Drywall is softer and thinner than plaster walls, and nails can be hammered into drywall without usually causing damage. Plaster is more brittle and can crack or chip, so you will always want to pre-drill a hole in the plaster before adding any hardware, such as a nail, screw, or anchor.
Leaving nails in plaster walls indefinitely may lead to structural problems or damage. If you need to hang something on a plaster wall, it is recommended to use wall anchors, screws, or picture hooks designed specifically for this purpose.
Command Strips: These are popular for hanging frames without leaving marks. Choose the appropriate weight capacity for your artwork. Adhesive Hooks: Great for lightweight pieces, these can be removed without damaging the wall. Similar to Command Strips, these are designed specifically for frames.
One square meter of (properly installed) single plasterboard can support a weight of 15 kg. One square meter of double plasterboard can support 25 kg, and triple wallboard can support 35 kg. The studs reset the weight that the wall can cope with.
Yes, drywall can hold a picture frame if you use the appropriate hanging hardware. Light to medium-weight frames can be supported with drywall anchors or picture hooks, while heavier frames should be mounted on studs or with heavy-duty anchors.
The type of fastener you use can also influence the amount of weight the drywall can hold. If you opt for picture hangers or simple nails, then stick to objects that are less than 20 pounds. Flat mounted hooks and anchors may be able to hold up to 50 pounds, while drywall screws can hold about 20 pounds of weight.
Wall hanging hooks can be a good option for hanging heavy picture if you don't mind driving a nail through your wall. When using nails, it's always preferable to use a wall stud. In terms of weight capacity, one picture hanging hook with a nail can hold up to 25 pounds and two hanging hooks can hold up to 50 pounds.
Drywall is less durable than plaster but is generally easier to repair.
Plaster hooks (or hanging picture hooks) are a common solution for hanging pictures on plaster walls. They can generally support pictures of up to 20 pounds. As mentioned earlier, avoid using nails on plaster wall because they will likely cause the drywall to crack.
It helps to stop moisture penetration from outside, which can lead to structural damage or mould. Plaster also adds strength to the wall surface, making it more resistant to wear and tear.
If the artwork is heavy, use two D-ring hangers – one on each side of the painting to hang the art. When hanging a frame from a wire, use two hooks in the wall for added stability.
Use Picture Hanging Strips
We recommend using specialty sticky strips which contain a pressure-sensitive adhesive that holds until you're ready to remove it, leaving no residue or damage. Using picture hanging strips is one of the most popular ways to hang pictures without nails.
Use plaster hooks when hanging anything lighter than 30 pounds. To avoid bothering the plaster at all, go with adhesive hooks and strips for pictures less than 16 pounds. For heavier pictures, anchors rated for plaster and gallery systems work best.
Take a pushpin and press it on the wall using your thumb. If the pin pokes into the wall easily, that's drywall. If it doesn't, then that's plaster. A pushpin can penetrate drywalls easily because they're softer compared to plaster.
The best-rated product in Plaster Hollow Wall Anchors is the HTB 2-1/4 in. Drywall Anchor Bolt with Slotted Round Head Screw (100-Pack).
Plaster (Gypsum) skimmed walls or plasterboard has a maximum weight loading of 20kg/m2 whilst bare plasterboard can take up to 32kg/m2.
To what surfaces will Command™ Products stick? Painted, stained or varnished wood, glass, tile, painted cinder block, plaster, metal, and painted wallboard.
If your walls are plaster, you can still find studs to use for hanging. Whenever you put a hole in a plaster wall, however, there is a risk of cracking it. Hammers and nails are especially likely to damage plaster.
Many older homes feature plaster walls that may have deteriorated over time, making them less than ideal for a modern living space. Replacing old plaster with drywall enhances the aesthetic appeal of a home and provides improved insulation and easier maintenance.
For most properties, slight cracks occur as the plaster dries and shrinks. New builds and properties that have undergone recent extensions are expected to experience cracks in walls as their foundations settle. It may come as a surprise, but stabilising can take approximately one to three years.
Lath and plaster was a skilled craft and a time-consuming technique and the advent of cheaper, mass produced, pre-manufactured plasterboard meant lath and plaster largely fell out of favour by the 1930s and 1940s. Plasterboard was simply faster and less expensive to install.
Brass gallery rods consist of French gallery rods, brass moldings or picture rail molding, and brass monkey hooks. Cable hanging systems consist of wall track, hanging cables, and picture hooks. Art galleries and museums use both types of products to display and to easily change out works of art.
If the picture you are going to hang on a plaster wall is a little heavier, we recommend that you use screws and plugs or metal expanders. You will need to drill, and the holes will be bigger, but the picture will hang properly and there won't be a risk of it falling down.
A brass hook is a common solution for hanging picture frames on plaster walls because of its needlepoint nails that penetrate plaster and minimize damage. The nails are made of a hardened blue steel material that works on drywall, wood panels, and plaster walls.