Wall Art Dimensions and Weight, Before You Drill

Specification diagram of the plaster ring wall art, 120 x 70 cm with a 70 cm ring diameter

Four numbers decide this, and you want all four before you order: width, height, how far the piece stands off the wall, and what it weighs. Width and height tell you whether it fits the wall, while the wall art dimensions and weight together tell you which fixing to buy, because a 47 in (120 cm) piece hanging on two screws puts its whole load into two holes. Listings hand you the first two and go quiet on the last two, and the last two are the ones that leave you filling a hole on a Sunday night.

70cm plaster wall art ring backlit warm centred above the sofa over a rust terracotta disc crossed by a slim walnut shelf

Why do wall art dimensions and weight stay hidden until the box arrives?

You want the real width, depth and weight before ordering something this big, and the listing hands you a width, a height and a photograph of a room you do not live in. That leaves you in front of a bare wall with a tape in one hand, doing arithmetic on the two numbers nobody printed.

Width and height are easy to publish because they come off the same drawing that cut the piece. Depth and weight come off the finished object, and those two decide whether a door still clears the wall and whether the plugs in your drawer are rated for 10 lb (4.5 kg) or 25 lb (11 kg), so they end up in the too-hard pile.

At Houseland we believe the two numbers that decide the fixing belong on the product page next to the pretty ones, because a person choosing a 47 in (120 cm) piece is making a decision about a wall, not about a picture. So everything below is either a figure printed on a page or a method for getting the figure yourself with a tape and a bathroom scale. Where I do not have a number, I have said so instead of rounding one up.

Which four numbers do you actually need, and what does each one decide?

Width, height, projection and weight, and only the first two are usually printed. Width and height are a fit question, and a tape and a pencil answer both in a minute. Projection and weight are a hardware question, and hardware is the part that goes wrong when the shops are shut.

Listings call projection depth, or D in the W x H x D string, or stand-off. It is the same measurement every time: wall face to the furthest forward point. Weight is the one that gets described instead of measured, and "lightweight" is not a number.

Number What it decides Where it comes from
Width Whether the piece fills the wall or floats in it. Pieces sold as large sit between 47 in (120 cm) and 59 in (150 cm). Printed on the listing
Height Where the top and the bottom land once the centre sits at 57 in (145 cm). Printed on the listing
Projection Door swing, walkway clearance, whether a shoulder catches it. Keep it under 4 in (10 cm) in a route people walk. Measured at the deepest point, or asked for
Weight Which anchor, and whether a 10 lb (4.5 kg) plug will do or you need 25 lb (11 kg). Bathroom scale, or asked for

Plaster ring wall art lit above a wooden console, warm halo spilling onto the wall

Houseland lists the ring diameter separately from the overall width, 27.6 in (70 cm) against 47 in (120 cm), because those two get mixed up more than any other pair. Two of the four come free with the listing, and the other two you go and get.

How do you find the depth and the weight when the listing does not print them?

You ask first, then check with a tape and a bathroom scale when the box lands. Neither takes more than five minutes, and neither needs a tool you do not already own.

  1. Send one message asking for two figures: projection at the deepest point, and the weight of the piece out of its packaging.
  2. Read the mount type before anything else, because two screws puts the whole load into two holes, while a French cleat spreads it along a rail.
  3. Weigh it on a bathroom scale: stand on the scale, note the number, pick the piece up, stand again, subtract. That is good to about 1 lb (0.5 kg), which is all the accuracy an anchor choice needs.
  4. Measure projection with the piece face down on a rug, laying a straight edge across the back and measuring from the straight edge to the highest point.
  5. Measure it again once it is hung and dressed, because a vase, a stem or a book stands further out than the panel does.
  6. Buy an anchor rated at about four times the weight you measured, so a 6 lb (2.7 kg) piece wants 25 lb (11 kg) of rating rather than 10 lb (4.5 kg).

If a shop cannot tell you what its own piece weighs, that is an answer too. The one figure you cannot get this way is the packed weight before it arrives, which is what you want to know if the lift is out and the stairs are the only way up.

How far can a piece stand off the wall before you notice it?

About 4 in (10 cm), and less than that in a hallway. Accessibility rules for public routes cap anything mounted between 27 in (69 cm) and 80 in (203 cm) off the floor at 4 in (10 cm) of projection, because that is the band where a shoulder or a head meets it. Your hallway is not a public building, but it is a good number to borrow.

A clear walking route is usually drawn at 36 in (91 cm), and a piece standing 4 in (10 cm) proud takes that to 32 in (81 cm), which you feel with an armful of shopping. Door swing is the other trap, since a handle wants its own room and a piece hung behind a door will find it. Above a sofa back it stops mattering almost entirely, because nobody walks through the wall behind a sofa.

Japandi living room with the backlit plaster ring hung above a walnut sideboard

Backlit pieces are deeper than they look, and the reason is the light itself. A hidden strip behind the panel washes the wall, and it can only do that if the panel is held off the wall by a gap. The thickness of the panel is never the projection. Measure wall face to furthest forward point, and on a piece with a shelf, measure with whatever lives on the shelf in place, because the vase and the stems will beat the panel. If the piece plugs in, sort the cord before you drill rather than after, since the socket decides which end of the wall you start from.

What does the weight change about the anchor you buy?

Everything, because plasterboard holds almost nothing on its own. A 1/2 in (12.7 mm) sheet is gypsum between two sheets of paper, so the anchor does the work and the rating printed on the packet is the honest number. Plastic expansion plugs are usually rated around 5 to 10 lb (2 to 4.5 kg), self-drilling metal anchors around 25 lb (11 kg), and toggles 50 lb (23 kg) and up.

A screw into a stud beats all of them, and studs sit 16 in (40.6 cm) on centre in most walls, 24 in (61 cm) in some. The trouble is that the two holes in the back of a piece are where the maker put them and not where your studs are, so plan on anchors and treat a stud as luck.

Backlit plaster ring wall art on a sage green wall with a walnut shelf and glass bud vase

Two fixing points split the load when the piece hangs level, and they stop splitting it evenly the moment one screw sits in a stud and the other in a plug, so use the same fixing in both holes. Anything you set on a shelf that runs through a piece lands on those same two screws, which is where a shelf rating and a wall rating stop being the same question. Lath and plaster, tile and hollow doors are separate jobs, and plugs sold for plasterboard will not help you there.

Will 47 in (120 cm) fill your wall, or float in it?

Above a 72 in (183 cm) sofa it fills the wall, and on a 40 in (102 cm) chimney breast it will not go up at all. The rule I use is two-thirds: art wants to be about two-thirds the width of the furniture underneath it. At 47 in (120 cm) that lands on a 72 in (183 cm) three-seat sofa, and by 96 in (244 cm) of sofa the same piece reads like a plate on a wall.

For clear wall, measure between whatever bounds the space, a window reveal, a corner, a switch plate, then take 47 in (120 cm) off the total. Less than 8 in (20 cm) left over and it will read as wedged in, and centring it does not fix that. If a picture rail or a coving cuts the wall short, work from the top down instead: measure from the rail to the sofa back and see whether 27.6 in (70 cm) of piece fits in the gap with room to breathe.

Height is the easier half. Hang the centre at 57 in (145 cm), the height most galleries use, and a 27.6 in (70 cm) piece runs from 43.2 in (110 cm) to 70.8 in (180 cm) off the floor. Above a sofa, drop that and hang 8 in to 10 in (20 cm to 25 cm) above the sofa back so the piece belongs to the sofa instead of hovering over it, and a dining wall or a stair landing wants its own number.

What would I hang for this, and who should skip it?

Backlit plaster ring wall art on a sage green wall with a walnut shelf and glass bud vase

From the shop

Backlit Plaster Wall Art, Japandi LED Ring with Walnut Shelf and Bud Vase

47 in (120 cm) across including the shelf overhang, 27.6 in (70 cm) tall, with a 27.6 in (70 cm) ring, hung on two screws. Plug-in LED with a mains adapter or Battery LED on AA batteries, chosen at checkout.

See the backlit plaster wall art

Three reasons it is the piece on this page. The footprint is printed rather than implied: 47 in (120 cm) across including the shelf overhang, 27.6 in (70 cm) tall, with the lit ring itself 27.6 in (70 cm) across. You can chalk that outline on the wall before you spend anything.

It hangs on two screws, mounting hardware is included and suits standard plasterboard and masonry, and there is no bracket to assemble, no wiring and no electrician.

Power is a choice at checkout rather than a fixed cost: the plug-in version ships with a mains adapter, the battery version runs on AA batteries with no cord on the wall at all, and for 349.99 USD the walnut shelf, the jute-collared glass tube and the single white ceramic rabbit come with it.

It is wrong for some walls, and worth saying which. A wall with under 55 in (140 cm) of clear space cannot take a 47 in (120 cm) piece without crowding a corner, so something narrower in the Houseland wall art collection is the better answer. If you cannot drill, skip it, because two screws is the only fixing and the battery option removes the cord, not the holes. And if the wall you had in mind is a bathroom, above a kettle or behind a hob, put it somewhere else, since the face is matte sand plaster and it is wiped with a soft dry cloth only. Sand plaster is porous. A wet cloth marks it, and the mark does not wipe out.

Shop wall art from Houseland

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Questions people ask about this

What are the dimensions of large wall art?

Most pieces sold as large run 47 in (120 cm) to 59 in (150 cm) wide. This one is 47 in (120 cm) across including the shelf overhang and 27.6 in (70 cm) tall, with a 27.6 in (70 cm) ring. Width is the number that decides whether it fills a sofa wall.

How much does a wall panel weigh?

It depends on the material far more than the size, since a plaster-faced panel over MDF weighs more than a canvas of the same width. Weigh it on a bathroom scale: stand on, note the number, lift the piece, stand again, subtract. That is good to about 1 lb (0.5 kg).

How far does wall art stick out from the wall?

Measure from the wall face to the furthest forward point, not the panel thickness. Backlit pieces sit off the wall so the hidden strip can wash it, and a shelf with a vase on it projects further than the panel. Keep it under 4 in (10 cm) in any walkway.

What size is 120 cm in inches?

120 cm is 47.24 in, which listings round to 47 in. 70 cm is 27.56 in, rounded to 27.6 in. If you are working from a metric figure, divide by 2.54 to get inches before you mark the wall, so the pencil lines match the tape you actually own.

How heavy can drywall hold?

On its own, almost nothing; the anchor holds, not the board. Plastic expansion plugs in 1/2 in (12.7 mm) plasterboard are usually rated 5 to 10 lb (2 to 4.5 kg), self-drilling metal anchors about 25 lb (11 kg), and toggles 50 lb (23 kg) and up. The rating is printed on the packet.

What size box does wall art ship in?

Bigger than the piece on every edge. This one ships braced on all edges inside a protective carton, with the vase and figurine packed separately, so a 47 in (120 cm) piece arrives in a carton wider than 47 in. Measure your doorway before it lands.

Is 47 inches wide enough for my wall?

For a 72 in (183 cm) three-seat sofa, yes. Art wants to be roughly two-thirds the width of the furniture below it, so 47 in (120 cm) suits sofas around 65 in to 84 in (165 cm to 213 cm). Past 96 in (244 cm) of sofa it starts to look small.

How thick is a backlit panel?

The panel thickness is not the number you need. A backlit piece is held off the wall so the hidden LED strip can wash the surface behind it, so the projection is the panel plus that gap plus anything on a shelf. Measure wall face to furthest forward point.

Where do I find the weight before I buy?

Ask the shop for the weight out of the packaging and the projection at the deepest point, since both come off the finished piece and a maker can answer both. If the reply is a range rather than a number, plan for the top of the range when you pick an anchor.

What anchor should I use for a 47 in (120 cm) piece?

Match the anchor to the weight, not the width. Buy one rated at about four times what the piece weighs, so a 6 lb (2.7 kg) piece wants 25 lb (11 kg) of rating rather than 10 lb (4.5 kg). Use the same type in both holes so the load splits evenly.

Can I hang it on a stud instead?

Yes, if a stud happens to line up. Studs sit 16 in (40.6 cm) on centre in most walls and 24 in (61 cm) in some, and the two holes in the back of a piece are where the maker put them. Treat a stud as luck and buy anchors anyway.

How high should I hang it above a sofa?

8 in to 10 in (20 cm to 25 cm) above the sofa back, so it reads as part of the sofa. On an empty wall, hang the centre at 57 in (145 cm), which puts a 27.6 in (70 cm) tall piece between 43.2 in (110 cm) and 70.8 in (180 cm) off the floor.

Does it need to be plugged in?

That is a choice at checkout. The Plug-in LED version ships with a mains adapter. The Battery LED version runs on AA batteries, so there is no cord on the wall, which matters in a rented room or on a wall with no socket under it.

What is the ring actually made of?

A laser-cut MDF base with hand-applied sand plaster over it, which is why it reads as plaster rather than a print. The shelf is dark walnut wood and the vase is a glass tube with a natural jute collar. The finish is matte sand plaster.

How wide is the ring itself?

27.6 in (70 cm) in diameter. The overall width of 47 in (120 cm) includes the walnut shelf running through the ring and overhanging both sides, so the lit circle is smaller than the footprint you chalk on the wall. Mark the 47 in, not the 27.6 in.

Does the shelf hold anything?

It carries the glass bud vase and the single white ceramic rabbit that ship with the piece. Anything you add sits on the same two screws holding the whole thing up, so treat added weight as weight on the wall fixing rather than on the shelf alone.

How is it hung?

Mark the position, drill, fit two screws, then hang the piece on them. Mounting hardware is included and suits standard plasterboard and masonry. There is no bracket to assemble, no wiring and no electrician, which is the whole job in about an hour.

Can a renter hang this?

Only if drilling two holes is allowed. The battery option removes the cord, not the fixing, since two screws is the only mount. If your agreement rules out holes, this is the wrong piece and something leaning on a shelf is the better answer.

How do I clean it?

Wipe gently with a soft dry cloth. Sand plaster is porous, so a wet cloth marks it, and steam and solvents do worse. Dust the walnut shelf and the glass vase the same way you would any other shelf, and keep the face away from direct water.

Can I put real flowers in the vase?

Yes. The glass tube lifts out of its jute collar, so fill it at the tap and slot it back. Keep the water below the collar and wipe any drips off the plaster straight away, since the face should not be left wet.

What goes wrong most often?

Guessing the anchor. Second is marking a centre line without checking clearance, then finding the door swing or a walkway catches the piece. Tape 47 in (120 cm) of the outline on the wall and live with it for a day before you drill.

Will it look exactly like the photographs?

The shape, size and colours will. The plaster texture will not match exactly, because it is worked by hand, so tone and surface movement shift between pieces. The furniture, plants and books around it in the photographs do not ship with it.

Is 349.99 USD reasonable for a piece this size?

At 349.99 USD it buys a 47 in (120 cm) hand-finished plaster piece with a hidden warm-white LED, a walnut shelf, a glass bud vase and a ceramic rabbit. Compare it against a framed print of the same width plus a separate wall light, not against a poster.

What are the alternatives if the wall is narrower?

Go smaller or go vertical. A wall with under 55 in (140 cm) of clear space cannot take a 47 in (120 cm) piece without crowding the corner. Two smaller pieces hung with a 3 in to 4 in (7.6 cm to 10 cm) gap read better on a narrow chimney breast.

Who is this piece not for?

Anyone hanging in a bathroom, above a kettle or behind a hob. The face is matte sand plaster, wiped dry only, so steam and splashes are the one thing it will not take. It is also wrong for a wall with under 55 in (140 cm) of clear space.

Does the light need wiring?

No. The warm-white strip is hidden behind the ring and runs from a mains adapter or AA batteries, and the remote handles on, off, brightness and several modes. Warm white is the 2,700 K end of the scale, the colour of a filament bulb rather than an office panel.

Can I hang it vertically?

The orientation is horizontal. The shelf runs through the ring and holds a vase of water, so turning the piece would put the shelf on a slope. Plan the wall around a 47 in (120 cm) wide by 27.6 in (70 cm) tall footprint.

Do I need two people to hang it?

Two makes it easier at 47 in (120 cm) wide. One person can mark and drill, but holding a 47 in piece level while feeling for two screw heads behind it is a two-person job unless you have hung a lot of them.

How do I mark two screw holes level?

Measure the distance between the fixing points on the back, transfer it to the wall with a tape, and check with a spirit level before drilling. Across 47 in (120 cm), a 1/4 in (6 mm) difference between the two holes is enough to see from the doorway.

Where do I check shipping and returns?

Check the product page for shipping and returns before you order, since that is where the current terms live. What I can tell you about the packing is that it ships braced on all edges inside a protective carton, with the vase and figurine packed separately.