So…I am finally getting around to hanging some pictures in our home. Because it’s a rental that’s been freshly painted, I decided to be thoughtful and try out 3M Command hooks to leave as few nail holes as possible.

The pictures I was hanging are actually very light frames from the dollar store. The hangers are not large so I thought these would work well.  It was a bonus that the package is large, because I have many more pictures to hang.  I’d had this particular grouping in our kids’ bathroom in our old house, minus the Bible verse.  I was eager to get started and make our home more ‘ours’.

I began with laying out the grouping on the floor, measuring for the hangers. I used a nail to hang the heavier wooden Bible verse. Then I followed the directions for adhering the hooks to the wall. The directions told me to wait an hour before using, so I headed to the beach for a walk.

Upon returning, I eagerly proceeded to hang the pictures.  I stepped back (at least as far back as one can in a tiny bathroom) and took a final look and happily walked away.  A few moments later we heard a minor crash.  To my horror, I discovered one of my pictures laying on the floor in utter brokenness.  I took it out to assess the damage when two successive thuds could be heard from the room.  Thankfully, these two frames were still intact. I rummaged around the basement to see if I had a frame to replace the damaged one, but alas, I was disappointed.  I removed the broken glass, taped the broken frame and rehung all of the pictures–on nails.

So far I have not been able to find the same frames to replace the broken one.  I’m hoping to eventually find one, so I don’t have to replace them all.  Until then, the sad, broken frame hangs there, reminding me to test new things before plowing ahead.

They claim to hold strongly and they claim to remove cleanly.  Perhaps it was user error:  improper installation or wrong choice of hook for the project.  For the most part they came off well after my reluctance to try again. But one left it’s mark.  Unfortunately that is paint stuck to the adhesive.

Ah well…another day and another lesson learned.