How To Hang Canvas Wall Art — Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Most hanging guides make this harder than it needs to be. Stud finders, laser levels, measuring tape, spirit level — you don't need any of it for a single canvas print. You need a hammer, a nail, and about five minutes.

Here's the full hanging canvas wall art process — from the back of the canvas to the wall, including what to do if your wall is plaster, if you're renting, or if you've never hung a single thing in your life.

If you're staring at a blank wall and you know you want something there, this guide is for you. 

See the canvas wall art size guide for help choosing a size and visualizing it on your wall.

What Comes With Your Canvas Art

Every Stride Coastal canvas ships with sawtooth hangers included. These are the simplest hanging hardware available for hanging canvas art prints— no wire to thread, no eye hooks to install, a simple, easy way to get your new piece on the wall.

A sawtooth hanger is a small metal bracket with two pointed, barbed legs. You tap it directly into the back of the frame — hand-glued solid wood stretcher bars — the barbs grip the wood and hold it in place. Then one nail in the wall, and you're done.

 

 

Most sizes come with one sawtooth hanger. Larger pieces come with two — one on each side of the frame, positioned evenly. If yours has two hangers, you'll want a level to make sure both wall nails are at the same height before you hang anything. More on that below.

The first things you'll do are gather the essential tools, unpack your canvas and find the saw tooth bracket.

Gather the following tools before you start. 

For most canvases (including small pieces), gather the following items:

• A hammer

• One single nail (standard picture nail works fine)

• A pencil

For larger pieces with two hangers:

• A hammer

• Two nails

• A pencil

• A level (a small spirit level or even a level app on your phone)

For plaster walls or drywall without a stud nearby:

• Wall anchors (vital step for non-wood walls; available at any local hardware store, inexpensive)

Good Option for Testing Hanging Height (It's the best way to envision the size and height on the wall before your hang):

• Painter's Tape — outline the canvas size on your wall before you commit to a spot

• Best Size Strips — print and cut to your canvas dimensions, hold them on the wall to test size and height without a tape measure. Download here

That's the complete list. No measuring tape required unless you want one. No special tools, simply the right tools.

Step-by-Step: How To Hang a Canvas With One Sawtooth Hanger (Usually Smaller Canvases)

Step 1: Attach the hanger to the top of the canvas

If the sawtooth hanger isn't already attached, position at the center of the artwork on the top edge of the back of the solid wooden stretcher bars. Tap each barbed leg into the wood with your hammer — two taps per leg is usually enough. The hanger should sit flush against the frame.

 

 

Step 2: Find your spot on the wall

Hold the canvas up to the wall and move it around until it feels right. Don't think too hard about this. Hang it where your eyes naturally go when you're standing in that room — that's the right height, regardless of what any guide tells you.

The "museum standard" is 57 inches from the floor to the center of the piece. You can use that as a starting point if it helps. But if your furniture sits low, or your ceilings are high, or you just like it a little higher — trust that. The important thing is that it looks right to you when you're living in the room.

Not sure about the size, or don't have a tape measure handy? The Best Size Strips were made for this moment. Print them, cut to your canvas size, and hold them on the wall before you commit. There's also a height strip included — hold it against the wall to check your placement height without needing a tape measure. Download the Best Size Strips here

Step 3: Mark the wall

Hold the canvas where you want it to hang. With your other hand (or a friend's hand), use a pencil to mark the wall at the top center of the canvas — right where the sawtooth hanger sits against the back of the frame.

Your nail goes slightly below that mark — about half an inch — so the hanger can catch it properly.

 

 

Step 4: Tap the nail

Tap your nail into the wall at the pencil mark. Angle it slightly upward — maybe 15 degrees — so the weight of the canvas pushes it into the wall rather than pulling it out.

One tap to set it, one more to seat it. You don't need to drive it all the way in — leave about a half inch or so sticking out for the hanger to catch.

 

 

Step 5: Hang it

Lift the canvas and set the sawtooth hanger onto the nail. Let it settle. Step back and look at it.

If it's level, you're done. If it needs a small adjustment left or right, slide it. If the height is slightly off, it takes 30 seconds to remove the nail, move it, and rehang.

 

 

How To Hang Heavy Canvases With Two Sawtooth Hangers

Larger canvases often come with two sawtooth hangers — one on each side of the back of the frame. The process is the same as above, with one extra step: making sure both wall nails are level with each other.

Step 1: Attach both hangers

Tap both sawtooth hangers into the back of the wooden bar — one on each side, positioned symmetrically. They should be the same distance from the top edge and the same distance from each side.

Step 2: Measure the distance between them

Measure from the center of one hanger to the center of the other. Write that number down — you'll use it to position your two wall nails.

Step 3: Mark both nail positions

Find the center point of where you want the canvas to hang on the wall. Mark it lightly with a pencil. Then measure half the hanger distance to the left of center and half to the right — mark both spots. These are your two nail positions.

 

 

Step 4: Check for level

Use a small spirit level (or your phone's level app) to confirm both marks are at the same height. Adjust if needed before you drive any nails.

Step 5: Tap both nails and hang

Tap both nails at a slight upward angle. Hang the canvas by setting both sawtooth hangers onto their nails simultaneously. Step back and check. Small left/right adjustments are easy — just slide the canvas along the nails.

Wall Types: What You're Working With

One thing worth noting before you pick your wall. It's a good idea to avoid direct sunlight if you can. Archival inks hold well in normal indoor light, but a wall that gets strong direct sun most of the day is harder on any art over time.

Drywall

The most common wall type in American homes. A standard picture nail goes straight in. For heavier pieces — large canvases — consider placing your nail into a wall stud if one is nearby. A stud finder makes this easy, but it's not required for most canvas sizes. If you can't find a stud, a drywall anchor rated for the weight of your canvas is your best choice.

Plaster walls

Older homes often have plaster walls, and yes, you can hang canvas on them. Plaster is harder than drywall and can crack if you're rough with it. Use a hardened nail designed for plaster, or drill a small pilot hole first and use a wall anchor. Both options are available at any local hardware store and cost almost nothing.

Rental walls

A small nail hole patches easily with a dab of spackle and is typically not considered damage when you move. Most people just use the nail and patch it on the way out. If you'd rather not make any holes at all, adhesive strips rated for the weight of your canvas work too — look for the kind with the pull-release tabs so removal doesn't take paint with it. Check with your landlord if you're unsure what your lease allows.

Brick walls

Brick requires a masonry bit and a wall anchor — it's a different process than drywall or plaster. If your wall is brick, a local hardware store can walk you through the right anchor for the weight of your piece.

Placement: Where To Hang It

The most common question after "how" is "where." Here's a quick reference by room — not as rules, but as starting points.

Above a sofa

Leave a few inches of space between the bottom of the canvas and the top of the sofa — somewhere between 6 and 12 inches feels comfortable. Too close and the canvas looks like it's sitting on the furniture. Too much space and may feel off.

For a standard sofa, a canvas that's roughly two-thirds the sofa width tends to feel balanced. But if you love a piece that's smaller or larger, hang it. The two-thirds guideline is a starting point, not a sentence.

Above a bed

Center the canvas over the headboard. Leave similar breathing room — 6 to 10 inches above the headboard is a good rule of thumb for most beds, but use your judgment especially if you have a tricky space. A queen bed looks good with a 20x40 or 24x32. A king bed has more wall to fill and usually wants something wider.

In an entryway

The wall you walk past every single day. Make it the thing you want to see. Height matters more here than anywhere else because you're almost always standing close to it — hang it at eye level for where you actually stop and look, not for someone taller or shorter.

In a home office

Hang it where you'll look up from your screen and see it. That's the whole job.

If you're planning a gallery wall rather than a single piece, start with the largest piece centered first, then build around it. Most of what makes a gallery wall feel off is leading with smaller canvas prints and trying to fill in from there. Starting with a larger piece is the easiest way to a beautiful display, plus it will be built around your choices of unique canvas wall art, your own vision and your specific needs.

Our Hanging Hardware vs. Theirs

Stride Coastal canvases come with sawtooth hangers — the simplest hanging hardware available. To give you a sense of what you're working with, here are a few actual weights from various sizes in the shop:

• 12x16" — 2.8 lbs

• 18x24" — 3.9 lbs

• 24x32" — 6.1 lbs

• 30x40" — 7.6 lbs

The canvas type used at Stride Coastal is a polyester and cotton blend — textured, fade-resistant, and OBA-free. Printed with archival inks on acid-free, pH-neutral canvas, hand-stretched over hand-glued solid wood stretcher bars. Not a poster, not paper, not behind glass.

Each canvas is hand-stretched over solid wooden stretcher bars — which is part of why the weight is so manageable and the canvas hangs flat without warping. Sawtooth hangers are the right hardware for this weight range — secure, simple, and already attached or included when your canvas arrives. No hanging kit needed.

If you're hanging canvas prints from other sources, here are some other hanging methods you might encounter:

A Wire hanger uses eye hooks and hanging wire strung between them. More setup than sawtooth, and leveling takes more effort.

French cleats are a two-piece interlocking wall system. Strong and precise, but significantly more involved. Overkill for most canvas sizes.

Picture hooks have a small hook at the bottom that catches picture wire — they're common for framed artwork but aren't suited for canvas prints, which don't typically use wire.

For most canvas prints in most sizes, a sawtooth bracket is the right hardware. Simple, secure, and included.

A Note on Size and Where It Goes

Before you order, the single most useful thing you can do is outline the size on your wall with painter's tape. Use the Best Size Strips for a simple way - no tape measure needed. Cut strips to the exact dimensions of the canvas you're considering, tape them to the wall in the spot you're thinking, and step back. Five minutes of that tells you more than any size guide.

Most people are surprised by how much wall they have. A large wall especially — what feels like too much space almost always wants a bigger piece than your first instinct says. If you're stuck between two sizes, go with the bigger one. The larger piece anchors the wall of your home with a coastal style focal point. The smaller one doesn't really do that.

Evening Shore works as modern wall art in a living room, bedroom, or home office — available in five sizes from 10x20 up to 24x48. 

→ See Evening Shore and all available sizes

What If It Looks Wrong After You Hang It?

Move it. Seriously. There's no commitment here. A small patch covers the small hole — a dab of spackle, a swipe of paint if you have it, or a touch-up crayon from the hardware store if you don't.

Try it in a few spots before you decide. The first spot isn't always the right one. So don't be afraid to move it around until you find the right spot.

The Short Version

1. Tap the sawtooth hanger(s) into the back of the wooden frame

2. Hold the canvas where you want it, mark the wall at the hanger

3. Tap the nail just below the mark, at a slight angle upward

4. Hang it, step back, adjust if needed

That's it. And now this hanging canvas print - this new coastal art - is your own personal touch in the right place.

If you have a question before you order — about size, placement, or whether a piece will work in a specific spot — email me at support@stridecoastal.com. I'm happy to help.

→ Shop coastal canvas wall art at Stride Coastal