Picture Frame Hardware - What to Know Before Buying a Frame

Before you buy your frame, always make sure it has the picture frame hardware you need. When buying frames, most people focus on the appearance of the frame and never check to see how it can be displayed. By reading this article, you’ll know what picture frame hardware to look for so you can save yourself time and money when buying picture frames.

Always know how you want to display your frame before you start looking for picture frames. This is super important because not all frames can be hung on the wall or displayed on a table so it’s important to know before you buy.

If your plan is to place the picture frame on a nightstand or end table, then be sure that you select one with an easel back stand. Easel back stands are the built in stands that help your picture stand up by itself on a flat surface. The stands let the frame rest at a slight back-leaning angle.

Most ready made frames will have an easel back that can display the frame both horizontally as well as vertically. If you buy a super inexpensive frame, however, you may find that these don’t come with easel back stands and must be hung on the wall. If you have one that doesn’t include an easel back stand, you can purchase a separate stand-alone easel that your frame would be placed on. These easels come in metal, wood and are available as a table top easel or a floor easel depending upon the size of frame you want to display.

Some ready made frames are made to be displayed on a table top so they won’t come with wall hanging hardware. Often times these table top frames have velvet backs or wood lacquered backs that make installing wall hanging hardware difficult. In cases like these, it’s best to keep those picture frames on a table or desktop.

For ready made frames that include built-in wall hanging hardware, they normally have a built in frame ring or a triangular loop on the back that makes hanging your frame super simple.

If your picture frame doesn’t have wall hanging picture frame hardware, you can either install it yourself or have a custom framer do it for you for a fee. If you want to do it yourself, then you first need to select the right picture frame hardware. There are two main types of frame hardware: saw tooth hangers and eye hooks that you string wire between.

Saw tooth hangers are simple to use and install because you just have to get the hanger centered and straight on the back of the frame and hammer in two small nails. Keep in mind that the larger picture frame you have, the larger the saw tooth hanger you’ll need. You also want to use the short picture frame nails that come with the hanger so you don’t damage your picture frame.

Eye hooks, on the other hand, require screwing in two eye hooks to either side of the frame and stretching a wire between them. This can be tricky because you need to get the eye hooks even and secure and get just the right amount of wire to hang the frame flat against the wall. Once you get the eye hooks in, hanging the frame on the wall is the fun part.

Always remember to check the frame for the right kind of picture frame hardware before you buy it so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting. This simple step will save you time and money and will make your job of displaying your picture frame a whole lot easier.