Standard picture hooks and nails work beautifully on conventional plasterboard and plaster walls, but genuinely difficult surfaces, concrete, tile, brick already covered in our dedicated guide, glass, and other unconventional materials, require entirely different approaches. This guide covers the practical solutions for each genuinely challenging surface type.
Concrete Walls
Concrete, increasingly common in industrial-style and contemporary architectural interiors, requires masonry-specific drilling and anchoring, a hammer drill with masonry bit and appropriately rated concrete anchors, rather than standard plasterboard hardware which simply won’t engage with the material’s density.
| Surface Type | Required Hardware | Key Technique |
|---|---|---|
| Concrete | Hammer drill, masonry bit, concrete anchors | Drill pilot hole, insert rated anchor, secure screw |
| Ceramic tile | Tile-rated drill bit, low-speed drilling | Mark precisely, drill slowly with water cooling |
| Glass/mirror backing | Specialised adhesive mounts, no drilling | Genuinely rated adhesive hooks for the specific weight |
| Exposed brick | Masonry anchors, drilling into brick not mortar | Covered in dedicated brick wall guide |
| Metal stud walls | Self-tapping screws or toggle anchors | Locate stud or use appropriately rated hollow-wall anchor |
Ceramic and Porcelain Tile
Tile requires genuine tile-rated drill bits and a slow, careful drilling approach to avoid cracking, ideally with the drill at its lowest speed setting and, for harder porcelain tile specifically, water cooling to prevent heat-related cracking during the drilling process.
Glass and Mirrored Surfaces
For the relatively unusual situation of needing to mount art near or onto glass or mirrored surfaces, specialised adhesive mounting systems, rated specifically for the actual weight of your piece, offer a no-drilling solution, since drilling glass requires genuinely specialist equipment and carries real breakage risk for DIY attempts.
Metal Stud and Steel-Frame Walls
Increasingly common in contemporary commercial-influenced residential construction, metal stud walls require self-tapping screws designed specifically for metal, or hollow-wall toggle anchors if you’re not mounting directly into a stud, since standard wood-screw picture hooks won’t engage properly with metal studs.
When to Call a Professional
For genuinely significant pieces, particularly heavy original artwork or anything mounted on structurally complex or load-bearing difficult surfaces, professional installation removes both the technical risk of improper mounting and the genuine risk of damaging either the wall or the artwork during a DIY attempt.
Hammer Drill — Concrete and Masonry Appropriate
Quality hammer drill genuinely capable of concrete and masonry drilling for difficult wall installation.
$78 View on Amazon
Tile-Rated Drill Bit Set — Crack-Resistant Drilling
Specialised tile drill bit set designed for crack-resistant ceramic and porcelain drilling.
$28 View on Amazon
Heavy-Duty Concrete Anchor Set — Masonry Mounting
Appropriately rated concrete anchor set for secure heavy-duty masonry wall mounting.
$22 View on Amazon
Adhesive Glass Mounting System — No-Drill Solution
Specialised adhesive mounting system rated for glass and mirror surface art display.
$32 View on Amazon
Professional Art Installation Service — Difficult Surface Specialist
Professional installation service specifically experienced with genuinely difficult wall surface mounting.
Shop on Etsy
Specialist Masonry Mounting Hardware Supplier
Specialist supplier for masonry, concrete, and tile-specific art mounting hardware.
Shop on Etsy✕ What to Avoid
- Using standard plasterboard picture hooks on concrete, tile, or metal stud walls, which won’t properly engage with these materials
- Drilling tile at high speed without water cooling, risking cracking, particularly on harder porcelain surfaces
- Attempting to drill glass or mirrors without genuinely specialist equipment, carrying real breakage risk
- Underestimating the appropriate anchor rating needed for the actual weight of your specific piece
- Skipping professional installation for genuinely significant or heavy pieces on structurally complex difficult surfaces