Is it OK to tack picture hooks onto a plastered wall?

Question

I want to put a few pictures up in the bedroom on the outside wall but am not good with the power tools... My OH says that it must be drilled and pluged first but I know he wont get round to doing it.
Would it really be that bad to just tack a few nails in the wall to hang them on? i'm not worried about the plaster cracking but just want to make sure the pictures stay up.

Answer 1

Yes, you can put hooks into the plaster. Just to make it a little more secure take two pieces of masking tape and make an X - put the hook in the center of the X. It will help prevent the wall from cracking and give a little more support to the hook. You need to judge the weight of your pictures because the heavier the picture/frame, the larger the hook you need.

Answer 2

Plasterboard Picture Hooks

Answer 3

Picture Hooks For Plasterboard

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Is it OK to tack picture hooks onto a plastered wall?
I want to put a few pictures up in the bedroom on the outside wall but am not good with the power tools... My OH says that it must be drilled and pluged first but I know he wont get round to doing it.
Would it really be that bad to just tack a few nails in the wall to hang them on? i'm not...

Answer 5

for plaster, your OH is correct. do you know anyone else that would do it for you? you don't want to destroy beautiful plaster, it is so hard to find a plasterer now!

another idea, depending on the weight of the pictures, is to get picture hangers at a hardware store that are for plaster walls, not drywall. ask the clerk.

if you have true "picture hangers," which are slats of wood that are below your ceiling, but run around the walls of the room, what you do in that case is use a strong, invisible wire. you just put a thin nail inside of the plaster, against the wooden casement where you can't see it, and use the see-through wire (a good, long length of it), threading it through the wire on the back of the picture or though the hole in the frame, making it into an angled shape, therefore hanging the picture on the wall.

picture hangers on walls look something like "chair rails" on victorian plaster walls. they were put there so that the backs of chairs would not damage the plaster walls.

Answer 6

Buy a drill bit the same size as the picture hook nails and pre-drill the hole in the wall first. Drill down at the angle the nail sets in the hook. That should stop the problem. With lath and plaster walls, the chipping is mostly caused by the wood lath bouncing back behind the plaster as you try to nail into it. The only time this may not occur is if you happen to hit a stud.

Answer 7

I live in a very old Spanish house, when I tack nails in the plaster falls off, so I don't do it.
You could try what I do:
Get a 4 inch nail and whack the bugger into the wall :o)
It works a treat and the plaster don't fall off as bad.

Hmmm or try NO Nails...that's good too.

Answer 8

if you hav plaster walls you have "picture moulding" where the crown mould should be or just below it...it has a small gap between it and the ceiling...that is for the hooks, use piano wire to attach to your pictures...it is a sin to put nails in plaster walls and the god of plaster will get you for it (not to mention that driving nails or tacks into plaster compromises its integrity and you will have huge cracks in the wall before too long)

Answer 9

You will NOT crack the plaster if you use small masonry nails.Better still, buy some picture hooks. They provide hardened nails with the hooks. Perfectly satisfactory to hammer into a plaster wall.

Answer 10

The OH is right on the outside wall.
On a plaster board wall is fine just angle your nails slightly upwards and be careful they will get loose if pictures are moved often or to heavy