Plaster was a common material used for household walls until the 1940s. If you live in an older house that hasn’t been recently remodeled, it’s likely that you have a few plaster walls, rather than modern drywall.

The problem with plaster is that it isn’t always durable and it can make a mess when hammered or drilled into. This can make it difficult to hang your art without worrying about the consequences.

Today, we’re going to talk about how to hang art on plaster walls the right way.

Read on to learn everything you need to know about hanging art on plaster walls.

Consider the Weight of Your Artwork

If you’re hanging something lightweight, like a single poster in a plastic frame, you won’t have to think much about weight and placement. However, if you’re hanging a large painting or decorative metal decor, weight and placement matter. Plaster is a fairly thin material, and you’ll need to drill into a stud (which you can locate using a stud finder) if you’re hanging heavy art on plaster walls.

Prepare the Area

When you start to break into plaster, even if you’re using something small like a nail, it can start to crumble and turn to dust. To prevent breakage and keep the mess under control, you’ll need some painter’s tape.

First, place a small piece of painter’s tape over the wall where you will create a hole. Then, fold a piece of painter’s tape in half, sticky side out, and adhere one half to the wall a few inches below the first piece of tape. The sticky side that isn’t attached to the wall should face upward, acting as an adhesive shelf that can catch any dust and debris.

Use the Right Tools

With plaster, it’s best to drill a hole in the wall, first. Even friction will put less strain on the plaster, while the tape will help to hold the plaster in place.

Then, remove the piece of tape over the hole and hammer a plastic anchor into the hole before inserting your screw and picture hook into the hole. The plastic anchor will widen once you insert the screw, which will prevent the screw from falling out of the hole and will take some of the pressure off of the picture hook.

Once that’s done, you can carefully remove the tape acting as a shelf, vacuum the floor below, wipe down the area surrounding the picture hook, and hang your art.

Anyone Can Learn How to Hang Art on Plaster Walls

If you’re encountering plaster walls for the first time, you might wonder how to hang art on plaster walls. Because the material is bound to crack and crumble, it can seem like an impossible task. With this guide, you can start hanging art on plaster walls with ease.

Looking for more home hacks? Take a look around as we share tons of tips and guides like this one that will help you to become the master of your domain.