Testing Command Picture Hangers - Do They Really Work?

After years of avoiding sticky picture hangers and only using mechanical fixings in this video I put the 3M Command brand to the test with surprising results!
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[@johnshanks1341]

Pity you didn't test them overnight or even over a few days, as things can become unstuck very gradually.

[@Thermalions]

Agreed. The way they stretch to remove, infers to me that a debonding over time could occur - would be interesting to see if the 9 kg could last overnight. That said I don't expect the rated load to be problematic, or it would have quickly debonded with 9 kg on it.

[@artyb27]

We had a photoframe stuck to the wall for 5 years with these strips. It crashed down in the night recently but it seems it was actually the old paint that gave way, not the strips. Since we're renting we _only_ use command strips to attach things to walls and after 5 years I have no complaints. We've even got a pretty hefty whiteboard up in the office using two of those sticky nails, and a large mirror elsewhere using three (though that hasn't been up as long).

[@johnshanks1341]

@@artyb27 Yes, great to hear. I've seen these for sale for many years but have never trusted them. After all there is really no glue involved -- i.e. nothing that reacts with the surface, otherwise you couldn't remove them with no sign left. Magic really, especially holding 9 kg!

[@davidwinters8325]

I ve been using these for years, really like them. The only thing I would say is be careful how you store them, the adhesive dries out very easy. I keep them in a tupperware box, all good.

[@richsparkman9980]

I've used these a lot they do come off the wall if you leave them on too long with too much weight

[@markglover2525]

My wife used these to hang pictures all over the house, following the directions to a tee. Four months later, at 2am, we were woken by a 'Shhhht! Ker-chunk!' guillotine noise as the 60cm* 40cm glass-covered picture above our bed sheared off the wall, missing our heads by 10mm. Over the next year, 8 of the 10 pictures she'd hung fell off the walls even though she'd doubled-up the fixings. We figure the weak point was the picture frames, and their coatings; the 3M fixings didn't adhere well to Ikea picture frame coatings, and in some instances, the coatings had sloughed off in some kind of chemical reaction to the 3M adhesive. Anyhow, I went round and used nail-in plastic hooks to replace them all, and not had any issues since.

[@shaunkeating9989]

I have experienced the exact same thing happen. Can't beat a wall plugang screw.

[@richardphillips3303]

I've always found 3M products to be true to their word but to be able to bond and then remove without a trace is simply magic! Thanks Stuart for sharing 😊

[@millsey7991]

Ah, Sunday mornings when the sun is shining and a new proper diy video are the best

[@nickdawson9270]

Useful video, especially as it prompts viewers with actual experience of using them to share their experience with sceptical doubters.

[@Christopher_T_Paul]

I can vouch for this product, I have quite a few pictures hanging on my walls using the velcro command tapes. After a few years no problems, I removed them in Spring to decorate and no damage to the walls. Also they do small clips that are designed for cable, perfect for Christmas lights and they always last the 6 weeks or so of use in my windows whereas many products usually fail.

[@MasterChef12109]

I've used these. The adhesive is very strong but the weak link is the paint on the wall. With enough weight it will just peel away from the wall after some time. If I removed the paint myself I am sure they would've lasted a lot of time.

[@keithjohnston1981]

Use these all over the house. Some very large frames hung with a number of them on the back and have been up for years without any issues. Great video as always and great product to avoid drilling/making holes into walls

[@bbbf09]

As a professional engineer who has had limited experience with glues employed in mechanical devices under certain load conditions I would say its not about passing direct load tests its about longevity. For some reason with loads under tension over time they always seem to give out way under their speciifed max load eventually.

[@oldjake4233]

I have three in my house and they work very well.

[@jandudl74]

Here in the Netherlands we have TESA powerstrips. I use them for years on plastic wall covering to hang my jackets on it. It is strong, but after about a year it comes off and i need to stick a new one on it. I'm sure that it will last longer if i use it for lighter materials. One or two jackets are very heavy. In my bathroom I glued the shower rod with silicone to the tiles. I thought it was a pity to drill into the tiles. This has been glued for over 20 years now! No problems.

[@bp9854]

i love the fact that you just have a room/wall dedicated in the house to just destroy and fix back up haha

[@RiBenjafield]

I use those Command hangers and haven't had one fail yet. Great to see you testing it - I do wonder sometimes if your wife ever comes into a room and asks you what the heck you're up to this time! 🙂Good video again Stuart, thanks

[@boyceuk]

Great video idea. Would have been good if you left the water on overnight, or for a week, to see if it failed then. They normally work great, but I have had pictures that look fine at first, then drop off after 12 hours.

[@andyhastings4034]

Using these for years. Never had a problem. My go to for hanging picture frames.

[@DruManjiDrew]

Thank you for the video

[@bluecurlygirl]

I love those command strips. Had a 3m hook holding up a shower shelf for years and even with all the steam it didn't fail. I took it down to replace the shelving. I haven't dumped the holder as I intend to find another use for it somewhere with new sticky strips obviously. Jakers 9kg is impressive for that. I wouldn't leave 9kg hanging on it indefinitely though as I do think that it would fail over time. But it certainly gives confidence in the product to hold what it says it will. Thanks for this Stuart.

[@shaun30-3-mg9zs]

Good test Stuart, very impressive 👍

[@6panel300]

They performed a lot better than I expected.

[@everythings_shiny]

I have used these extensively, all types from the small to large hooks and many types of picture strips over a number of years in my rented apartment. I had a 20Kg mirror hanging over my bed just with a combination of 7 picture hangers holding the wire on the back of the mirror and large picture strips in each corner, This was fine for over two years. I mounted around 50 framed pictures in the apartment, initially via the dedicated picture hangers (thin plastic strips with a V notch at the bottom for the picture wire to rest on) and then later using picture strips, which are more flexible. I also used several sets of medium hooks along with metal rods to create a makeshift curtain poles, hanging some IKEA curtains. This held for several years and did not fail before I moved out. I had similar arrangement on the back of my apartment door, with two poles, one at the top and one at the bottom holding up heavy coats via two of the large hooks. This one did fail but I was probably over the weight for 2 large hooks so I added a third in the middle of the pole and again it lasted for years after that. Where my experience was not good was on some of the picture strips (essentially two velcro-type straps with adhesive on the back) where the pictures were exposed to direct sunlight and the room would get very hot. Over time I think the heat caused a few of them to fail, requiring more strips to be added. Also the smaller products like those used to help with routing wires or cables were pretty crap and never stuck to my walls. I held a large stock, mainly of picture strips and the other concern is that after going back to use these after a few years, the adhesive had virtually completely dried up. So my advice is to only buy them as you need them. Otherwise I can highly recommend them. I only used genuine 3M Command Brand hooks and strips by the way.

[@davidwinters8325]

I ve been using these for years, really like them. The only thing I would say is be careful how you store them, the adhesive dries out very easy. I keep them in a tupperware box, all good.

[@gmo4250]

If I did that in my house, the paint would just peel away. The cowboys who painted my walls, made it easy peel, just like wallpaper. Even though they work, I would only ever use a mechanical fixing. Good video as always.

[@martinworrall5888]

Been using them for and their hooks,never had a problem.

[@KevinC-t6p]

Not used these for pictures but I do have several of the metal bathroom hook ones, they've been fine for the 4 years or so I've had them

[@paddycairns1972]

I've used these command hangers a lot but the kind that stick to the picture frames - and not the hook type shown here. Where they are brilliant is it you are trying to hang pictures in a row that you want mm perfect in terms of height. But one thing I found with these type of strps particularly with IKEA frames which are MDF .- is after a few months the strip lost the bond to the picture frame itself and the picture fell down - guess because the MDF is porous (the strip didn't tear away the MDF it just dried out and lost grip). So if you're doing this on MDF frames then just glue the strip to the frame - it's what I did and it worked perfectly - pictures are up 10ish years

[@zebedees11]

I love Command Strips!! My friend turned me on to them years ago and I haven’t looked back!!! Just moved house and have all of the pictures up in the new house with them again, won’t use anything else!

[@basher875]

I use them for hanging my Christmas Wreath Stayed on my uPvc door and is still there today Super strong Definitely recommend one

[@awantamta]

Great test. Thanks

[@fuzzylon]

Thank you for this video - this is exactly what I wanted to see. However, I do wonder how well they hold up over time. I have history of things falling off walls.

[@scott2308]

Brilliant things for small pictures. I don't but anything up beds with them. Only had one fail and it was the paint in the new build, took it right off and the plasterboard was showing 😅

[@300Exige]

3M stuff generally is very good. They don’t normally make claims they can’t meet. They have invented many things over the years we take for granted now. Nice vid 👍🏻

[@worigami]

We've not tried the command hangers so would be interested to see how they compare to the command hanging strips. We have no faith in the strips. Initially all was well but one picture fell to the floor in days, two others took a week or two before their demise. We did the prep, made sure the surfaces were clean of any contaminants, and followed the instructions. The lighter of the pictures bit the dust first, it is fairly large but with a very light plastic frame and acrylic instead of glass. It was in our bathroom so moisture potentially played a part though this was only 2 or 3 days in. The paint was still intact, the strip itself pulled away. Some slightly heavier pictures in our hall were next to go but did take a couple of weeks. Again no loss of paint or plaster. What we have used is heavy duty velcro and that has lasted years. Obviously not going to be very friendly to the paint should we ever remove the pictures. We figured the effort with some filler and paint after a few years is better than losing pictures every week or two.

[@raywarner7184]

I had some of them holding up 3 of my pictures on painted dry wall for 12 years. Just recently however, I wanted to take them down using the tab. On all of them it ripped the surface off my wall leaving me with a plastering job.

[@tayred81]

Always had good luck with all products from 3M. Masking tape, wall hangers etc. Oh maby I like Tesa tape lite more 😊. I hung a quiet big picture frame in my toilet 70x100 cm with 4 pcs 3M velcro. Worked fine. Seems extra safe with tails instead of plaster. Cheers

[@tazmaniandevil1503]

I've used these for years with few issues. We lately had a couple fail in the bedroom, not holding much weight. Both had been on the walls over 3 years, and were a few years old before they were used, so perhaps there is a shelf life.

[@nudg]

I live in an earthquake zone and hanging something over the head of your bed is a potential recipe for a painful awakening! So that warning makes sense, but it is also probably 3M’s attempt to prevent liability if someone doesn’t affix the strips according to the instructions. Good product and they have a new one for really heavy items like mirrors.

[@jeronimotorres1]

I can understand why 3M would put a warning about hanging stuff over beds or valuable items. You have to consider user error. Not everyone will follow the directions exactly and thoroughly. I've used these a lot and I will say that they work way better on totally flat and smooth surfaces, but heavy texture on a wall can be challenging to make them stick properly. Unless you used one with a thick foam type of tape, they can struggle to get full surface coverage for the adhesive to work. So with these, a textured surface isn't always going to work as well. But on a smooth surface it works as advertised, usually even better than advertised.

[@happyharry7331]

Nothing to do with your current video but have you considered a video on exterior paint. I have used quite a few over the years ( starting with creosote) which my dad got me to paint fence with I can still remember the stuff stinging😂) I am currently using Protek which is pretty expensive but it seems good. Nice to apply and good when dry

[@PartyOf8Please]

We used them to hang a bunch of photos in frames. They were fine … until summer rolled in about two months later and the humidity came up in the house. After the first two fell, I took the rest of them down and went back to hanging them the old fashioned way. Seven years later and they still hanging!

[@idi0tdetectioninprogress]

Yes they do the job. Much depends on the painted surface.

[@shaunkeating9989]

Initially they are fine, but here in Australia with the hot weather after a few months they just drop off.

[@JerveTheSwerve-JTS]

I had a larger picture held up with these, the heat during the summer last year caused the glue to soften, the picture plummeted behind my desk and hit the plug socket below and snapped the plastic back box lugs clean off. Haven't used them since.

[@neildee9834]

In the picture framing industry we love these! Indeed, we COMMAND people to use them (☆ joke) About 20% of our work comes from reglazing frames, fallen off the walls, mostly through using COMMAND strips. Long may it continue! 😂

[@thenomad9853]

Im not a wallstickyologist by trade but id imagine any contact bond is only as strong as the thing its stuck to, and those things are only as strong as the things *they* are stuck to and so on. So the hanger is stuck to the paint on the wall, the paint is bonded to the plaster, the plaster is bonded to board or brick etc and it will depend on the age and state of each of these components as to whether the picture hanger fails over time. So an old house with flaking paint on brick for example i doubt would be great with these. In general i just cant see why you would choose these over a mechancial fixing - its no quicker than knocking a nail in, or screwing a fixing in ?. The only application i see these being great for - particularly as they leave no marks, would be for rented accomodation where you cannot mark or need to make good, the walls on exit. Interesting video though, keep up yhe good content.

[@cagrice7822]

my thoughts exactly, l would never trust my treasured items being secured by all the variables you mentioned, over a good old fashioned fixing such as a screw or bolt, interesting video as always by Stuart though..

[@slicedpage]

I used over a hundred of these to fix paintings to walls and they stay put. I tried the cheaper ones from Asda and they only worked on small paintings and even then I used four per painting. As with everything, you get what you pay for. Buy cheap and pay twice as they say.

[@afmedwards]

I’ve had one coat hook of these fail, taking a fair bit of paint off NZ wood/plaster board. Hook was overloaded though I think. Other than that these have mostly worked great - occasionally failing and falling off over time, like hanging pots in kitchen particularly.

[@markbaker980]

I have used dozens of them for pictures. Mostly the Velcro type. The only issues I have had is a couple of frames that the 3M glue just didn’t want to stick to. Glue bonding is all about the chemical compatibility of the surfaces, some just won’t stick. Similar sticky pads sure used commercially in all kinds of products, usually without the command removal tab.

[@captainbarnes923]

With UK temps now rising to 41"c at times, I'm surprised you didn't consider the effect of heat and time.

[@wtspman]

I pulled out some unused ones the other day, hoping to hang an object. The adhesive on the strips had hardened, and wouldn’t even hold the protective film. The open question then becomes, how long before the adhesive fails? I would only ever treat these as temporary hangers.

[@peterurquhart7191]

Great video can you use them in a bathroom 🚽 ?

[@Razorgirl]

They have an adhesive for wet areas. I use them in the shower for cloths and for a basket that I’m using as a shower caddy. The caddy has several bottles that are quite heavy.

[@snazy7777]

Looks very similar to the adhesives strips Apple use when they bond the batteries in the iPhone, complete with the tabs to remove.

[@MoranGuyVideos]

wait, actual test should be in the long run , let say I expect it to hold these bottles with the proper weight for a week.

[@template16]

I used several of the smaller version you tested to hang pictures. three are still on the wall 2 years later and one fell after about 6 months, in the middle of the night so I was woken by the crash of picture onto floor.

[@andyworkman3856]

I used these on a fairly heavy picture - about 5kg using 4 pairs of large strips. So a theoretical max load of 7.2kg. They were fine for about 18 months and then a couple of weeks ago during the hot weather they failed and the picture came crashing down, fortunately no major damage but almost fell on a TV below. I would definitely not recommend these for anything substantial and have since done a proper job with a masonry drill and wall plugs.

[@jamesjimbob71]

I used then straight away and they were fine

[@c.a.g.1977]

This was a fun test, Stuart! I am wondering if they work as well on a wall that's in direct sunlight? The heat might make the glue softer?

[@5446or5446]

Had loads of these crash off over time and given up on them. Lasted months but not good enough.

[@paul130255]

I have used these and had them fail over time sometimes over a year later, especially in hot weather.

[@mymobile5014]

They both took their weight, for a limited period of time. try hanging even 3 kilos but over 7 days. Your test isn't indicative of very much really.

[@glov961able]

Wow…Your comment is "indicative" of being a bit of a twat.👍

[@miltonjoyner4201]

In our rental in Australia, we aren’t allowed to put nails or screws in walls without the landlord’s approval. Sometimes it’s Command strips or nothing!

[@569harm]

Yes they will hold the stated weight and even surpass that BUT... In my experience they don't do well over time and especially in direct sunlight. The ones I've used in the past have always failed after several months even if the load is below the stated capacity. My wife put several 300mm square canvases on the wall with these, the only one that stayed up was not in direct sunlight, she then decided to use a hot glue gun to weld them to the wall 🤦... That'll need replastering then 🤬.

[@ronrobson4042]

Or a hairdryer to soften the glue when you want to remove them

[@jo6159]

The issue I've had with command strips in the past is that after a few months, they come crashing to the floor. It might be down to internal conditions, but when a glass frame crashes within millilitres of your pet, it makes you not want to use them again. I stick to those picture hangers which have tiny pins - but a great video nonetheless

[@twinwankel]

I bought a lot of these and after a year, a heavy metal picture frame fell and the glass shattered everywhere. Also, it dented my hardwood floor. It was well within the weight limit. So I took them all off and used standard wall hangars. They are just not worth the risk. Some of the lighter weight things (less than 2 lbs.) have held for years but I would not trust the heavier items with them.

[@paulwhittle6728]

Stuart, impressive little hangers, I think though you should have set up a web cam and turned it into your version of the famous "Pitch Drop Experiment". when will it fall.

[@darrenadams2640]

Did you leave them there for a few months, through different seasons, and did you try banging the wall to simulate normal day-to-day knocks?

[@ianpearse4480]

Nice.

[@richardstewart6900]

Just to take the picture hanging scenario off at a slight tangent, be careful of what you hang it with, rather than the fixing. I recently hung a medium weight painting on our lounge wall, using an existing hook. The hook was fine but, previously, the pic had been hung with what I think was some sort of plastic baling string. I didn't fancy the look of that, especially as it was probably quite old, so re-strung it with some new string. It was fine for a while but, a couple of days later the string gave way and the pic fell, bounced off the back of the sofa underneath and then off my daughter's head. Dad was not very popular! Fortunately, head, sofa and painting didn't suffer any lasting damage. Having watched a few videos on picture hanging, I decided to do a "proper job" and get some picture wire. I couldn't get the single-strand plastic coated type that all the (American) experts had so settled on multi-strand - the plastic coated type didn't seem to be available near me. I am never, ever, using multi-strand wire again!! Maybe I was doing it wrong but it's awful to work with! It constantly tries to revert to it's wound up state, is difficult to tie and will stick strands in your fingers as often as it can get away with! I'll be either searching out the plastic coated stuff in future or simply using a heavier grade of normal string!

[@OldMan_PJ]

I moved back in with my parents and every few months I hear something crash on the floor and find something hung with one of these that fell. On the other hand, everything my dad hung with nails isn't level, turns out his vision in one eye was going out.

[@ghostfox3560]

I have been having issue with those sticky backings on plasterwork. Seems my walls may have too much texture to have them stick right. Any ideas?

[@ACAIDC]

It really depends how well your paint is adhered to the plaster. That's the weak point. I've no doubt that the command hooks work. But I just wouldn't trust a thin layer of paint to hold 3kg on my wall.

[@nickdawson9270]

I used the version of this product where one part is stuck to the wall and the identical matching other part to the picture frame surround to hang four small pictures. The result was they all fell off the wall the following day. Adhesion to the painted plaster wall was perfect as was the adhesion between the parts. Adhesion to bare wood was where these failed. Incidently removing the pads as described in the instructions was straight forward. Hopefully this product is a development of the type that did not work for me.

[@tonywills121]

Tested Buttonfix?

[@peterkolle4150]

They work well but do damage the paint when removed.

[@dabs4077]

It's about longevity . The test should have been made over at least a week or more...

[@nicomonkeyboy]

Carrick Glen seeing a sharp upturn in sales...

[@75WW75]

Plenty of Amazon reviews from users confused that there 60” tv fell off a plastered wall 😂. If both surfaces are clean, dust free and sound they work fine. With limits!

[@Viken43]

Have used these for putting up small pictures instead of drilling countless holes. For light stuff they are perfectly fine. Also handy for leveling up those pesky frames that never seem to hang right or are easily knocked out of level.

[@johngrannan]

Grade 2* house. These don’t work on external solid walls as the moisture content varies and they periodically fail. Good on non-external walls for relatively light things such as pictures etc.

[@tazman9999999]

Ive uesed them. After a period of time the adhesive deteriorates and even light picture frames fall off the wall. Im talking a couple years. But they wont last for ever

[@mda5003]

Should have tried 9kg on the smaller hanger. Anyway, I doubt very much those hangers would still be effective many months later.

[@mikebirkett010]

I would also clean the back of the hook before you put the tape on, finger juice can be quite greasy.

[@brianburgess3231]

and take paint along when they fall if a painted surface

[@milesfinch]

I'm not sure if these were designed for use in mobile phones, but they are used to hold phone batteries.

[@chazM6116]

need to test over time say a month for real test.

[@TheOldBlackCrow]

I've been using those for many many years and they do work for the most part. However, after some time, depending on what they're holding, they can fail. After a year or so, if they haven't failed, the stickies break when pulled and it's a cluster-fk.

[@durraaltai2669]

Thank you for clearing our fears of hanging heavy objects. Nicely done.

[@skjelm6363]

The truth lies in the *"How long does it work?"*

[@crabwalk7773]

👏👏👏

[@oldcomps]

I’ve used these for many years and I loved them but over the past year or so I found them to be very inconsistent, I looked them up on review sites and found they have very bad reviews. I’m not sure I’d buy these again especially as I’ve tried alternatives that are clearly copies and at less than half the price they appear to work just like Command did in the past. I’m really surprised that they appear to have gone down in quality as 3M although expensive are usually very good.

[@tazmaniachill]

Morning guys… Sunday breakfast with Stuart begins…

[@twoshedsjackson6478]

They stick very well but....If you leave these things over time you CANNOT then move them as advertised. When you try to pull out the adhesive tab.....it just snaps off. I used dozens of them and they all did the same thing.

[@mikejackson1383]

Didn't you do this before?

[@DebsHill1]

i find them hit and miss. had 3 hooks fail over a period of 6-18 months

[@Marnox]

Useless product, used two of them to hang a picture. Fell down in the night about 3-4 months after, shattering the glass and frame.

[@yesihavereadit]

Only as good as the paint they are stuck on

[@RFC3514]

Just a mathegrammatical correction: 9 kg isn't really "3 times _more"_ than 3.6 kg. In fact, it's "2.5 times 3.6 kg", or "1.5 times _more_ than 3.6 kg".

[@Bad_Wolf_Media]

The warnings on the package have nothing to do with 3M's confidence in their product, it has to do with legal protection. It would be very hard to prove someone didn't follow the directions after the fact, but if they get hit in the had or grandma's million-dollar Elvis plate breaks for WHATEVER reason, you can be assured the user is going to try suing. The warnings are simply legal CYA to avoid those issues.

[@jello1977]

These things work....except when I want them to.

[@rafflesnh]

That really resonated with me! 😂

[@steve1965]

My experience with these is that they fail with time, even with a fraction of max load. Typically this could be months later and in the middle of the night, causing a "WHAT THE F__ WAS THAT?!!" moment. There is no substitute for a plug and screw.

[@only1symo]

Paint is the issue