Renter-friendly wall hooks?

haharobots

haharobots

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I'm looking for a no-frills wall hook for my uke, because I live in an apartment and space is at a premium. Also, I'm planning one or two acquisitions in the near future, and I can't just pile them all up on my desk! :p

The catch is, I'm not allowed to put any screws in the wall. BUT, I can hammer in as many nails as I please. Weird, but that's the rules. :confused:

Is a nailed-in hook reliable? I mean, it won't be ripped out of the wall by the weight of the uke? (I'm very doubtful that would happen, because I've hung several heavy paintings with just nails and none of those have fallen off the wall in the three years I've been at my place.) Where would I find such an item? All of the ones I have seen are meant to be mounted with screws.
 
The secret is to make leather straps to hold your ukes, then you can use any type of hook (including the scotch type held on with double sided tape). I got the idea in the acoustic room at the guitar center. Went to Good Will and bought a couple of old "real" leather belts (can't use the modern made in china pleather/card board laminate belts), got a leather whole punch and a box cutter. They work great and only cost pennies to make.
 
My hubby bends hanger wire for me that we custom fit to each uke's top tuners, and it only takes one or two nails with a nice wide flat head hammered between the doubled wire to hold it to the wall. They are secure and have held through earthquakes, and are basically almost invisible behind the ukes' headstocks. It sort of looks like a skinny Picasso style bull's shoulders, neck and horns, lol. The advantage is lift straight up and forward to remove the uke. Course these are inexpensive sopranos. I would try the leather for anything bigger, but all the bigger stuff is cased.

Maybe we need to get Lori to make hangers that match her Uke Leashes! :D
 
"Hercules Hooks"
http://www.amazon.com/Hercules-Hook-Hooks-Marker-20-2dpk-2e/dp/B000XQHHE8

These are REALLY good for hanging just about anything securely - they have certainly made my "honey-do" list easier to handle. Leave the equivalent of a nail hole when removed, but are rock solid. Using one of these & something like the leather straps/loops mentioned by lancemanion & you're cooking!
 
I use the OOK hooks to hang stuff. They've held up some pretty heavy stuff like a 40lb mirror with no issues. A couple of those and a small leather strap and you're good to go. Uke's are pretty light and any picture hanger or just a nail would be secure enough, but I'm a bit in to overkill when it comes to my instruments.
 
Just screw 'em in, then spackle when you move.

Spackle - the apartment-dweller's friend.
 
Find the studs in the wall and nail a piece of 2x4 horizontally and then screw your hangers into that. You could even stain or paint the wood to make it look nice.
 
savagehenry said:
Find the studs in the wall and nail a piece of 2x4 horizontally and then screw your hangers into that. You could even stain or paint the wood to make it look nice.
Click to expand...

big TICK for savagehenry's idea. That's the way to go for sure. Awesome. :)
 
Fleamarketmusic also have something they call a "magic uke hanger" . Go onto their website and click on the "ukemporium" link.

It's really cheap, holds multiple ukes, and can be put up with just a nail or two. :)
 
the other option that I used in my own place and costs nothing at all, is to just hammer in a couple of nails slightly wider apart than your uke's neck, and wind rubber bands around them. These act as a spongy cushion for the uke to sit in. Works like a charm.
 
ConspiracyUkeist said:
Just screw 'em in, then spackle when you move.

Spackle - the apartment-dweller's friend.
Click to expand...

LOL! Yes, I don't know why the lease specifies no screws. I'm going to have to spackle and probably paint when I leave so maybe I will just get some screw in ones.


eugene ukulele said:
Fleamarketmusic also have something they call a "magic uke hanger" . Go onto their website and click on the "ukemporium" link.

It's really cheap, holds multiple ukes, and can be put up with just a nail or two. :)
Click to expand...

Now that is pretty cool way to hang multiples. I'd be scared my cat would bat them around and jump at them though. Eep!

eugene ukulele said:
the other option that I used in my own place and costs nothing at all, is to just hammer in a couple of nails slightly wider apart than your uke's neck, and wind rubber bands around them. These act as a spongy cushion for the uke to sit in. Works like a charm.
Click to expand...

Yes, this sounds like an idea I can handle. I really have no DIY skills (even screwing something into the wall is a challenge for me), so this is probably the answer! I wonder if I could find some foamy tubing at Lowes that would be easy to cut down...
 
I use 3M command strips.

For cheap ukes that I don't care so much about like my beaters, I've just nailed a photo frame sawtooth hook onto the back of the uke, then I hang it using a 3M Command sawtooth hook. It's invisible :)

http://www.ukuleleunderground.com/f...389-Horizontal-Uke-Hanger&p=509299#post509299

For my more expensive ukes, I just have a pair of standard 3M Command Large Wire hooks per uke and I hook the ukes up by the tuners. It's cheap, works a treat, and the landlady absolutely loves it, so win-win-win :)
 
haharobots said:
LOL! Yes, I don't know why the lease specifies no screws. I'm going to have to spackle and probably paint when I leave so maybe I will just get some screw in ones.
Click to expand...
Probably because they suspected that if you suspected that you'd need a screw, then you suspected that whatever it was that you were thinking of hanging was too heavy for a nail. And if it's too heavy for a nail, and you screwed in a fastener and missed the stud, and then hung something on it, you could make a real mess of their wall.
Also - there are those screw anchor thingies. Speaking as a former superintendent of a 164 unit apartment complex - those things are a PITA to patch up before painting a wall.
 
The Paracord hanger listed on lovinforkful's Etsy linked page would work well with just a nail.

The Hercules hooks the Gmoney links are great if your ukes are heavier than a single nail in plaster wall board will hold. You just push the end through the wall and then turn it down and you have a stronger hook to hang things on. I used them in my apartment many years ago. Worked great.
 
I like the hat stand idea. It reminded me that Bonanza Ukulele offers bistro (left) and carousel (right) tables.

Bonanza Bistro-1.jpg Bonanza carousel-1.jpg

I have no connection or affiliation with Bonanza. Except that I read their free ukulele-themed Bonanza magazine.
 
Last edited:
haharobots said:
The catch is, I'm not allowed to put any screws in the wall. BUT, I can hammer in as many nails as I please. Weird, but that's the rules. :confused:

Is a nailed-in hook reliable? I mean, it won't be ripped out of the wall by the weight of the uke? (I'm very doubtful that would happen, because I've hung several heavy paintings with just nails and none of those have fallen off the wall in the three years I've been at my place.) Where would I find such an item? All of the ones I have seen are meant to be mounted with screws.
Click to expand...

That's a strange rule. Screws would be easy to remove, although they would make a larger hole. Those Hercules hooks are very good, provided you can poke them through the wall. Hopefully, it's not plaster and lathe. I got some years ago, and they worked fine. The "weight" of the uke is negligible. A nailed-in picture hanging hook would work, as long as it's a large one. Many have a capacity of 20 or 30 lbs.

https://smile.amazon.com/s?k=picture+hangers
 
I love it when 8 year old threads resurface. I am guessing the member figured this out about 7 years and 11 months ago:p
 
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