How to Hang a Wood Sign

If you are looking to spruce up your home with a wooden sign, figuring out how to securely hang the sign while not sacrificing aesthetics can be tricky.

With the popularity of indoor signs skyrocketing, such as the ubiquitous “Live, Laugh, Love” sign, knowing how to confidently hang a sign should be a skill in most homeowners’ arsenals.

Hanging Indoor Wooden Signs

Due to the numerous types of DIY signs homeowners seek to hang in their homes, there are a variety of approaches I will discuss to help you hang your sign.

If you are looking to learn how to build your own, here is a guide on how to build a sign with a router.

Some of the most common signs have a framing wire strung between nails on the rear of the sign. Still, other signs have no mounting mechanisms. I will explore and explain optimal methods for hanging signs in a few different situations.

Hanging Wooden Signs with Framing Wire

If your sign has a supple metal wire connected to the rear, outside edge of a frame, you have a framing wire. This common method for suspending signs is strong. Depending on the gauge of the wire, framing wire can support signs up to one hundred pounds.

To properly hang a sign you first need to find the correct space within your home for the sign. When considering a place for the sign, there are a few pointers I would offer.

Behind the drywall or plaster in your home, there are vertical wooden boards called studs. Hanging signs from anchor points attached to studs will make your sign a lot more secure.

Many anchors designed for use in both drywall and plaster can be easily weakened. That’s why it is better to hang your sign where there is a stud (if possible).

If you are able to locate a stud and centering your sign on the stud is aesthetically pleasing, this is your best option. I will cover first how to hang your sign with framing wire from a stud, then how to hang your sign from a drywall anchor.

Hanging Signs with Framing Wire from a Stud

Tools:

• Stud finder
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Power drill
• 3 1/2 inch structural screw sized to support the weight of your sign
• A drill bit that is 1/16 of an inch smaller than the diameter of your structural screw
• Spirit or digital level

Method:

1. On a wall where you want to hang your sign, use your stud finder to locate a stud behind your drywall. Most stud finders must be placed flush on the wall and then slowly moved along the wall parallel to the floor. The stud finder will beep as it crosses a stud. Not all stud finders work this way. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for using the stud finder. 
2. With the stud located, mark the height at which you want the top of the sign to rest.
3. Apply tension to the framing wire by squeezing the wire as near to the top center of the frame as possible.
4. With this tension on the framing wire, measure the distance between the wire and the top of the frame.
5. Using a laser level to insure plumbness, measure below your top-of-the-sign mark on the wall the distance you just found between the framing wire and the top of the frame. Place a mark at the location.
6. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, drill a pilot hole for your structural screw. As you drill your pilot hole, there should be dust from either your drywall or plaster, followed by sawdust from drilling into the stud. If there is no sawdust, you are not drilling your stud.
7. Screw in your structural screw.
8. Hang your sign from the structural screw.

Hanging Signs with Framing Wire from Drywall

Hanging your sign from only drywall might be your only option. Typically, this is the case when you can’t find a stud in the area that you want to hang the sign.

While requiring fewer tools, this method is slightly less secure than hanging a sign from a stud. What this method lacks in security, it makes up for in versatility. This method can be used to hang a sign almost anywhere.

Tools:

• Pencil
• Drywall anchor sized according to the weight of your sign
• Drill bit sized according to your anchor
• Screwdriver

Method:

1. Use your pencil to lightly mark the height at which you want the top of the sign to rest.
2. Apply tension to the framing wire by squeezing the wire as near to the top center of the frame as possible.
3. With this tension on the framing wire, measure the distance between the wire and the top of the frame. Write down this measurement.
4. From the mark you made for the top of the sign, make a new mark below the existing mark using the measurement from step three. Mark this location.
5. Following the manufacturer’s instructions, drill a hole for your drywall anchor. Be careful to not expand your hole by drilling at an angle or allow your drill to wobble.
6. Insert your drywall anchor.
7. Use a screwdriver to drive the screw from your anchor kit into the anchor. Leave enough screw threads exposed to hold the framing wire.
8. Hang your sign on the drywall anchor screw.

Related: Learn how to cut drywall without creating any dust.

Using a French Cleat to Hang a Heavy Wooden Sign

The French cleat is the method I recommend for hanging heavy and large wooden signs. French cleats allow the weight of the sign to be distributed over a broad area and the weight of the sign can be supported by several studs (so long as the sign is wider than sixteen inches).

It is also simple to hang a sign on a French cleat. There are no small hooks to slide in small holes. 

Tools and Materials:

• Safety glasses and hearing protection
• Table saw or circular saw that can do a 45-degree bevel cut
• 5 inch strip of 3/4 inch plywood that is the same length as your sign’s width
• Stud finder
• Pencil
• Spirit level
• Power drill
• Drill bit for structural screw pilot hole
• Screwdriver drill bit
• 4″ inch structural screws (the number of structural screws you need is 1 + the width of the sign-in inches divided by 16)
• Wood screws (get enough 8 gauge screws to space screws across the width of the sign at 4 inches apart)
  • The length of screws you need is 1 1/2″ inches plus three-fourths of the thickness of the sign. If the sign is 1” thick, you will need a 2 1/4 inch. 

Method:

1. Put on hearing and eye protection.
2. Cut the 5″ inch piece of plywood in half lengthwise at a 45-degree bevel using either your table saw or circular saw.
3. Mount one of the plywood strips to the back of the sign from edge to edge using wood screws. The plywood strip should be parallel to the top of the sign. The 45-degree cut should be facing down and creating a hook or concave angle between the sign and plywood strip.
4. Mount the other plywood strip to the wall. Use structural screws to drill through the plywood strip into studs. Use a stud finder to locate studs and a spirit level to mark the location of where each structural screw will be screwed into a stud. The bevel should be on the top side of the strip forming a hook or a concave angle with the wall.
5. With both plywood strips mounted, one to the wall facing up and one to the sign facing down, place the sign on the French cleat.

Tip: French cleats can support an immense amount of weight but signs need to be greater than 16 inches wide for this method to work well. Pre-drilling pilot holes for structural screws and wood screws are always helpful. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations.

Conclusion

Hanging wooden signs indoors can be done through a variety of methods. Hanging signs with framing wire can be done by either suspending from structural screws attached to studs or using drywall anchors. Drywall anchors almost always support less weight than structural screws attached to studs. Creating a French cleat allows your flexibility to hang extremely heavy and wide signs in a wider variety of locations.