I use these for the pictures that hang along my stairway. I decided to hang my children's artwork along the wall with almost no space in-between the frames, so I needed a LOT of frames and a perfect hanging technique. Since I don't have a ton of money or 6 hands to get that perfect picture hanging down, I decided to use cheap picture frames and these strips to hang them.
First I got a lot of frames from the dollar store and then had the kids paint the frames all different colors, then I got the Medium Picture hanging strips from 3M.
After reading the reviews I decided to follow the directions EXACTLY, with one minor alteration. Since, again, I don't have a ton of money and these are pretty expensive, I cut the Medium Strips lengthwise and got double for my money.
I prepared the back of the frames using a cotton swab with alcohol (LET IT DRY)if the frame was really smooth I used a needle to scratch up the finish figuring it would help it to adhere. Then after it dried I attached the already cut strip to the middle of frame instead of the top because it made more sense to me.
Then I took this frame and held it up to where I wanted it to hang and prepped the wall with the alcohol. After it dried, I lightly attached the second strip to the strip already on the frame by only pressing the top and bottom edge and removed the backing. I held it up to the wall and used a shish-kabob skewer to keep the strip to the wall as I removed the frame.
The instructions said to let it wait an hour before hanging the frame back up. I found that an hour wasn't always sufficient (because my prep wasn't great? because I used 1/2 a strip? I don't know) However, if I let it sit overnight SUCCESS! I've now had them hanging for months with no problems. I will press on them every once in a while to assure they don't knock off. After all, this is on a stairway and people can brush by them if they are not careful.
I honestly believe that if you don't clean the area with alcohol or give it enough time to adhere you are going to have problems like the other people on these reviews. It probably helps using lightweight frames and the dollar store 8X10 frames are pretty light, but I have used a whole strip instead of a 1/2 strip to the heavier frames and they've worked just fine too.
One other note. It took me forever to do the entire staircase because I could only prep a few at a time each day to give it enough time to adhere so I could measure the next frame correctly. So it was a lengthy process. It was all worth it though because now I can just yank off a frame and put in their newest artwork quite easily and it's one of my favorite places to walk because it looks so good, the edges are so straight and nothing wobbles or leans to one side.
Another great thing to use strips for are the frames that you've nailed to the wall. These can sometimes tilt so I'll use the poster strips for them to keep them in place and let the nail hold the weight of the frame. I also use the poster strips (2 per velcro strip) to re-use the velcro strips once I've taken them off the wall. Haven't had any problems with them either.
Good luck prep and prepare to wait for a FANTASTIC finish to your framed art and photos. Don't let these other reviews throw you off!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
Works great IF:-you follow instructions carefully
-use enough strips
What the product description is missing is information about how much weight each set of strips can hold. This box comes with 4 sets, which are good for either one 16lb frame, two 8lb frames, or four 4lb frames. I used the entire box on a 16lb frame I have one week ago. No problems!
We wiped with alcohol both the frame and the wall, velcroed the sets together where they were supposed to be on the frame, placed it on the wall where we wanted them without touching the wall, used an iPad app called Clinometer to check if it was straight on the wall, stuck it, unvelcroed the sets apart using a butter knife, waited 2 hours, then velcroed again. Actually a lot simpler than using nails!
Best Deals for Command Large Picture-Hanging Strips, White, 4-Strip
I needed to hang a series of seven large heavy picture frames, and they all needed to be at exactly the same height. I bought seven sets of the 'large' hanging strips because I thought it would make the hanging process easier than getting all the nails holes in precisely the correct spot, but I had my doubts that these strips would be strong enough to support my 10-pound frames. I was right about this product simplifying the hanging process -with a few simple measurements and a level, they all went up lickety-split and easy as you please. But I was wrong to doubt their holding strength. The frames have been up for days and show no signs of falling down. I'm really impressed, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this product. As a matter of fact, I'm never using traditional hanging hardware for frames ever again. All pictures in my house from this day on will be hung with Command strips. They couldn't be easier and they hold great!Honest reviews on Command Large Picture-Hanging Strips, White, 4-Strip
Yes, I did the prep correctly (rubbing alcohol and everything!) Yes, I waited the correct amount of time. No, I didn't overweight the hooks OR strips.I have now had 3 sets of the hooks and 1 set of the strips completely fail on me, to the tune of 3 drywall patches, a very banged-up print mounted on foamcore, a couple of dinged frames, one completely destroyed frame, and a huge chunk of 100+ year wooden baseboard. It's happened on drywall and plaster, on interior and exterior walls, in winter and now in summer. I'm so frustrated I could spit.
THESE STUPID STRIPS ARE NOTHING BUT A RECIPE FOR MISERY. Some fail overnight. Some wait weeks or months to fail. It's not worth it. It's far easier to spackel and fix a nailhole than it is 1-2 3/4-1" drywall paper chunks out of my walls.
I'm so ticked off. I used a couple of these with some success and then ordered a ton of them from Amazon. Now they are all failing left and right.
Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Command Large Picture-Hanging Strips, White, 4-Strip
I'd consider these strips about as reliable or useful as my toddlers glue stick. At least it's edible.Having just moved into a new to us, very old craftsman house, we're still trying to identify where to put our furniture & pictures without damaging the lathe and plaster walls. Thought this would be a great way to hang the three new picture frames we purchased. The instructions stated to prep both surfaces, stick to the wall, wait an hour, and to use 2 strips for picture frames of upto 8lbs, easy enough to follow.
Mounted the frames, went out for the morning, got back, and 2 of our 3 brand new frames are still on the floor. We never even had a chance to print photos for them. The 3rd practically let go in my hand. Sadly, they failed in two different ways. For the first frame, the glue let go from the wall, the strips are still clipped together. The second frame that fell, well the glue is still on the wall, The strips came apart.
A waste of money. Not just the $4+ the strips cost, but I now have to replace 2 frames that never saw the light of day.
No comments:
Post a Comment