Getting IKEA Ribba Frames to Behave
We love Ribba™ frames from IKEA. They’re inexpensive, stylish and versatile. But they can be frustrating as well. We’ve hung more Ribba frames over the years than we can count and along the way we’ve come up with some tips and tricks to make things easier. We hope they help you too.
Problem: The Wire that comes with the frames is stiff and hard to twist.
- Buy a roll of galvanized braided picture hanging wire. Choose the wire that holds up to 20lbs. It’s strong, easy to twist, loops very easily around the metal clips and doesn’t look bulky when using on smaller lighter frames.
Where do I place the metal clips on the back of the frame?
- Place the clips 1/3 of the way down from the top of the frame. This rule of thumb works with any size of frame, and will make sure your frame hangs nicely against the wall.
How do I get the wire onto the frame?
- If fishing the wire through the clip proves to be challenging, simply bend the tip of the wire and feed it through the hole.
- Loop the wire through the clip, leaving 1 ½” of extra wire.
- Twist the wire tightly around itself several times. Keep the ends face down (towards the picture) to avoid scratching your walls.
- Stretch the wire to the top of the frame to determine the total length of wire you need. Add 1 ½” of extra wire and cut to length. Insert the end through the second clip, and twist the wire tight.
- Make sure the wire doesn’t go over the top of the frame, and you’re done!
How to replace the wire with a sawtook hook.
- The correct position for a sawtooth hook is in the middle of the top of the frame
- Measure the frame and make a pencil mark at the centre point, then align the middle of the sawtooth hook with the mark (Note – some sawtooth hooks have a mark in the middle to make this easier)
- Make sure the hanger can’t be seen from above the top of the frame
- You can pre-drill the holes for sawtooth hanger using a small drill bit to prevent the frame from splitting
- Use screws to secure the sawtooth hanger, making sure not to over tighten them
Quick Tip:
How do I get those IKEA stickers off the back of the frame?
- It’s almost impossible to remove the sticker so simply flip the back panel of the frame around to hide the sticker
- As a bonus, you’ll find that the metal clips seem to hold a little more securely on this side
If you have more questions about picture hanging, ask us, we’d be glad to help!
At Under The Roof Decorating, we make picture hanging easy. Our innovative products such as Hang & Level and Déco Nails as well as helpful ‘how-to info and useful déco tips make it simple to hang pictures exactly where you want them – the first time!
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