have a special head that will also not crack as it goes into the wall. An especially nice feature of these is that they make small holes, they are only about inch long and are thin. Good luck!

doublestick tape? velcro? i like the idea of hanging one picture rail... or install a photo ledge, so you can easily switch stuff out... though i'd probably test out the adhesive options first, since it's so easy!

Ahart,

Have you tried those picture nails? I have some Ook ones that are supposed to go into brick, and I tried really hard to nail them into the brick, but all that happened was that I chipped bits of brick off.

Didn't work for me.

I've hot glued stuff to my walls with great success. Of course, it won't work for extremely heavy things.

Dear Jesse,

Alll my walls are concrete! I have also drilled with little success and use the adhesive hooks but can't hang anything more than a few pounds. Painting a color I love in a few rooms has soothed a little but overall you have my sympathy.

Kah,
I've used the Ook no-bend nails all over the place in my apartment and I love them. Most of my walls are brick—you've got to hit them pretty hard and hold them very steady to get them started.

L

You can get little concrete anchors from Ikea. They are a small plastic hook with three small pins that you hammer into the concrete. Easy to put up, and they can be taken down by prying them off. They are one-time use only, however.

I'm using a number of these to mount pictures to concrete columns in my apartment.

I agree with Max and his use of the hooks especially made for picture hanging in concrete. They have worked in my walls which are concrete block covered with plaster and were able to support a medium sized mirror.

use a tension rod between the two adjoining walls(if you have them) and then hang posters etc off of with clips, even using curtain rings with clips on them ;Umbra makes some nice industrial looking ones.

Tapcon screws. They are permanent though. Tapcons come with a drill bit that is perfect for drilling the hole with a real drill. Don't hog the hole by moving the drill to widen the hole, simply mark the depth of the screw onto the drill bit with masking tape. You're going to want to drill it a little shallow.

A secret tip for drilling into messy things like drywall and masonary is to cut a cheap basketball in half and hold one half of it under what you're drilling to catch the slag.

Growing up in the suburbs, I always assumed people had a real 12v or higher voltage drill; then I moved to New York. All my friends now feel like I'm running a tool depot from my condo.

If I were hanging pictures I'd be on the lookout for the Hex Flange head Tapcons so they picture had something to grab.

A warning though, when you're going to drill make sure there isn't anything buried in the wall like electrical or plumbing. Also you may run into rebar in the wall, that isn't the end of the world, but you would need to find a new location to drill and patch the hole with some kind of silicone.

Along those lines, if it were me I'd put a dollop of silicone in the hole so it sealed the hole from behind to prevent weeping from the other side.

Never bang anything into concrete or brick without drilling a pilot hole. Masonary products are strong, but they damage easily, so save the headache and drill a tiny pilot hole even for the masonary anchor pins.

And buy a real drill New York!

Please?



Fine take it.

You mentioned "adhesive hooks" but I'm not sure if you tried 3M Command Hooks. They are a dream come true for someone who likes to change wall art often as I do.
They go on and off walls easily and are non-marking. Some versions can hold up to 7lbs, which is more than enough for a framed picture.

Those hooks mentioned above work. A handyman came and put up all of our artwork in minutes. We were amazed that our concrete walls were no problem. As he left- he said- hey get yourself a good drill & you too can do this.

What are your ceilings like? What's your decorating style?

If your style leans toward a more modern or industrial look, maybe you could ceiling mount hooks and use vertical lines as a means to hang your posters. They'd end up floating a few inches out from the actual wall, anchored to the floor (or a heavy painted plank on the floor). I know it sounds crazy but it could look great floating in front of the concrete wall. Especially if the concrete wall was painted or had a second large scale design on it (like wall decals, if the humidity allows). Set up several different sets of wires and then place the posters at different heights along the wires. This could work out to a sort of Gallery effect along that wall.

Take a look at the ceiling to floor connectors used with the glass installations sold by 3form: http://www.3-form.com/solutions-cable_rod-solution_1.php I'm sure you could find a similar set of connectors at a hardware store or framing shop for holding the posters.

Here's a couple links to some wall art that might make a nice backdrop. (Just choose wisely so it doesn't end up looking like the inside of an Urban Outfitters...)
Wall Print: http://www.wall-print.com/english.html or
Wallter: http://foldbedding.com/index.php?cPath=21

Good Luck!

We put in a art gallery system exactly like Maxwell suggested in our concrete walls of our house (we own our place) and LOVE it. This is the system that we ordered: http://www.hangups.com/GalleryArt.html

If you use a system like this, be sure to leave a little gap on the corners so that you can slide the wires onto the top rail ... we may have forgotten to do that on our initial install, um, hypothetically ...

Kah- I lived in studio in DC that was basically a concrete box. The nails worked perfect in the walls and in the ceiling. You definitely need to hold the nail very steady and give it a really solid first hit or, as you mentioned, the concrete may chip.

I've used those 3M Hooks on concrete walls too. They work beautifully, and are really easy to take off as well.

i also live in Astoria and had the same problem. i found a great hardware store in manhattan: Vercesi Hardware, 152 east 23rd. i bought special plastic picture hooks there that come in several sizes depending on the weight you need to hold. they have either 3 or 4 sharp prongs on the back that actually penetrate the concrete (you hammer them in)--quite astounding, because i tried a million other kind of nails. (they sound similar to those described as being available at Ikea--except you dont have to go to Ikea!) unfortunately, i am at work, and cant check the brand name foryou--but Vercesi is wonderful and the clerks are knowledgeable.

Chances are good that one of the nail types described here will do the trick, but depending on your type of flooring (and type of traffic), you can also quickly build "stilts" for your posters and lean them up against the walls: For each poster, just get two tall narrow pieces of wood (painted your wall color of you want them to fade away), add rubber feet, nail two simple cross braces to space the two rails 18 inches or so apart (braces will be hidden by the posters), then put picture hooks on each piece of wood and hang/rest/mount one poster on each set. It's not permanent, but would get them up to the desired height without needing a huge system... probably best for an industrial/loft look, though, which may not be what you're going for.

There are some other great ways to decorate depending on your style. Wall Stickers have been my saviour! It's really easy to turn a boring wall or cabinet into a work of art. Try these sites:

http://store.dvider.com

www.paintlessdesign.com

www.fermliving.com

Also, interesting fabric makes an interesting visual point in a plain space. Pick up a stretching frame from an art store and stretch your favourite fabric over it. It's light and easy to lean against a wall or hang with 3M Hook Setups (another one of my saviours!)

I really like the idea of anchoring a piece of wood along the top of the wall. I am definitely going to try that when my kitchen is finally finished being renovated - the brick wall looks great, but could use a few frames.

Take care! Cheers from Canada =)