What is a hanging wire system and how do I choose one?
Put simply, a hanging wire system is a collection of products that you use together to display or hold and hang items. The system consists of components for anchoring, hanging and hooking or gripping signs, pictures or banners and has traditionally been used for hanging pictures. This isn't the only use for hanging kits though. Hanging wires are great for presenting your signs and point-of-sale displays or even light fittings. Wire suspension systems can also be used for acoustic ceiling panels, and you might think of other ways to use them. I've recently used our anchor & Bee-line system to hang three square LED light panels in my new kitchen (they look fantastic) and we've even taken enquiries from customers wanting to use them to hang plants in their home!
Which hanging wire system do I choose?
If you're unfamiliar with wire hanging systems, it can be challenging to decide what would work best for you. Trying to navigate your way through different types of fittings, fixing and wires is enough to frazzle to most!
A great way to start off is to ask yourself some key questions:
- What is it that you want to display?
- Do you want your display to hang from a ceiling or along a wall?
- How heavy is your display?
- What length drop do you want for your display?
- Is your display permanent or temporary?
These are really good questions to start you off in your search for the right product. Each answer will point you in a particular direction until you reach the end of your journey!
What is it that you want to display?
This is really important question! Different products will need different fittings. The answer that you give will almost certainly lead to further questions to help you refine your search. For instance, if you want to hang a poster you then need to think about whether a frame, snap or clamp display would work best for you.
Poster snaps are lightweight hanging rails and are brilliant value as you can easily swap out the media that you are displaying. Poster clamps are similar but sturdier and 'heavy-duty' so are better for larger banners. If you want a framed display there are lots of different options. Choices include double-side snap frames (perfect for hanging from the ceiling) or stretch frames for a stylish and minimalist look.
Do you want your display to hang from a ceiling or along a wall?
Either is possible - both look great and have their benefits. If you are hanging from a ceiling, we have options for screw-on ceiling hooks, suspended ceiling hangers or magnetic hooks. Each of these options suit different ceilings - standard, grids or steel panels. Hanging from the ceiling is perfect for large open-plan spaces - think department stores, big offices, or college and university concourses. Ceiling suspended displays can also be used to great effect in windows and other visual merchandising spaces.
Do you want your display to look like it's standing off from a wall or run down a window? A cable display system provides an alternative to hanging from a ceiling and can look stunning. These systems can also hold multiple pockets. For inspiration take a look at our case study:
cable display ideas for a beauty salon where a customer created a stand-off wall display of staff certificates to brilliant effect.
How heavy is your display?
Be sure to check the safe working loads for cables and hooks. The 'more information' tab on our product pages give lots of useful and crucial information. If you need further help, you can get in touch with our sales team, either by phone or email - they'll be happy to help.
What length drop do you want for your display?
When choosing your hanging wire system, think about the length of drop you'd like to achieve. Some wires are of a fixed length whereas others are supplied in reels up to one hundred metres. In either case, the wire can be trimmed to length using cable cutters. Nearly all our fittings offer easy length adjustment using a fingertip release button. There is also a variety of wire ends including terminated (to stay anchored inside a fitting) looped and hooked - all suited to different types of hanging.
Is your display permanent or temporary?
Knowing in advance whether you will need to change your display - or even take it down completely - will help you decide what components you need. If you are going to change the display picture, sign or banner on a regular basis you will probably want to choose a poster snap with a hook fixing system rather than a fixed loop. This solution allows you to quickly and easily change your display as and when you need to.
If your whole display is only temporary and you have a steel grid ceiling, look at our magnetic ceiling hooks. This sort of hook is perfect when you want to make sure that your display leaves no marks or screw holes behind.
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Wall hanging display[/caption]
You're now ready to choose your hanging wire system
There's no doubt about it - hanging wire systems can help you make the most of the space you have available to display your signs, messages and whatever else you can think of - remember those plants? What about seasonal decorations? Asking yourself these questions before you take the plunge to buy will really help you get the right product for your needs - but don't forget, the team here at Sign Holders by Green Magic are always happy to help!
