Even if you think you have a strong enough wire on the back, the eye hook that attaches the wire to the frame could pull out if the screw hole has been used over and over. Even if you have the artwork’s hanging hardware looking good, you might have it barely hanging onto a nail on the wall! Even if you think its a good sturdy nail, it could pull out of the plaster wall board fairly easily. In other words, the weakest link will be the one that causes the whole thing to come crashing to the floor… JUST LIKE THIS $25,000 PAINTING!
If you live in hurricane or earthquake country, I’M TALKING TO YOU. But I’ve seen hanging items come off the wall with as little as a sonic boom and playing rambunctious kids. For additional suggestions about shake proofing your hanging artwork, look for an article on www.preservationcoach.com
Jeez… this type of accident would be enough to make you loose your hair from worry (sorry, professional joke)! But I guess its preventable so thanks for the info. I’ll sign up for the RSS feed and the tips so I can be reminded and stay in touch. Good job.
Matt, there was a small earthquake that was hardly felt by the community but the weak hanging hook in the wall’s plaster board gave away. Not only was the painting ripped (previously in excellent original condition), but the beautiful period frame was broken up and required $1,000 worth of repairs. If you are interested in seeing a bit more of what we do in our lab, go to http://www.fineartconservationlab.com
Really nicely written. Usually I won’t make a comment on blogs on the internet, but I have to say that this post really made me want to. Really brilliant little bit of material. Thanks for the free material to download, also. Just brilliant.
Hey, I like your site. I especially “get” the important info on this blog post. Thanks… well done. Emergency preparedness, as you talk about it, is totally different than any other site.
Jennifer,
Yes, this site and blog is, actually, not about disasters and emergencies. Its about protecting and saving or caring for your valuable personal property. In other words, the info here is very applicable even if you don’t have a disaster waiting to “get” you.
I found this is an informative and interesting post as we work with the antiques market. Of course caring for paintings and old frames is a big part of antique collecting. So I think so it is very useful and knowledgeable. I would like to thank you for writing this article. In fact your creative writing ability has inspired me to do better on my bog. I’ll stay connected through the RSS feed so I know when you update.
Just wanted to say thank you. Exceptional post. I never imagined that a wire and nail could be so risky for valuable art. Good things to think about. I can’t believe it fell of the wall with a sonic boom! I mean, yes, I do believe you but… wow.
This happened to me last week. Got one of those hangers from the hardware store, hung up my painting and a couple hours later, BOOM! I was so shocked, simply because they said it could handle the weight of the given painting, but it pulled right out of the wall. My painting was $25k though, but it still hurt.
I would have never thought of the hooks as the weakest link that will let go when things start to shake.
thanks for the information you share with everyone..