I cannot use a hanging system in my store because there are so many windows in the building. 95% of the wall space is broken up by a window, so most of the walls are only 30" - 48" wide. However, one of my clients is a restaurant that we will be putting our feature artists into, so we will be hanging new art every 4-8 weeks. They have four 10 foot expanses of wall that we will be using and we are thinking about installing a hanging system. Opinions, please! What's the best system out there? How easy is it to install and use?
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hanging systems
- Thread starter DB
- Start date
Frank Larson
CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Here are 4 websites of the most common hanging systems available that I know of:
http://www.gallerysystem.com/
http://www.arakawagrip.com/
http://www.walkerdisplay.com/
http://www.arts-supplies.net/index.shtml
I have used most of these with different clients. It kind of lays out like this: Walker is the best of the rod systems as it's the most adaptable. It also costs more. Arakawa is the best of the cable systems that I've used. Their hooks are the greatest...just slide them up and they autolock in position. They are also the most expensive of the cable systems. Figures. Gallery Systems (imported from Australia) has a tape system that looks interesting but I have only used their cable system. It works but is slower and harder to adjust than the Arakawa. You have to tighten an allen head screw on the hooks which can be a real challenge if you're trying to do it behind a large piece while standing on a ladder. It's also the least expensive system by a long shot. I've never used any of Arts-Supplies lines but they look pretty good.
Which would I use? None of the above. For a while I'd just use hooks rather than spend the bucks. At least until I was sure this restaurant thing works out. The thought of hanging real art in a restaurant just gives me the heebee jeebies. Do not hang anything that can be damaged by flying food or wine or water or grease or ketchup or any other of the many things that get on the walls of restaurants. Taking down and reinstalling art in as many restaurants as I have I can tell you that the art gets really gross sometimes. I even had to dig out a dead cockroach that crawled under the glass of one piece. And that was a really good restaurant. Grrroooossssss
http://www.gallerysystem.com/
http://www.arakawagrip.com/
http://www.walkerdisplay.com/
http://www.arts-supplies.net/index.shtml
I have used most of these with different clients. It kind of lays out like this: Walker is the best of the rod systems as it's the most adaptable. It also costs more. Arakawa is the best of the cable systems that I've used. Their hooks are the greatest...just slide them up and they autolock in position. They are also the most expensive of the cable systems. Figures. Gallery Systems (imported from Australia) has a tape system that looks interesting but I have only used their cable system. It works but is slower and harder to adjust than the Arakawa. You have to tighten an allen head screw on the hooks which can be a real challenge if you're trying to do it behind a large piece while standing on a ladder. It's also the least expensive system by a long shot. I've never used any of Arts-Supplies lines but they look pretty good.
Which would I use? None of the above. For a while I'd just use hooks rather than spend the bucks. At least until I was sure this restaurant thing works out. The thought of hanging real art in a restaurant just gives me the heebee jeebies. Do not hang anything that can be damaged by flying food or wine or water or grease or ketchup or any other of the many things that get on the walls of restaurants. Taking down and reinstalling art in as many restaurants as I have I can tell you that the art gets really gross sometimes. I even had to dig out a dead cockroach that crawled under the glass of one piece. And that was a really good restaurant. Grrroooossssss
You might want to ask yourself who will be responsible for the insurance on the artwork.
I refuse to give free artwork through exhibitions to restaurants. People sell artwork. Artwork does not sell itself. So you will find all you will be doing is decorating the restaurant for free. In addition, employees of the restaurant who you have no control over sometimes steal.
I refuse to give free artwork through exhibitions to restaurants. People sell artwork. Artwork does not sell itself. So you will find all you will be doing is decorating the restaurant for free. In addition, employees of the restaurant who you have no control over sometimes steal.
Frank Larson
CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
I just remembered a really cheap system I made once. I took some leftover metal moulding and ran it through the table saw cutting off the back channel. I spray painted the channel and screwed it on the wall with the channel facing out. Slip in any of the screw on type of hangers and you’ve got a place tie your wire on to run down to the picture. In this case I just tied the wire onto D rings on the back of the artwork. Slow but very inexpensive as I had all the stuff to do it laying around the shop. It would have looked better and been faster if I had used the Sevalon wire with crimp on sleeves but I didn’t have that at the time.