Hang a Picture by Threading a String Through Its D-Ring Hangers

The Problem

D-rings screwed to the back of a frame hang flat against the wall when there's no tension on them. Hooking one over a screw means holding the picture up, tilting it out from the wall, and finding a ring you can't see by feel alone.

It gets worse the further the rings sit from the edge of the frame. Rings mounted well in from the sides put your hands nowhere near them, and the ring drops flat every time the frame touches the wall.

The Technique

A length of string turns an invisible target into something you can pull toward.

1. Drive the screw and leave the head standing proud of the wall.
2. Take about two feet of string. Pass it once around the screw shank, behind the head, so both ends hang down the wall. Don't knot it.
3. Bring both ends up through the D-ring from underneath.
4. Lift the picture by the frame, with the string ends held alongside. The string runs from the screw to the ring, so it holds the ring standing out from the frame instead of lying flat.
5. Slide the ring up the string until it drops over the screw head.
6. Let go of one end of the string and pull the other. Because it was only looped, it comes free through the D-ring and out from behind the picture.