Blog.DoDesignDIY.com

Feature your pictures or hang your framed pictures in a mass display on an entire large wall with the minimum of holes in the wall and the maximum of flexibility. The secret is to install a master Main Rail that will support all of the pictures and SubBars, held-up in turn by the wall studs. Secret number two is to use an overlooked, very inexpensive but very strong material: Steel EMT electrical conduit.

Feature your pictures or hang your framed pictures in a mass display on an entire large wall with the minimum of holes in the wall and the maximum of flexibility. The secret is to install a master Main Rail that will support all of the pictures and SubBars, held-up in turn by the wall studs. Secret number two is to use an overlooked, very inexpensive but very strong material: Steel EMT electrical conduit.

See the DIY section of our website (http:DoDesignDIY.com/) for more picture/photo and other projects, and our other Blog postings.

Materials and Tools (ID= Interior dimension):
— Electric drill, 1/8 and 1/4 inch bits and screw bits, small hammer, 3-5 heavy 2.5+” nails or a drill punch, wire-cutting pliers, hacksaw, plumb line with plumb bob, level
— One 10 foot length of steel electrical conduit (EMT). This is steel pipe used to protect permanent electrical wiring. It comes in 10 foot lengths at Lowes, Home Depot, etc., and in 1/2″ ID (about $3), 3/4″ ID (about $6), and larger sizes. For one line of lightly matted pix, use 1/2″. For an entire wall of pix or for more heavily framed pix, use 3/4 or as much as 1 inch conduit. I will feature more metal conduit potential uses in following posts.
— Optional (See Variations): 10-foot length of PVC water pipe (about $5+) that will slide onto the size of conduit you are using, as snugly as possible. Remove the printed labeling using nail polish remover on a rag (lightly). Add this before drilling holes.
— If you want to gang your pictures in aligned horizontal rows, get additional lengths of 1/2 ID conduit ( and appropriate PVC cover pipe) for the SubBars. Add one to the bottom as well, for visual balance. These will all hang from the main structural bar. Also get some strong multi-strand approx. 1/8″ steel cable (3 pieces 1.5 times as long as the wall height). You will also need some machine screws— see the diagram.
— 3 to 5 PVC 1/2″ (ID) PVC pipe caps, which will served as standoffs. Use five if your pix are heavy and many.
— 3 to 5 #10 x 3 inch+ long round-head wood screws.
— Picture hanging material- one or two of the following: Braided picture wire, 25+ pound clear fishline, Strong fabric cloth stripping, Decorative rope or string (1/6 to 1/4 inch in diameter. These loop over/hang on the Main or SubBars and fasten to the back of the frame or picture mat. Or make large wire elongated hooks for hanging.
— Framed pictures, or stiff picture mats, or Dollar Store frames, etc.

Steps in order:
— The main structural conduit bar is to go near the ceiling. Keep it about 9 to 12 inches below the ceiling.
— Mark the horizontal Main Rail screw line on the wall using LIGHT pencil or a color chalk line using a string line and level.
— Find (the centers of) the wall studs along the line— This is essential: Wall studs are generally spaced at 16 inches on centers from the stud at the corner of the room. You can use a magnetic stud finder that detects the nails/screws holding on the wallboard. Or you can tap THIN 1-1.5 inch brads or nails into the wallboard very near the top of the baseboard to find the studs with minimal damage, then use a string plumb line to mark the locations for your Main Rail screws on the pencil/chalk line.
— Cut the structural Main Rail (and the SubBars, and PVC ‘covers’, if any) to the width of the wall or space you are using, minus 1/4 to 1/2 inch. Keep the Hacksaw blade vertical. Flip the cut end(s) toward the corner (to be least visible).
— Transfer 3 to 5 of the stud locations to the structural MAIN RAIL (and its PVC cover, if any). These must be more or less equidistantly spaced, about 3 to 6 inches from the pipe ends. Nest each conduit/PVC cover pipe and temporarily fasten each set together on the ends with tape, to keep them in alignment.
— Use a hammer and nail to dimple/mark the metal before you drill, to position the drill bit, and put a block of wood under the wood to protect your floor. Drill 3 to 5 1/4-inch holes in the structural Main Rail (with PVC cover, if any), completely thru the pipe. Keep the drill vertical so the holes are aligned (|) thru the pipe. If you are using SubBars too, you will need 1/4″ vertical holes in the Main Rail and SubBars (see the Cabling diagram). Put a 3″ screw thru each hole to keep the PVC cover and conduit in alignment.
— Drill a 1/4″ hole thru the center of the end of each PVC cap.
— Put the 3 inch screws into the structural hang pipe and thru the drilled PVC cap (closed end to the wall), with about 1/4 inch of the screw point extending out of the cap; see diagram.
— Using the 1/8th inch drill bit, partially predrill the wall stud (about 1/2″ deep) just before you screw them into the wall in the following steps.
— Get some help. Screw the pipe into the first mark. Make sure the screw enters 90 degrees to the wall and that it bites into the stud. Leave it just a little loose for now.
— Move to the other end of the pipe, and set the screw point on that mark. Have your helper tell you if the pipe VISUALLY looks level compared to the corner wall, ceiling, etc. (the ceiling or walls could be ‘off’). THIS IS CRITICAL! When you’re SURE, screw it in and tighten it, then tighten the first screw.
— Move to the middle, have your helper visually check that to make sure the pipe is not sagging, screw it in tightly. Ditto for screws 4&5 if used. Test the Main Rail; it should be very rigid. If not, add more 3″ screws into other wall studs.
— Now you are ready to hang the SubBars (or your one line of pix, etc.) To hang the SubBars, see the Cabling diagram. It is elegantly simple, and adjustable. They hang from the Main Rail and are not otherwise fastened to the wall.
— See the diagrams for further details.

Variations and Refinements:
— In place of the PVC pipe cover, you can cover the conduit with wide vinyl or cloth tape, by carefully painting it. Or sew a snuggish fitting tube of cloth as a pipe cover. Do this BEFORE you mount it to the wall or hang the SubBars. Do NOT drill thru fabric— just ‘bunch it’ mid-pipe and expand/alter it after the screws are in tightly.
— Clip LED picture lights to the hang bars where desired.
— Devise your own variations and let us know (Comments)

Cautions:
— Do NOT try this using butterfly or expanding wall fasteners— you will need screws securely fastened into the actual wall studs.
— It would be safer to use plastic glazing, not glass, in the frames.
— Do not hang valuable frames unless/until you are SURE of the strength of your wall screw supports.
— If you need to remove the Main Rail to move, etc. use a small container of premixed wall spackle (white) and a putty knife (Lowes, Home Depot) to fill the screw holes. Touch up the paint it if needed, after its dry.

Questions, comments, suggestions? Comment on this posting.