subject: Hanging Your Wall Tapestry [print this page] Hanging Your Wall Tapestry Hanging Your Wall Tapestry
Tapestry wall hangings are very easy to hang in our American homes today. When hanging tapestries, you do not have to hit wall studs or use any kind of special re-enforcement material. Dry wall in our USA homes will easily hold wall hangings up to 60 lbs using regular screws and anchors. Even if a tapestry wall hanging is a large tapestry that is hand woven in 100% New Zealand wool with a cotton lining it will not weigh more than 15 - 30 lbs (depending on size). You can hang your wall tapestry with an American style rod or a European style rod.
If you are planning on using an American style rod to hang your tapestry wall hanging then it will sit away from the wall 1-2 inches. Essentially, American style rods and finials are drapery or curtain rods and have brackets (since drapes or curtains need to sit away from a window frame to allow the drapes to be drawn at night). The American style rod and finial set will create a space between the tapestry and wall, creating a box shadow. Additionally the wall tapestry will tend to flutter with any air movement in the room (such as air conditioning or heating that is blown hot air), and may have more of a ripple or wave from the middle to the bottom of the tapestry wall hanging. While this is not wrong, it is a question of preference and visual effect. Typically for a small tapestry this can work adequately (tapestries under 48 inches in width). To prevent some of this waving, some companies install an extra weight in the sleeve along the bottom of the tapestry wall hanging, (especially if it is made from polyester, rayon with some cotton). But in hanging large tapestries, or medium size wall hangings, especially if they are hand woven tapestries or reproduction European tapestries, a flat-to-wall system is recommended.
Hanging tapestries in the European method is the traditional recommended choice for all wall hangings, but especially large tapestries , or medium tapestry wall hangings. The tapestry is hung with specially designed brackets that allow the wall tapestry to be hung flat to the wall. While there is a very small space (1/8 inch) between the wall and the wall hanging, the European method allows the wall to support the wall tapestry preventing movement with air flow and prevents waving or rippling. Visually, it also eliminates the box shadow' effect that would be created in the American style of hanging your wall tapestry. This is the traditional method used throughout Europe and in all museums and art galleries that display European tapestries, French tapestries, Italian tapestries or any other wall hangings. In fact, this the way all tapestries have been hung throughout the ages in castles, villas, chateaux and stately homes. There is only one company in the USA that has developed flat-to-wall rods and finials, especially designed to hang tapestries. The company Heirloom European Tapestries has a large selection of rods and finials that can be mixed and matched to the size and color of your tapestry wall hanging.
Someone once expressed concern that hanging your tapestry flat-to-the wall would encourage mold or mildew on the back of the tapestry. This is a ridiculous notion. Our walls today have dry wall, with homes that are heated or air conditioned homes and walls that are dry year round. Even in very humid environments such as Florida, New Orleans and other southern states mold or mildew will not grow on the back of paintings, prints, or wall hangings of any kind. To encourage mold or mildew growth a permanent wet state, such as a wet damp weeping wall (as they were sometimes in the medieval period of the 12th 16th century) is required. Even so, we have many medieval tapestries that have survived 600 years or more for our enjoyment today. So even if you wanted to hang a woven tapestry in your bathroom you would not experience any mold or mildew on your wall hanging.
So, when choosing the right method for hanging your wall tapestry, consider the size of your tapestry, the visual effect you want, the type of rod and finial set, and the placement of the wall hanging.
