Tips on Setting Up your Own Photo Collage Wall

As we were setting up our very own photo collage wall, we realised the idea was far more difficult to execute than it looked, so here are some tips and tricks to help make hanging up frames as easy as it should be. In our case, our wall is a plasterboard wall, which is weaker than a normal concrete wall. For concrete walls, normal nails would do just the trick in hanging up frames!

1. Why did we use nails instead of removable velcro tapes for frames?

Initially, we tried using velcro tape to secure our frames onto the wall, but the frames fell after a short while. We realised the velcro tape was not suitable for us as the back of the frames were quite thin and we had to trim the tape in half horizontally, reducing its effectiveness and strength.

We were also working with a fresh layer of paint on a textured plasterboard wall, affecting its adhesion to the wall. However, it should work on fully cured paint and other surfaces such as wood, glass, tile, plaster and metal! If you are facing the same problems as us, fret not, we do have solutions for you.

For people who still want to give velcro tape a go, we recommend using more tape than stated on the instructions to ensure your frame is securely fixed onto the wall. From our previous experience, the velcro-to-velcro portion and the adhesive layer to the frame are strong, but the part that fails is the adhesive from the velcro tape to the wall.

2. Positioning of frame

How to ensure your frame hangs exactly where you want it to? Here’s a small tip. Measure the distance of the hanger on the cardboard backing from the top of the frame.

After positioning your frame on the wall, make a marking where the top of the frame will be. Hammer the nail into the wall using the distance measured. For a thin frame, leave 2 cm of the nail hanging outwards and 5 cm for thicker frames.

Frames

3. Large frames

When hanging larger frames such as a 60cm by 90cm frame, we recommend using a plastic spring toggle with a screw (see picture below!) to support its weight.

For thinner, lighter frames, a simple nail screwed into the wall would do just the trick. With this tip, hanging large frames will no longer be a difficult task. If you intend to drill into a fairly thin plasterboard, we would suggest using metal spring toggles instead to provide additional support and prevent collapse of the screw in the wall. 

        

4. Alignment and arrangement of frame

Are your frames always slightly off-centre, tilted or just simply not parallel to the ground? Use a level tool! Achieve that straight, clean look of a photo collage wall easily. Simply just place the level tool against the frame and adjust until the water marking is in the center.

Level Tool

5. Type of prints

For our photo collage wall, we used 3 different types of prints, namely fine art, art and our standard semi-gloss premium print. Depending on your pictures, you can choose different papers and also the option of using a mat board for a white border around your pictures to create a variety of looks. 

Want to print fine art or art prints? Print with us starting from $13 for A4 art prints and $23 for 30cm x 40 cm fine art print! 

Art Print

Links to the different products:


And that’s all! Hopefully these tips and tricks are helpful and you will be able to create your very own photo collage wall.

’Til next time!