Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 2: Hang unframed posters without damaging the poster
• Method 2 of 2: Hang framed posters without damaging the wall
• Tips

Whether you want to hang a classic work of art on the wall or just an image from the latest video game, there is always a poster that meets your needs. Of course you may not be sure how to hang a poster exactly. It doesn't matter whether you frame it or not, there are easy ways to hang a poster without damaging the wall or the poster!

To step

Method 1 of 2: Hang unframed posters without damaging the poster

1. Wash your hands before touching the poster. Wash your hands before removing the poster from the tube. Even normal amounts of skin oil on your hands can stain, especially in the dark areas of an image.
2. Lay the poster flat. Fresh out of the tube, the poster will of course curl a bit, which makes it more difficult to get it nice and smooth on the wall; parts that are not properly glued will then come off more easily. By first laying the poster flat and placing something heavy at each corner, you can first make the poster nice and flat before you hang it up.
   • You do not have to do this with a poster of somewhat firmer paper that was not in a tube.
3. First clean the place where you want to hang the poster. Even without us touching them, walls get dirty. Humidity, dust from heating or cooling systems, and even the breath of people and animals can cause slippery patches over time that can make posters less likely to adhere. Use a damp towel, with maybe a little detergent on top, to remove any dirt or grease from the wall.
   • Try to remember when the room was last painted. The rubbery substance that you can use to stick posters ensures that the covered area oxidizes less than the rest of the wall. This can lead to slight discolouration on a freshly painted wall.
4. Use a removable type of adhesive strip. You have a number of different options for removable adhesive strips. There are different types of removable double-sided adhesive tape. You can also opt for a removable rubber-like substance, which is marketed, for example, as "power strips", "sticky dots" or "poster tack".
5. Attach the removable adhesive strip or the double-sided adhesive tape to the back of the poster. Instead of trying to stick the adhesive strip on the wall and press the poster against it, it is much more convenient to place the poster face down on a clean surface and attach the adhesive strip or tape to the poster, before sticking it on the wall. Attach the adhesive or tape to all four corners, then four sides between the corners and one in the center of the poster. That way, the air from fans or air conditioning cannot get behind the poster, so it might be blown off the wall.
   • If the poster is longer or wider than two feet, it is better to place two pieces of adhesive strip equidistant between the corners just to be safe.
   • If you are using "poster tack" or something similar, knead a piece the size of a chewed piece of gum between your fingers to shape it and make it stickier.
6. Hang the poster. Now that you have attached the tack / tape in each spot, you are ready to hang the poster on the wall. Start at the top two corners and apply pressure to where the adhesive or tape is located. Then finish the sides and keep the poster taut so that there are no bumps or wrinkles. Finally, press the spot in the middle so that the poster is also firmly attached there.
   • If you're concerned that the poster won't hang completely straight, use a spirit level to mark the wall with a pencil first, or just ask a friend to stand back a bit to tell you if it's straight if you hold it up, so before sticking it to the wall.
7. Carefully peel the poster off the wall to remove it. When it comes time to take the poster off the wall, don't just pull it off the wall or it could tear. Instead, use your fingernails to peel off the poster very close to the pieces of adhesive. The areas of the poster that have the adhesive on them are firmer, so there's less chance of damaging the poster.
8. Use a magnetic hanging system as an alternative to double-sided tape or other adhesives. Not in the mood for that sticky stuff? There is a simple solution; use magnets! There are magnetic poster hangers that use strong magnets to hang posters without damaging them.

Method 2 of 2: Hang framed posters without damaging the wall

1. Frame your poster. Before you can hang a framed poster on the wall, you must of course first frame it.This in itself can be a complicated process that you may have difficulty with. If the framing doesn't work or you don't know exactly how to do it, you can learn more about it at "How to frame a poster".
2. Use removable adhesive strips. Once your poster is framed, you need to choose what kind of adhesive strips you want to use to hang it. The double-sided tape and "poster tack" etc. that you could use with the first method don't have enough tack to hold the weight of a framed poster, so you need something else. Removable adhesive strips are available today and are marketed as photo hanging strips or as damage-free poster strips.
3. Weigh the framed poster. The framed poster hanging strips have different weight limits stated on the packaging, so you will need to weigh the framed poster, on a bathroom scale, for example, to find out the minimum number of strips you need. A framed poster usually weighs about a kilo.
4. Attach the strips to the back of the frame. Look at the back of the molding where it will sit against the wall and attach the strips by first removing the paper backing and then pressing the adhesive side firmly against the molding for a few seconds. Place at least one strip on each top corner of the frame, and possibly more if two strips are not enough for the weight of the frame.
   • If there is a hook on the back of the frame that protrudes further than the frame itself, you should remove it.
5. Stick the corresponding Velcro side of the strips intended for the wall to the strips already on the frame. Instead of measuring the strips and sticking them to the wall so that they are perfectly aligned with the strips on the frame, you can simply stick them to the strips on the frame before removing the paper backing. Then you can easily place it on the wall.
6. Place the framed poster on the wall. With all the strips in place and the accompanying wall strips attached to them, you can now peel the protective layer off the wall strips and place the poster on the wall. Once the strips are glued in place, you can't move them, so make sure you get it right first time.
   • If you are concerned that the poster will not hang completely straight, stand on a stool so that you can see the top of the frame when you hang it. Make a pencil mark in advance using a spirit level so that you can clearly see if the poster is hanging straight as you press the adhesive strips against the wall. If it is still slightly crooked, the play in the Velcro-like adhesion between the strips allows you to adjust the frame a little more.
7. Press down firmly on each strip for ten seconds. To make sure the wall strips adhere properly, apply pressure to each strip for about ten seconds. Press down firmly on each strip, but not so firmly that you risk breaking the glass in the frame.
8. Lift the frame to remove it. When it comes time to remove the poster, don't immediately pull the frame off the wall, as this will allow the Velcro-like teeth in the strips to interlock even more tightly. Instead, grab the bottom of the molding and lift it up and off the wall at the same time.
   • The same goes for the strips that were left on the wall when you separated the two strips. Just pulling them off the wall can damage the paint. To safely remove these strips, pull the tab protruding from the Velcro section instead. Pull in the same direction that the tab is pointing.

Tips

• These methods are also great for hanging posters on brick or concrete walls where nails or thumbtacks really aren't an option.
• Some cinemas have posters of new movies coming out, so if you like a movie, see if you can get your hands on a poster of it!