How to Decorate Your Apartment Without Damaging Walls

An apartment isn’t home until it is decorated! Yet, hanging pictures, artwork and shelving to a new apartment can be a daunting task. And if it’s not done properly, decorating an apartment can sometimes lead to property damage. By following the tips below, and check out this blog for even more ways residents can easily decorate without damaging walls!  

Don’t Mount A TV To The Wall 

As TVs have become larger and more rectangular, so have the stands that hold them. Rather than buy another piece of furniture (and use up floor space), many apartment residents have opted to mount their large screen TVs on their walls. While this method does save on floor space, it can lead to other issues. Mounting a TV on an apartment wall is not as simple as hanging a picture. It’s actually a bit more complicated. 

First, it requires the purchase of a special mounting bracket. To ensure that the bracket is able to adequately support the weight of the TV, it needs to be installed properly. To do so, residents need to drill the mounting bracket screws into the wall studs. If the mount doesn’t have enough support, it will likely disconnect from the wall and fall. When that happens, it can result in a broken TV, possibly injury to the resident, visitor or pet, and damage to the wall. When TV wall mounts are not properly installed, they tear off large pieces of drywall when they fall. At best, this requires spackling, sanding and painting to repair the damage. However, if the damage is very severe, it will require a whole new piece of drywall. 

Residents can easily avoid expense damage to their apartment (and possibly injury) by purchasing a floor stand for their large screen TV. While the stand will take up some floor space, it’ll reduce the risks associated with wall mounting. Plus, many modern TV stands double as ornate pieces of furniture that can store everyday essentials. This can help free up floor space in other areas of the apartment. 

Avoid Using Adhesive Hooks 

Adding that personal to an apartment is key to creating a warm and welcoming environment. From cherished framed photos to artwork, these pieces dress up those bare walls, tie the room together and help residents feel at home. Unfortunately, every photo or piece of art requires a hole in the wall. And when residents move, they’re responsible for filling every hole to ensure they receive their security deposit – and don’t incur any additional repair fees. To solve this problem, many residents are opting to hang their art and photos with adhesive hooks and hangers. 

Yet, this solution is actually not a very good one. 

Although they are advertised as the damage-free easy way to showcase pictures, these adhesive accessories often cause more damage than traditional picture hangers. Instead of easily detaching from the walls when no longer required, these adhesive-backed hangers and hooks actually peels paint from the wall. In some cases, they may even cause rips, tears and holes in the drywall when they’re removed. Additionally, the adhesive backing can lose its gripping properties. Summer weather causes humidity which makes the adhesive wet and unstable. During winter, the warm air from heaters causes the adhesive to dry out and peel away from the wall. In both scenarios, the result is the same: the hanger detaches itself from the wall and the photo or picture falls. The resident is now left with damaged decor and damaged walls. Residents can save themselves time and money by sticking with the tried and true traditional hooks and picture hangers. Sure, these accessories do make holes in the apartment walls. But the holes are often tiny and can be easily filled with a little bit of spackle.  

Make Sure All Decor Has Significant Support 

Anytime a resident hangs decor to their apartment walls, they need to ensure that the hook can properly support the weight of the item. Even the smallest picture frame can damage walls if it does not have enough support. When hanging artwork or shelves on an apartment wall, every nail or screw needs to affix to a wall stud. By hammering a nail or screwing a fastener into a wall stud, the hanger, hook or bracket has the strength it needs to support the weight of the respective object. Driving a nail or screw into the drywall and not the stud will cause the hook, hanger or bracket to break away from the wall. Drywall is fragile and is not meant to support the weight of heavy objects. Without the support of the wall stud, the hanger will detach and take chunks of the drywall with it. 

To ensure that all nails and screws are driven into the wall studs, residents should purchase a stud finder. Available online and at most hardware stores, this easy-to-use device helps residents locate the wall studs in their apartment. Plus, stud finders also identify the pipes and wires hidden behind the walls. In the event that a wall stud isn’t available in a section of the drywall, residents can use screw anchors to add the necessary support. Made of plastic or metal, these sleeves expand when inserted into drywall. The sides then grip the underside of the drywall to secure the screw to the wall. This then allows the resident to hang the picture or artwork without damaging the wall. 

Decorate A New Apartment Without Worry

By following these informative tips, residents can safely decorate without damaging walls. Plus, they avoid the risk of injury or forfeiting their security deposit. Have more questions about safely decorating an apartment? The team at Reinhold Residential is happy to help! Contact us today

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