How to Install Picture Rail: A Two-Person Do-It-Yourself Project

Have you ever moved into a house or apartment and noticed that the walls were full of holes? I think most of us have probably had this experience. One question I've always had when faced with a wall full of holes though is; what did the previous owners/renters hang up that could possibly have needed so many holes? There's never been anyone around to answer that particular question but it did bring forth another question in my mind; how can you hang pictures on a wall without leaving a lot of holes behind? There are several different ways to hang pictures on a wall but there's only one that becomes an architectural element in your home in addition to being stylish and classic. This architectural element can be gained by hanging picture rail inside your home.

Picture rail is a strip of wood molding that is attached near the ceiling all around a room in your home. When picture rail is installed in a room, then you hang your framed pictures or mirrors from it instead of making numerous holes in your walls. The framed pictures are hung with picture hooks and wire or string cording. To see a selection of picture rail moldings and hardware, check out the House of Antique Hardware here. One piece of picture rail molding is generally somewhere around two inches tall and six to eight feet in length though there are certainly many variations. This article will give basic instructions on how to install picture rail in your home.

Once you've decided to hang picture rail in your home, you will need to measure the walls where you will be hanging it to get an idea of how much picture rail molding to buy. Then you will need to make a couple more decisions; will you be painting or staining the picture rail molding and how will you be installing it, with nails or screws? These decisions are completely up to you. Once you've made your decisions, you will need to go to your local lumber store and pick up your wooden picture rail and supplies.

The basic supplies needed to install picture rail in your home are: measuring tape, wooden picture rail, nails or screws, stud finder, a drill and screw driver (cordless or electric), hammer and/or a pneumatic nailer, paintable caulk and its applicator, sandpaper, nail set, construction adhesive and its applicator, stain or paint and brushes, miter saw or a hand saw and miter box, ladders, and a helper because this is not a one person job. Unfortunately, this isn't an all inclusive list; you may very well find that you will need other tools and items for your particular job.

Before you start cutting your picture rail molding to the lengths you need, it is best to measure and then measure again to avoid mistakes. Measure the wall and decide how far down from the ceiling that you want to install the picture rail. It can be six inches or it can be eight inches, it just depends on how high or low your ceilings are and where you personally want it installed. If you choose to use it, you can mark the spot you want the picture rail molding to be hung with a chalk line. The only problem with this method is that many homes are not perfectly square and if you hang the picture rail exactly straight, it may not look right. You may need to eye the ceiling line and the picture rail and attach it in place where it follows the line of the ceiling instead of an arbitrary straight line on the wall. You will also need to use your stud finder and locate the studs in the walls so you will be able to attach your picture rail to them with nails or screws.

To cut your picture rail to the lengths needed, use a saw and cut at an angle. This angle should be about 45 degrees and you achieve the perfect angled cut if you use either a miter saw or a hand saw and a miter box. You can certainly cut the picture rail at an angle without either a miter saw or miter box but the two ends of picture rail must meet up as perfectly as possible or it will have an unattractive gap. A tip for the DIY installer, if you make a mistake on your miter cut, caulk can cover a multitude of flaws and then be sanded down and painted over.

Before you attach your picture rail molding to the wall, it should be painted or stained. This will make your job easier later when you are finished and you only have a few small touch-up spots to paint instead of the entire piece of molding. Don't forget to paint or stain all the molding and the edges, especially the bottoms that you will be able to see as you stand in the room. One more step to take before hanging your picture rail is to drill small "starter" holes at intervals along the length of the picture rail in accordance with the placement of the studs in the walls. This starter hole will help to keep the picture rail molding from breaking or splitting.

You have all your supplies, your picture rail molding is measured, cut, painted or stained, mitered, studs have been located, "starter" holes are drilled and now, finally, you are ready to hang it. Hanging a length of picture rail will require two people, one at each end. Squeeze a line of construction adhesive along the back of the picture rail molding and then hold it to the wall. Depending on what you are using to attach the picture rail to the wall, use your screws or nails in your starter holes. Do this for hanging each piece of picture rail molding to the wall all around the room.

Once you have installed your picture rail, you can take your nail set and tap the nails into place, then take your paintable caulk and fill any nail or screw holes. Once the paintable caulk is dry, sand the spot and paint or stain it to match the rest of the picture rail. Add a line of paintable caulk at the bottom of the picture rail where it meets the wall and you are finished installing your picture rail.

Now all you need to do is decorate your room by hanging pictures from your new picture rail using picture rail hooks and cord or wire and you will never have holes in your walls again. You can find picture rail hooks and cord at HouseofAntiqueHardware.com.

Sources:

How to Install a Picture Rail

Picture Rail Molding