Picture rail hanging system

Ask most homeowners or renters about picture rails, and you probably get confused looks.

What once were staples inside older homes have lost their ubiquitous role as hangers of pictures or artwork. But they still can do the job better and more efficiently than many modern hanging options—typically a nail pounded into a wall.

But what is a picture rail? And how do you know if you already have one in your home?

These are rails placed high on the wall, usually close to the ceiling. They often mirror the look of decorative trim placed just below ceiling coves. But these rails are not for looks alone.

They are strong and typically painted wood fixtures able to hang all types and weights of framed materials.

The hanging is accomplished with metal hooks, clips or other hardware that attach to the top of the picture rail. Wire, rail or fine chain of various gauges, able to handle the weight of the item to be hung, attaches to the bottom of the hanging hardware and then to the back of the hanged piece.

Perhaps the best advantage of hanging with a picture rail is that it’s easy. You attach the hanger and suspension material and, viola! Your piece is hung.

You don’t have to puncture the wall every time you want to make a change. No nail holes. No mars from putty, tape or adhesive wall hooks or strips. That makes it easier for the owner or renter to change decorative items for a fresh look.

Picture rails were typical in older structures with walls of hard plaster. Anyone wanting to hang art had difficulty making a hole with a nail or hook. Even if they punctured the wall, they often did serious damage, creating or starting plaster cracks, or compromising the supporting slats behind the plaster.

Most newer structures don’t have plaster walls. But picture rails still make sense for anyone who doesn’t want to damage a wall, who wants an easy hanging solution and who wants the effective and elegant approach a picture rail provides.