How-to Make Plate Hangers
How to make DIY plate hangers using paper clips instead of having to buy store-bought hangers.
Back in 1994 I wrote a book entitled, Instant Decorating. It was a project driven how-to book using the tips and tricks I learned as a display designer.
Display designers use simple, unconventional methods to minimize time, expense, and effort. I basically had to rely on ingenuity to get the job done.
No curtain rod for a display window – I would have to figure out a way to hang it without purchasing a rod, while still making it look stylish – a wire coat hanger worked well. I learned early in my career that what you can’t see can easily be faked-which leads me to this project… plate hangers.
I love to use plates as wall décor, not only are they decorative, and easy to change, but they are also inexpensive to buy at flea markets and retailers like Home Goods, Marshalls, and TJ Maxx.
This trick to make plate hangers works well for hanging desert size or lightweight plates, not heavy plates or platters. It is as simple as hot-gluing a paperclip to the back of a plate.
How To Make a Plate Hanger Using a Paper Clip
supplies needed:
- Hot Glue Gun and Hot Glue
- Paperclip or Safety Pin, Pop Top, or Metal Washer
1. Lightly roughen up the area on the back of the plate where you are going to attach the paper clip with sandpaper or an emery board. The best place is usually right under the rim.
2. Make sure the area is clean and dry.
3. Bend the paper clip a little to create the hook.
4. Place a bit of hot glue the size of the paperclip on the back of the plate and holding the bent portion of the paperclip (don’t burn yourself) quickly press the paper clip into the hot glue.
- Add more hot glue onto the top of the paperclip and wait until it is cool before handling the plate. Once cooled, hang the plate.
These decorative saucers have been hanging on this wall with paperclips for approximately 10 years. I have taken them down to clean, paint the wall, and to create different arrangements with them from time to time. The paperclips have never come off
If you don’t have a paper clip, try a soda pop top, or a metal washer, or a safety pin.
To see more decorating tips and tricks you can browse through 35+ tips on how to paint anything here. You will be a confident painter, decorator and DIYer in no time!
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