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May 16, 2008 12:25 AM

How do I mount my enormous masonite painting?

So I just received my painting and I'm thrilled and yet have no idea how to mount it. I've read something online about using stretcher bars... but... what works best?

I don't want to frame the piece, it's about 1/8" thick and it has nothing on the back. We have whiteboard wainscot at the office that's of similar dimensions and we use velcro on the back, to the wall, but that seems... tacky and too permanent for an art piece.

Non-destructive, secure suggestions?

posted by disillusioned to Media & Arts (9 answers total)

Well, assuming you don't want to attach anything at all to the painting, you could try metal clips on the sides or corners, although these will be visible and should be probably covered with tape or felt to avoid damage to the painting. There are also clips such as these which look to be slightly less obtrusive.

Or maybe you could look at 3M's Command strips. I've used them with great success for various things, and they do indeed work as described, causing virtually no damage to surfaces.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:00 AM on May 16, 2008

Oh, you'd probably need quite a few of those strips to hang a painting that size, but it would work.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 2:01 AM on May 16, 2008

The dimensions and weight of the painting would be very helpful in answering this question.
posted by nerdcore at 2:02 AM on May 16, 2008

I don't know if it would interfere with the overall "look", but I think the most secure, no damaging, method would be also be the easiet.

Mirror clips. The little clear plastic, or metal clips that hold your surface mount bathroom mirror on the wall.

Depending on the overall weight of this piece, you could probably get away with using just 4 clips: 2 on the top, 2 on the bottom
posted by Mr_Chips at 3:00 AM on May 16, 2008

Best answer: If that's the size I think it is from my history with painting on masonite (4' by 4', given that most masonite I see is sold 8' by 4'), I'd suggest the following:

1. Pieces of a good wood, 1 inch by 1 inch by at least a foot, glued (wood glue only) to the back to prevent warping. Because it will warp. You MUST clamp the pieces of wood down while you glue, and preferably, drive some nails in there (through the painted side, so with the end coming out into the chunks of wood) and paint over the heads to hid them. You may also use finisher's putty.
2. Glue shorter pieces of wood at appropriate spots, do same as above, add hooks to hang painting from. If it's 4' by 4', I'd suggest at least 2, if not 4, equally spaced and perhaps at all the corners to reduce strain.

We have two 4'x 4' x 1/8'' masonite pieces hung at home, but I'm in France, so that's all I can remember at the moment. Sorry.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 3:59 AM on May 16, 2008

flibbertigibbet's got it. Make sure the stabilizing frame on the back goes around the perimeter and in an X across the center. And, by the way, the artist or gallery needs to do this for you. As a former creator of very large art, and alternative gallery manager, I have to tell you I consider presenting a stable, hangable piece to be part of the artist's responsibility. Selling an unframed paper work is one thing; selling an unstabilized painting is kinda unprofessional.
posted by nax at 4:04 AM on May 16, 2008

Response by poster: Fibber, thanks for the advice.

Unfortunately, I bought the piece from out of state and it was shipped as just the flat piece of masonite, so the artist isn't able to help at this point... and repainting over nail heads might pose a bit of a problem, but I'll see what I can do.

Looks like I have an arts and craft project ahead of me... Though I'd rather pay someone to get it done right...

It's 4'x3', btw.
posted by disillusioned at 10:07 AM on May 16, 2008

I've had success attaching sawtooth hangers with very strong epoxy and distributing the weight across two or more, depending on the size of the piece.
posted by judith at 12:13 AM on May 17, 2008

You can attach (glue) a Cradled Panel to the rear of the board. Cradled panels are basically a board with reinforcing wood strips around the edge. They prevent the board from warping, and also let you hang it like a traditional canvas painting. The link goes to a high end maker, but you can also find them at a place like Dick Blick, or Pearl Paint, though the large size might be hard to find. You also might want to use a size that is somewhat smaller than the painting, so the panel edge is set back from the painting edge.
posted by R. Mutt at 11:39 AM on May 17, 2008