# Anyone make a slat wall? Or other way to hang guitars?



## Hollowway (May 26, 2019)

I want to hang some guitars on the wall to get them off the floor, and make more room. I have some screw-into-a-stud wall hooks, but one guitar hanging every 16” doesn’t make for an efficient use of space. So I’m considering buying slat wall parts and hanging them like a store. Anyone do this?


----------



## NickS (May 26, 2019)

I'd be interested to see what people have done as well. I currently have mine hung every 16" right now but I'm already pretty much out of space.


----------



## ThePIGI King (May 26, 2019)

Not sure what level of construction you want to get into, but if you rip out some drywall you can install blocking at the desired heights and locations throughout the wall. Really easy to do and probably cheaper than some alternatives.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (May 26, 2019)

I've tried all kinds of wall mounts and always go back to racks on the floor. 

That said, getting some slat-wall sections from clearing out retailers is usually cheap and easy.


----------



## Hollowway (May 27, 2019)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I've tried all kinds of wall mounts and always go back to racks on the floor.



Because of safety? That’s the main thing I’ve heard from people choosing floor racks over wall mounts.


----------



## Hollowway (May 27, 2019)

ThePIGI King said:


> Not sure what level of construction you want to get into, but if you rip out some drywall you can install blocking at the desired heights and locations throughout the wall. Really easy to do and probably cheaper than some alternatives.



Yeah, I could do that, and I could do stained boards over the drywall. But in either circumstance, I’d want a 30 or 60 degree mount to hang the guitars. Those seem to come in slat wall style hooks, so that’s why I was looking at that.

But, floor racks and stands are insanely cheap, relatively speaking. A 5 guitar slatwall rail is about $20 per guitar. So it comes at a premium.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (May 27, 2019)

Hollowway said:


> Because of safety? That’s the main thing I’ve heard from people choosing floor racks over wall mounts.



I never found the wall mount stuff to really save much space. Instead of having guitars on the floor they're now jutting out a not insignificant amount from the wall at or above chest/shoulder height. It just feels more claustrophobic like a smaller room. 

But yeah, it feels "safer" and there's less fussing about them when just placed in a nice padded rack.


----------



## Hollowway (May 27, 2019)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I never found the wall mount stuff to really save much space. Instead of having guitars on the floor they're now jutting out a not insignificant amount from the wall at or above chest/shoulder height. It just feels more claustrophobic like a smaller room.
> 
> But yeah, it feels "safer" and there's less fussing about them when just placed in a nice padded rack.



That’s interesting about it making the room feel smaller. I didn’t think of that. Maybe I will just flat mount them on studs. It’ll get a few off the floor. I want them out of the cases and accessible to play, so I want to figure out a way to have them out, but not take up too much space.


----------



## NickS (May 27, 2019)

I purposely hung mine pretty high on the wall/studs to maximize space as much as possible, and to somewhat two-year-old son proof them I put the hangers 1 foot down from the ceiling so there is adequate room for larger headstocks,
and still enough room beneath the instrument to have floor stands also right up against the wall with more guitars.

Of course that's assuming you are dealing with standard wall/ceiling height (~8 feet).


----------



## jarledge (May 27, 2019)

I have a couple of different ways i hang my guitars. 

The first is more like you are talking about. I took hangers and attached them to an 8 foot pine board using 1/4 inch x 20 philips head bolts through the hanger to a 1/4 furniture t nut on the back side. This keeps the hanger attached to the board but doesn't mess up the wall. then it was just a matter of screwing the board in to the studs. I used galvanized 3 inch coarse thread drywall screws, and pre-drilled the holes to make sure I was actually hitting the stud. Then used a pretty large and robust washer to hold the screw tight to the board. It only takes a few screws to hold the board in place and handle the weight. I tested it well too. to make sure it would hold. 

Another thing that I might do again is use a clothing rack. I just took some self tapping screws and screwed in the hangers. I think it turned out great. I painted the rack and added some LED lights under the crown. 

and lastly, I took what used to be a keyboard display stand and converted converted it to a lamp/hanger.


----------



## spudmunkey (May 27, 2019)

Yeah, a good point about eating floor space. Even with this wall, with the shorter arms, it already sticks out almost 8" and this is a small room.

This is what I did as an experiment: I mounted the two white rails to the studs. Then I spaced the hooks out to allow a 2nd row guitars headstocks to fit between them. Now that I know what the spacing is, once we're done with this home remodel, I'm going to replace the white rails with hardwood, going the full length. I might do something for the smace between them, too. Maybe some acoustic tiles, stick on removable wallpaper, etc.. I was thinking about some rails that could hold CD's, but I am getting away from that idea the more I think about it.







I do like the idea of the larger arms and hanging sideways, but in this room that wouldn't work as I'd be right in from if the window...something that isnt ideal. In this photo, the wall to the left is almost all window, the wall behind me is a double-wide sliding mirror closet door, and the wall on the right is smaller because of the door, and that's where the computer desk lives. Options are pretty limited here.


----------



## c7spheres (May 27, 2019)

The studio I use to be in had a big cabinet with slats. Had around 20 guitars in it. It was 2 guitars tall and 10 guitars wide. Like a giant multi case portable closet on wheels. If displaying them isn't a concern I would just leave them in the cases for protection and keeping them clean personally. Stack the cases 2 high and line them up like books on a shelf. Label them for easy access.


----------



## HaMMerHeD (May 27, 2019)

MaxOfMetal said:


> I never found the wall mount stuff to really save much space. Instead of having guitars on the floor they're now jutting out a not insignificant amount from the wall at or above chest/shoulder height. It just feels more claustrophobic like a smaller room.
> 
> But yeah, it feels "safer" and there's less fussing about them when just placed in a nice padded rack.



I have a 2 year old who will (does) absolutely fuck with every guitar in reach.

Hence, they're on the wall.


----------



## spudmunkey (May 27, 2019)

c7spheres said:


> The studio I use to be in had a big cabinet with slats. Had around 20 guitars in it. It was 2 guitars tall and 10 guitars wide. Like a giant multi case portable closet on wheels. If displaying them isn't a concern I would just leave them in the cases for protection and keeping them clean personally. Stack the cases 2 high and line them up like books on a shelf. Label them for easy access.


For me, because the gear is in a room I'm not in otherwise except when I'm working, it HAS to be pick-up-and-go, ready and waiting for me to get the most out of it. If I have to drag a case out, it's 10x less likely to get used. Unfortunately, I do realize that I'm aging the gear much more quickly than if they were stored in cases. That's my convenience tax.


----------



## ihunda (May 27, 2019)

I've simply put a 2x6 on the wall using 4 screws on studs and then every guitar hook gets screwed into the 2x6 so I can use any spacing I want and it's very very sturdy and looks good!


----------



## Hollowway (May 27, 2019)

I love the idea of the T-nuts, @jarledge. That would make it way easier to take the whole assembly down in the future.

Right now I'm thinking of using the String Swing right angle hangers. They hold the guitar at 90 degrees to the wall. If I do that, I can get a crap load of guitars up there. It's basically like a floor stand, in terms of density. I've got a couple of old boards that are about 3.5" x 3/4" that are stained to match the house, so I may use those. I could get the slat systems from String swing, and may still do that, but then it has to be just black, or some other color that won't match. And they come in 4' lengths, so I'd either have to cut or stagger them, as I'm looking at a 5' section and a 6' section. Tomorrow I'll call String swing and find out what the wall mount dimensions are, and see if they'll fit on the wood I already have.


----------



## spudmunkey (May 27, 2019)

Who knows, they might even be able to cut it for you before shipping, or adapt the other finishes to it. Good luck. Let us know what you find out from them.


----------



## Hollowway (May 28, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> Who knows, they might even be able to cut it for you before shipping, or adapt the other finishes to it. Good luck. Let us know what you find out from them.



Good call, Spud! I called today, and they said they definitely can cut them to whatever length I want before shipping. Each 4' length is $35, and the actual hangers are $14-15. Now I just have to decide if I want to cut the wood I already have, and then flat mount the hangers to it, or get their slats and spend the $100 or so for the rails. The advantage there being that I can distribute the spacing of the instruments on the fly, and accommodate acoustics, trem bars, etc. The disadvantage is this is getting expensive to just hang guitars. But, I want to see them, or I may as well not own them! I'm not a keep-them-in-the-case type of guy any more.


----------



## spudmunkey (Sep 14, 2019)

Hollowway said:


> Good call, Spud! I called today, and they said they definitely can cut them to whatever length I want before shipping. Each 4' length is $35, and the actual hangers are $14-15. Now I just have to decide if I want to cut the wood I already have, and then flat mount the hangers to it, or get their slats and spend the $100 or so for the rails. The advantage there being that I can distribute the spacing of the instruments on the fly, and accommodate acoustics, trem bars, etc. The disadvantage is this is getting expensive to just hang guitars. But, I want to see them, or I may as well not own them! I'm not a keep-them-in-the-case type of guy any more.



I'm with you! Have you received/hung the product yet?



Right now, as I type thing, I'm about to go pick up a couple of my guitars from storage today. They have been there for at least 1 year while we remodeled our home (which included a 40% enlargement, full re-roof, and virtually all flooring replaced, and every single wall re-finished (including floating, removing texture, patching, painting), and every single piece of door/floor/window trim replaced, as well as adding central heat, replacing one and adding one skylight, etc etc etc. So, needless to say, I didn't want the guitars in the way or getting damaged/stolen...because with that much intrusive work, it was highly likely.

But...while I was all set to start re-hanging that 1x4 wood I had before...I...it...it just wasn't doing it for me.

So I just dropped a bunch/too much money to upgrade my wall hanging guitar game.

As I mentioned above, I had previously picked up some cheap pre-painted 1x4" to test the whole "wall hung guitar" concept out. But, it lacked flexibility. I wanted go with a slat rail system for exactly the reasons above, Hallowway.

Since I like the String Swing hooks, I first thought of their rails. My girlfriend, who is an interior designer by trade, just didn't care for the finishes.

Then I looked at the Diamond Life Gear MX series. And even though the white painted 1x4" was OK with her, she thought the wider 6" melamine board with the aluminum with the visible screw heads looked somehow too "cheap".

I then found a source for t-slot insert material, and the matching router bit, to be able to cut the perfectly-sized channel. (Note: they do make router bits to just be able to cut a t-slot in wood, but I'm too afraid of the thin wood that's left on either side of the channel still providing enough support since I'm in earthquake country...for my own peace of mind, I wanted metal slot inserts). When I started pricing out things, though...especially the 6"w, 6/4 hardwood lumber in 8ft lengths...I was looking at close to $600 not including the actual hangers, plus my time (which I won't have for a couple more months).

So then I got the blessing to look at just clear anodized aluminum. Most vendors had minimum qty orders that were higher than what I needed, so I then went back to Diamond Life Gear and their EMX product. I was looking at others first, because I just didn't care for that extra line that have between the slots.
https://diamondlifegear.com/slatwall_metal.htm

I just today ordered two 8ft long, 6"H sections, and the top and bottom strips that hide the otherwise-visible screw heads.

But, while their own guitar hangers look very very sturdy, I am still going with String Swing because:

They have a larger selection of options, including hooks for wider fretboards
The hook cover material is nitro and tung oil safe
I live in a seismic zone, so I wanted hangers that also grabbed on to the bottom slot so that the hooks couldn't possibly come out of the slot either in a quake, or if the hook were to lift with the guitar for some reason. DLG's do have that feature, but they are one-piece, so you have to slide them in from the end of the rail. I may have both ends blocked once they are installed, so that wouldn't work, and also sliding across the aluminum just sounds like a recipe for scratches. String Swing slatwall hangers come with a separate clip that holds on to the bottom slot a well, and they can be inserted at any point along the rail.
They come in black, where DLG's only come in chrome
Then, while all of my previous hooks were just the 4", straight hangers, I did want some that could hold them a little sideways for some better space efficiency. The way it was, I couldn't hang all of my guitars (I was 1 short), and then I just bought a jumbo 12-string. So I found someone on ebay selling lots of (5) of the 5" and 7" arms with the pivoting heads that I can experiment with. And finally, I picked up a couple of the straight-on hangers for the couple that I want to show off/have at-the-ready.

So, everything looks like it should ship in about a week, and I should have it about a week after that. Then, I get to hang my guitars again.  





Which is important, because I sold/gave away/threw out all of my floor stands.


----------



## Hollowway (Sep 14, 2019)

@spudmunkey yep! I got them and installed them. I was scared of the diamond life stuff, because I read horror stories of people having the screws rip out of them. The string swing ones are awesome. The toughest thing is to get them into studs, because there aren’t necessarily studs right where you need them to be. I mostly put them into studs, but did have to put a couple of screws into drywall anchors. That’s where I hung the acoustics, lol. Overall I’m super pleased, and it looks much better than with stands.


----------



## NickS (Sep 14, 2019)

^Pics please! 


You show me yours and I'll show you mine I got mine all hung up and I'll post pics soon.


----------



## littlebadboy (Sep 14, 2019)

Here's mine. I used tool hangers. Was lass than $1 on sale at Home Depot.


----------



## spudmunkey (Sep 15, 2019)

Hollowway said:


> @spudmunkey yep! I got them and installed them. I was scared of the diamond life stuff, because I read horror stories of people having the screws rip out of them. The string swing ones are awesome. The toughest thing is to get them into studs, because there aren’t necessarily studs right where you need them to be. I mostly put them into studs, but did have to put a couple of screws into drywall anchors. That’s where I hung the acoustics, lol. Overall I’m super pleased, and it looks much better than with stands.



Yeah, I read a lot of those negative stories about the MX melamine-covered particle board line. The thing is, I'm pretty handy, and I think I know exactly the problem those folks had, and I know how to prevent it. I think it's simply people over-driving the screws, combined with the shape of the screw heads on the included screws

I went with their EMX line,though, which is simply extruded aluminum. Not much to go wrong, unless the aluminum is too thin, or it's not protected enough for transit and it gets damaged. There doesnt seem to be any reviews of this line, negative or positive.


----------



## Hollowway (Sep 15, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> Yeah, I read a lot of those negative stories about the MX melamine-covered particle board line. The thing is, I'm pretty handy, and I think I know exactly the problem those folks had, and I know how to prevent it. I think it's simply people over-driving the screws, combined with the shape of the screw heads on the included screws
> 
> I went with their EMX line,though, which is simply extruded aluminum. Not much to go wrong, unless the aluminum is too thin, or it's not protected enough for transit and it gets damaged. There doesnt seem to be any reviews of this line, negative or positive.
> 
> View attachment 72795



Oh I didn’t even know they had the aluminum version. That’s pretty much what I have from string swing. I also got the right angle hangers, just to maximize space. It’s a little “industrial” looking, but there’s only so much you can do to dress up a wall of hanging guitars.


----------



## spudmunkey (Sep 15, 2019)

If I had the space, time and money, I'd build a solid wood, glass-doored cabinet with high-CRI, directional LED lighting and built in humidity control.  But, yeah...


----------



## spudmunkey (Sep 19, 2019)

Slat rails shippng tomorrow! yay! Super excited. 

i got the string swing hangers on ebay, used. _Clearly_ from a smoker's home. Oof. Of course, I just now realized that the ones he was selling didn't come with the bottom security clip, which I want since I'm in a seismic zone...thankfully String Swing sells 'em separately for $1 each...

The only thing I'm nervous about is the condition of the rails. They are shipping via a standard parcel carrier, but 8ft long. I feel like there's likely to be damage. I know anodization is supposed to be, on paper, some super durable finish...but in my own experience, it scraches and gets scuff marks SUUUUUPER easily. Really hoping these are packed well.


----------



## spudmunkey (Sep 25, 2019)

So far, Diamondlife is dissapointing, service wise.

When I ordered, their order acknowledgement was basically, "It might ship right away, it might not ship for a couple of weeks depending on if the product is an in-stock item, or not"...but didn't tell me if my items were in-stock, which is annoying.

Last Tuesday, I sent an email asking if they could actually look at my order and give me an idea. They got back to me at the end of the day on Thursday, saying it would ship tomorrow. I called them again this morning, and they again said it was shipping "tomorrow".

I was reeeeally looking forward to getting this done this week.  But, at least the cases have moved from being stacked on the floor in the living room, to being put away in the closet where the empty cases will be stored...I've also since added an additional shelf just above them (there's already one juuust out of frame), to utilize the open headroom better, since this is the only closet that "Guitar Stuff" gets to occupy. Cases are resting on upside-down carpet tiles, to protect the floor from the metal and plastic "feet" on the cases. Gotta come up with a nicer solution there...


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 2, 2019)

I'll probably make a new thread with a summary, but I guess I'll document the progress here with my findings so far.

I got the wall rail material yesterday, and it's not ideal.

Go ahead and ignore from 0:00 to 5:11. Also ignore the lighting at the very beginning. I haven't used Hit Film Express since I made my Kiesel Aries unboxing video 3 years ago (there have been NINE version updates since then), and found the new lightning effect...so I just had to use it _somewhere_.  
0:00-5:11: blabbing about background and why I chose this product
5:12 starts the unboxing
6:41, I start showing flaws/defects.


Still don't know what I'm going to do with it. I'm not confident that replacements will meet my standards, because I'm very familiar with this sort of material. *sigh* Why even bother making this out of clear anodized aluminum if they can't even ship it in pristine condition. Let the USER beat it up.

Maybe i can get it powder-coated locally...I know of a place that would probably do it for about $120 each rail (eek). but if I could get a partial refund, that could absorb some of that...


----------



## Hollowway (Oct 3, 2019)

That’s a bummer, @spudmunkey. Those look pretty much the same as the string swing ones I got, in terms of overall design, but the finish was different on mine. They do a powder coated finish in something that has a little bit of “grain” going on - they call it “vein” and I got it in black vein. My guess is they do that knowing that it would hide any skuffs. 

What string swing doesn’t do anymore is ship the 8’ sections. Only 4’. So it was a little tricky to cut the sections to fit and be able to get enough of it into a stud, and not have it show up at a seam between two sections.


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 3, 2019)

A good point about the shorter sections. I thought about buying another 4ft section and cutting it down so that it would go wall-to-wall, but the section would be too short to cross over enough studs, so I'd have to cut the 8ft one shorter....which seemed like it was just turning into a bad idea.

*sigh* I feel like I'm just going to end up having to make my own. I've got a router table, so it wouldn't be *too* much effort. She really doesn't like the String Swing's finish texture. That's sort of the deal: I can gang guitars, but it has to meet her aesthetic standards.

I got powdercoat pricing back...$400 do do both rails and trim pieces. That's WAY too expensive. Haven't heard back from DiamondLife yet, but they probably didn't get my email until after they closed today...


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 8, 2019)

I did hear back from them, and confirmed that I could either keep what i have for 50% off, they could send replacements, or I could return what I have. If I get replacements, I could still return. I'll need to review my options and the parts I have to see if I just want to return, or if I'd want to try a 2nd round with the replacements.


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 10, 2019)

nrmnd


----------



## tedtan (Oct 10, 2019)

What did you end up doing, spud?


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 10, 2019)

Sorry, I accidentally added a post and bumped the thread, and couldn't delete it.

I've just been letting it stew. I think I'm going to email them and ask for replacements. Local powder coating was just turning out to be too expensive.

Although, I'm still thinking it's not ideal because it will easily scratch over time, and it's a little weird because it doesn't go wall-to-wall in that room...


----------



## tedtan (Oct 11, 2019)

Yeah, the cost of powder coating runs up pretty quickly.

I'm thinking about doing something similar and, based on what you are experiencing, I'm thinking I might just put up two or three stained 2x6es running the width of the wall to mount the hangers to. I've seen this done in some nicer guitar shops and it can look good if the stain matches or contrasts nicely with the walls.


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 11, 2019)

For sure. That's the least-expensive, and honestly the best looking. It's only downside is the flexibility that a 'slat wall" style system would give. That's it.

I keep going back and forth about making my own, because then I could make it the full width of the wall (just over 9ft)...I'm just impatient, because I wouldn't be able to work on it for likely a couple of months, until i finish making/painting/installing all of the wall base inside the house, and finish painting the outside of the house...and since my "shop" is my driveway, it likely wouldn't be until spring.


----------



## Drew (Oct 11, 2019)

Shitty, old picture, but I had a similar problem, and ended up getting maple boards that I stained and then finished in a matte poly, to mount String Swings on.




Sort of a weird space so I had to hang them pretty tightly, but it worked well and while it looks a little cluttered in this picture it actually looks good in the flesh. I went for nicer lumber than I technically speaking had to, and likewise I could have saved time and money on the finishing, but I'm really pleased with the results.

This is definitely a "measure everything carefully before you begin" project. I measured the wall in question, then laid all my guitars out on the ground to make sure I had more than enough room to fit them staggered like this. Then, mounted the boards (using a level, of course) to the studs, and worked out how many inches from either end the string swings had to go, marked the boards there with a bit of blue painter's tape, held a couple guitars up to test-fit one more time to make sure it was all going to work, and then mounted the hangers. I was rushing to get this done before shoulder surgery and ended up not quite finishing but at least getting all the boards mounted, so I ended up actually hanging all the string swings one-armed, with my dominant arm in a swing but running my drill one handed, which was a real trip but it all worked out in the end, lol.


----------



## Hollowway (Oct 12, 2019)

@spudmunkey my wife was sort of the same way, but ultimately she just wanted them off the floor, so I went with the black string swings. I was thinking about doing the cherry wood version, but couldn’t rationalize the cost. And I thought about doing what you did, @Drew, but I wanted the ability to slide the hangers along it, depending on if I hung an acoustic or electric - because I wanted a super tight fit (I got the 90 degree ones). But the not-spanning-enough-studs thing is a pain in the ass. I did studs wherever I could, and then did a bunch of drywall anchors just to be doubly sure.


----------



## littlebadboy (Oct 13, 2019)

Drew said:


> Shitty, old picture, but I had a similar problem, and ended up getting maple boards that I stained and then finished in a matte poly, to mount String Swings on.
> 
> View attachment 73513
> 
> ...


Each guitar has a strap! Yeah!


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 18, 2019)

Huh...it took a couple of 'just checking in...' emails, but they refunded my purchase, and they don't want the pieces back.

So the question is...do I donate/recycle these and make my own in a few months, keep 'em and spend the money on powdercoat, or find something else. 

Hmm...


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Oct 20, 2019)

Guys... I'm trying to nail down how exactly I want to do my guitar wall and I'd like some feedback or advice. 

I've looked at the two most popular modular system brands ( Diamond Life and String Swing) and I've got enough concerns with both that I'm thinking I don't want to go that route. Things like cost, design, and other potential issues... some of what has been mentioned here, has left me looking for other solutions. 

After deciding ( I think) that I want to do something else, I started looking at going the 2x6 route but I'm having a hard time digesting that idea too. My main issue is that I think I might regret the aesthetics of running several pieces of lumber down my hallway. I don't want any regrets obviously... nor do I want to have to make any significant repairs to the wall nor compromise the integrity of the wall or studs if something goes wrong. 

So that brings me to an inspired idea that I actually saw here on SSO. It's the most simple and probably inexpensive thing that I've seen and I REALLY like it. I didn't want to muddy up the [gorgeous guitars] thread that I found this image in nor do I feel like contacting the guy with bothersome questions so I'm posting it here to see what your thoughts are on this. No idea what hangers he's using btw. 



 


Obvious disadvantage would be that I won't be able to angle the guitars but I'm okay with that. Another potential issue might be that the guitar bodies would be pretty damn close to the wall but that can be mitigated by installing some foam or rubber bumpers along the wall behind each guitar body. My hallway appears to be quite similar to the one in the pic and because of typical hallway traffic, I actually prefer that the guitars sit rather close to the wall. 

I'm not trusting my stud finder atm due to some inconsistent readings but it at least appears that they're spaced 24" apart. What I'm wondering is whether or not I'd be safe to utilize anchors directly into the sheet-rock? And if so, is there a specific type of anchor that would be recommended? There's a lot of different anchors out there so I'm not sure what type would be best ( or if I should scrap the idea altogether of hanging directly from the sheet-rock). I will say that the auger-type anchors I don't care for due to how much they tear into the sheet-rock. I've hung some relatively heavy mirrors and framed artwork on drywall before and never had any issues so idk why this idea wouldn't work when it comes to guitars. Fwiw I plan to use String Swing guitar hangers for this project but that's probably not relevant at this time. 

Thanks for any insight.


----------



## littlebadboy (Oct 20, 2019)

High Plains Drifter said:


> ...I don't want any regrets obviously... nor do I want to have to make any significant repairs to the wall nor compromise the integrity of the wall or studs if something goes wrong.
> 
> I'm not trusting my stud finder atm due to some inconsistent readings but it at least appears that they're spaced 24" apart...



These were the reasons why I chose to use a long 1 x 4 board because I just had to drill a few holes at both ends to secure it. Each hole confirmed if the drill bit hit a stud. Then I could position and drill whatever is needed for my hangers. In my case, I used cheap tool hangers.

I already posted pictures of mine, but...


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Oct 20, 2019)

High Plains Drifter said:


> Guys... I'm trying to nail down how exactly I want to do my guitar wall and I'd like some feedback or advice.
> 
> I've looked at the two most popular modular system brands ( Diamond Life and String Swing) and I've got enough concerns with both that I'm thinking I don't want to go that route. Things like cost, design, and other potential issues... some of what has been mentioned here, has left me looking for other solutions.
> 
> ...



For the bodies, you put a little foam pad on the wall. Some wall hanger brands sell their own, but foam is cheap in bulk. 

As for using studs, while I'd recommend it, I've had no problems using plain expansion anchors.


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 21, 2019)

MaxOfMetal said:


> For the bodies, you put a little foam pad on the wall. Some wall hanger brands sell their own, but foam is cheap in bulk.



For a while, I used some large felt furniture pads (approv 3-4" round). I stuck painters' tape on the wall, then used double-sided tape to attach the felt pad to the painter's tape. Seemed to work pretty well, and then because it was wool, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of there being any finish incompatibilities with foams/rubbers. Even though I'm using String Swing hangers (and I like theirs the best), and they have an available wall bumper, I'll probably actually do this felt thing again. But either way, i recommend the painter's tape trick (especially if you've got any of the 'delicate surfaces' tape), especially if the guitars are on a slat wall and could move around. This is to make sure that normal double-sided tape doesn't rip a chunk of paint off the wall if you decide to move the pads.



MaxOfMetal said:


> As for using studs, while I'd recommend it, I've had no problems using plain expansion anchors.



If someone told me I've installed over 1,000 wall anchors, I wouldn't at all be surprised. What I'm trying to say is that I have strong opinions on anchors. 

First order of business: If you want the most flexibility, get ones where you can use your own screws. This isn't likely an issue for most guitar hangers i've seen, because the screw just typically goes all the way through, and you see the screw head from the front, so you can pretty much use any screw you want....but where you can get into trouble is if it's a concealed mounting bracket where something has to slide over it like my CB2/Umbra drapery rods, etc.

The trouble with most anchor/screw sets, though, is that most come with pan head screws, and that doesn't work if you need them to be countersink. I'll sometimes buy the anchors, open the package, and then buy countersink/tapered-head screws to fit. i had to do this with my new bathroom towel bar.

As far as anchor construction/design, the easiest ones to use are the "snap toggle" style. They are also very strong. However, the shortcoming is that they don't pull themselves flush with the wall's surface. If you screw something tight to the wall, there will be about 1-2mm gap between it and the wall.






My 2nd favorite are "toggle bolts", or i've also seen them called "butterfly bolts".





The last of my favorite styles are this sort of flip-toggle bolt. I'm not sure if they have a specific name,. I don't come across then very often.





The nice thing about all three of those, is that while you drill a fairly large size hole, all of the strength comes from a large piece on the back of the wall. It's not depending on something expanding inside the hole itself, like so many plastic ones that barely spread on the other side of the wall.

The ones that i've been annoyed by lately, are the plastic ones that look like large white screws. I've had success before with these, but I don't know...something about the last few batches i've had, they end up snapping off before being fully driven into the drywall. They barely expand on the inside of the wall, too, and most of their hold depends on those deep screw threads' grip on the inside edges of the holes in the drywall. There are metal versions of these i'd like to try out soon, but I've sort of sworn off the plastic ones even though i've got a box of 100 in the garage.





I used to use this type, below, all of the time, with good success. I used to work in a retail store that sold bath hardware, and this type of screw came with every piece. We'd change out our wall displays regularly installing several different pieces, multiple times per year, in multiple stores, over almost a decade, and each piece of hardware would take 2, 4 or some of the larger pieces would take 12 of them. So again...i've hung lots. Ha! However, they are much much less forgiving of poor quality drywall, old drywall, and walls that have a lot of already-patched holes. As the display walls in the stores got turned into swiss cheese-filled-with-patch over the years, I would find that the anchor wouldn't have enough grip on the wall to allow you to tighten the screw to get it to expand on the back. It would just spin and spin, which means it would not offer any holding power. In my own home, I tried a few of these recently, and my 1959 drywall walls just weren't good enough for them...the gyp ground/crumbled away too readily for it to grip, and again would just spin and spin. Plus, they are really optimized for certain drywall thicknesses. They will work with others, but not as well.






I literally throw every single one of this type immediately into the trash.


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Oct 21, 2019)

One of my first jobs was a "handyman" of a large office park. I've hung so many shitty waiting room pictures and sign boards. 



spudmunkey said:


>



Fuck these. I throw them all out. Useless. 



>



I actually don't mind these so much. Though I steer clear of the really shitty white and yellow ones. The blue and red aren't so bad for whatever reason. Grey can go either way.


----------



## spudmunkey (Oct 21, 2019)

MaxOfMetal said:


> One of my first jobs was a "handyman" of a large office park. I've hung so many shitty waiting room pictures and sign boards.



A month ago I had to hang two pieces of art that totalled $17,000. The artist showd up with those tiny plastic ones. I laughed in her face (to myself).


----------



## MaxOfMetal (Oct 21, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> A month ago I had to hang two pieces of art that totalled $17,000. The artist showd up with those tiny plastic ones. I laughed in her face (to myself).



There were two orthodontists in that office park and it seems they were in a battle of who could have the ugliest, most expensive waiting room. 

At one point one of them thought it would make their art seem more valuable of there were plexiglass covers over them. So I had to make a dozen or so and then mount them. 

All used those shitty gray expanders.


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Oct 22, 2019)

Really can't thank you guys enough for posting about the anchors. I've used a lot of different ones over the years but not all of the ones that spud posted so it's great to get that additional info.

At this point I'll relax on this thread and go forth with my plan to use surfaced 8' lengths of 1x4" hickory boards and try to lay things out so that I'm utilizing studs at either ends of the boards as well as several anchors in between. Plan is to use long enough screws to go thru the black metal String Swing Keepers and directly into the corresponding stud or dry-wall anchor. Probably overkill but the thought of any of my guitars hitting ceramic tile makes me cringe.


----------



## Hollowway (Oct 22, 2019)

If you’re putting the screws through the 1x4 hickory you probably won’t need to use any sheet rock anchors between the studs. 24” isn’t that far apart. Unless you’re going to hang something way heavier.


----------



## High Plains Drifter (Oct 22, 2019)

Thanks very much, Holloway. I'll certainly keep that in mind. I guess I'm just erring on the side of caution throughout the planning stage. When I get materials in hand and lay it all out, I'll have a better idea of what "feels" right.


----------



## diagrammatiks (Oct 22, 2019)

High Plains Drifter said:


> Guys... I'm trying to nail down how exactly I want to do my guitar wall and I'd like some feedback or advice.
> 
> I've looked at the two most popular modular system brands ( Diamond Life and String Swing) and I've got enough concerns with both that I'm thinking I don't want to go that route. Things like cost, design, and other potential issues... some of what has been mentioned here, has left me looking for other solutions.
> 
> ...



This person whose picture it is literally has the best taste in guitars. that's all.


----------



## spudmunkey (Dec 1, 2019)

Done. A bunch of pictures at the link. If there's sufficient interest, I'll make a dedicated thread.

https://imgur.com/gallery/tZtlp6t


----------



## Hollowway (Dec 1, 2019)

spudmunkey said:


> Done. A bunch of pictures at the link. If there's sufficient interest, I'll make a dedicated thread.
> 
> https://imgur.com/gallery/tZtlp6t
> 
> View attachment 75145



I like that baby Yoda uke there. 

So you decided against the powder coating? From the photos it looks really good as it is.


----------



## spudmunkey (Dec 1, 2019)

Hollowway said:


> So you decided against the powder coating?



I did.
1) The quotes I was getting were just too high.
2) the added thickness of the coating *might* have causes issues with the way the pieces fit together.

But I was still considering it...but then...

3) I had a free afternoon.



Hollowway said:


> From the photos it looks really good as it is.



Much like the Taylor knock-off on the bottom row, it looks OK in photos, and from a few feet away. There are lots of tiny tiny little nicks, several long (but minor) scratches, all over it. The one rail was discolored on the 3" the left end, looking much more yellow. I hid that end behind the body of the 12-string.


----------



## KR250 (Dec 1, 2019)

Sounds like the solution is to add more guitars to hide the rail defects


----------



## tedtan (Dec 2, 2019)

KR250 said:


> Sounds like the solution is to add more guitars to hide the rail defects



When is more guitars ever NOT the correct answer?


----------



## spudmunkey (Dec 2, 2019)

tedtan said:


> When is more guitars ever NOT the correct answer?



...I have one more coming in a few months.  (but I will let a couple go...)


----------



## spudmunkey (Aug 11, 2020)

One final addition. Now it's "complete". And i can finally take my Helix packing foam off the floor from behind the door...

Since there are guitars behind the door, a normal 3" door stop (most are actually 2-7/8"...don't get me started on that one...) wouldn't be long enough. I found longer door stops, but something sticking out that far at floor level was bound to get stepped on, which would tear a hole in the new base board, and would just look totally weird.

I had the idea to put a longer door stop up higher amongst the guitars, but I didn't want to make holes in the freshly-refurbished wall, nor into the aluminum rail itself, in case I wanted to move some things around.

So, I got String Swing to sell me a blank slat wall plate, and found a long door stop that had sections that i could add or remove to adjust the length, which also had a mounting wood screw that was _removeable. _This is so that I could switch it to a nut/bolt type hardware so I could attach it to the slat wall plate, giving me the flexibility to move it around if need be.















Juuuust enough room behind the door. (I'll note that I do have an additional 3/4" length segment for the stop, should I need it)






The way the door stop connected to the String Swing plate didn't look finished, so I added a figured claro walnut accent block from a piece I picked out of a cut-off scrap clearance bin at Woodcraft or Rockler a couple years ago. The door stop passes partially into the wood, which also will give the door stop a little more strength since it's supported by the tight hole by an extra 1/4" or so, so it shouldn't wiggle loose over time...at least not nearly as often.


----------



## Hollowway (Aug 12, 2020)

spudmunkey said:


> One final addition. Now it's "complete". And i can finally take my Helix packing foam off the floor from behind the door...
> 
> Since there are guitars behind the door, a normal 3" door stop (most are actually 2-7/8"...don't get me started on that one...) wouldn't be long enough. I found longer door stops, but something sticking out that far at floor level was bound to get stepped on, which would tear a hole in the new base board, and would just look totally weird.
> 
> ...



Now that’s a cool idea! Nice work on the wood, too. Having the guitars behind the door buys you some extra real estate, which is always nice. Guitars take up a decent amount of space, and I think wall hanging them is one of the cleanest ways to deal with them.


----------



## spudmunkey (Aug 12, 2020)

I lucked out that the door wasn't tucked super tight into the corner, so the door can "seem" fully open straight, or even a little further than 90, but still have that 8" or so behind it.


----------

