Identify the wall first, then choose the fixing. Plasterboard takes a metal butterfly or molly; concrete block an 8 mm nylon plug; aerated block a dedicated plug; poured concrete a 6 to 8 mm plug with a hammer drill. Always two hanging points, with the centre of the piece 145 to 150 cm from the floor. SRC Collection, Beit Shemesh. This page covers how to estimate the weight before you drill, a fixing table by wall type with the load each one holds, seven steps to an accurate hang, the right heights and gaps, and when to move to a French cleat instead of two hooks.
Before choosing a fixing you need a number. As a rough estimate, glass 4 mm thick weighs about 10 kg per square metre, so a 60x90 cm piece is around 5 to 6 kg, an 80x120 cm piece around 9 to 10 kg, and a 100x150 cm piece around 15 kg. The exact weight of each item is confirmed when you order, and this estimate should not be treated as a specification. Two important notes. First, always plan with a safety margin: if a fixing holds 10 kg and the piece weighs 9, that is not enough - move up a grade or spread the load over two points. Second, the load ranges in the table below are general manufacturer figures; always read what is printed on the packet of the fixing you actually bought.
In an Israeli flat you will usually meet four wall types, sometimes five. The simple way to identify them is to knock. A thin hollow sound means plasterboard. A dull sound with easy drilling and white dust means aerated block. Hard drilling with grey dust means concrete. The table gives each type its matching fixing, the load range one point holds, and the tip that prevents a mishap. Note the large difference in plasterboard between drilling into the hollow board and drilling into the metal stud behind it - if you locate the stud with a magnet, you can hang roughly double the weight. In every case, use two hanging points rather than one.
| Wall type | Matching fixing | Load per point | Tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hollow plasterboard | Metal butterfly or molly | Up to about 20 kg | Never a plain plastic plug |
| Plasterboard with a metal stud | Screw straight into the stud | About 25-30 kg | Find the stud with a magnet |
| Aerated block (Ytong) | Dedicated aerated-block plug | About 10-15 kg | Drill without hammer, the material is soft |
| Concrete block | 8 mm nylon plug plus screw | About 15-25 kg | Clear the dust from the hole first |
| Poured concrete or safe room | 6-8 mm plug plus hammer drill | 30 kg and up | SDS bit, work slowly |
| Tiled wall | Ceramic bit, hammer off | As the wall behind allows | Tape over the drilling point |
This order saves unnecessary holes and prevents the most common mistake, a piece hung too high:
Three numbers settle most of the hesitation. The centre of the piece goes 145 to 150 cm from the floor - average eye level, and the standard galleries use. Above a sofa or a sideboard, the gap between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the piece is 15 to 25 cm; more than that and the artwork detaches from the furniture and starts to float. And finally width: a piece above a sofa should be about two thirds of the sofa width, so a 240 cm sofa calls for something 150 to 160 cm wide. In a set of two or three, keep a consistent 5 to 8 cm gap between panels and treat the set as one unit. Size above a sofa → guide.
Two ordinary hooks are fine up to a point, but from 100x150 cm upward - around 15 kg in glass - a French cleat is better: two angled rails, one on the wall and one on the back of the piece, that lock into each other and spread the load along the whole wall. It also holds the piece flat so it cannot shift. And four things not to do: do not hang a glass picture above a bed or a cot; do not use double-sided tape or adhesive strips for a heavy item; do not drill into plasterboard without a butterfly fixing; and do not hang opposite a southern window without first checking the midday reflection. General hanging guide → guide.
A metal butterfly or molly fixing, never a plain plastic plug, which pulls straight out of a hollow board. One such point holds up to about 20 kg, and you always work with two. If you locate the metal stud behind the board with a magnet and screw into it, you can hang roughly double.
As a rough estimate, glass 4 mm thick weighs about 10 kg per square metre: 60x90 cm is around 5 to 6 kg, 80x120 cm around 9 to 10 kg, and 100x150 cm around 15 kg. The exact weight of each item is confirmed at ordering, and it is wise to plan with a margin above the estimate.
With its centre 145 to 150 cm from the floor - average eye level, and the standard galleries use. Above a sofa or sideboard, leave 15 to 25 cm between the top of the furniture and the bottom of the piece; a larger gap detaches the artwork from the furniture below it.
Knock on it. A thin hollow sound is plasterboard. Easy drilling with soft white dust is aerated block. Hard drilling with grey dust is concrete. In plasterboard you can find the metal stud behind the board with a magnet, and that is the strongest hanging point such a wall offers.
From 100x150 cm upward, around 15 kg in glass. A French cleat is two angled rails that lock into each other and spread the load along the wall, holding the piece flat so it cannot shift. Below that weight, two sound anchor points are enough.
Yes. Both tempered glass prints and gallery-wrapped canvas arrive with the hanging hardware fitted on the back, and no additional framing is needed. All you need to supply is the fixing that matches your wall, a spirit level and a drill. Every item is made to order in Beit Shemesh.