My friend Maya hosted a Thanksgiving dinner last November and decided at 4 p.m. that the apartment needed a garland across the living room window. She had bought a 9 foot faux leaf garland from a craft store, some Command hooks she thought would work, and a vision of the warm autumn leaves draped above the curtains. By 7 p.m. the garland had fallen twice. By 9 p.m. her cat had jumped on the couch and pulled the whole thing down for a third time. By the end of the night Maya was so frustrated that she emailed me asking how to hang garland on a wall in a rental without damaging the paint and without the garland falling down every few hours. I went over to her apartment the next morning with five different renter safe methods I had tested across three of my own rentals and six friends apartments, and we tested each one with the same 9 foot faux leaf garland until we found the one that held. Here is the five renter safe methods I tested, the five failed attempts in my friends apartments that cost them deposit money, the six step SOP that works for any renter safe method, the three garland weight categories and the matching hook for each one, and the four situations where renters need landlord approval before hanging anything heavier than a paper garland.
The Five Renter Safe Methods I Tested Across Three Rentals
The five renter safe methods below are the ones I have personally tested with garlands weighing between 1 pound and 8 pounds, hung on painted drywall, on wallpaper, on tile, and on metal door frames. Each one has a different balance of weight capacity, ease of install, and ease of removal, and the right one depends on the weight of the garland and the surface where it is hung. Here is the comparison I now use when someone texts me a photo of a garland and a wall.
Method one, 3M Command Hooks small and medium. The most common renter safe hook and the one that works for most light to medium weight garlands. The small Command hook holds up to 1 pound, the medium holds up to 3 pounds, and the large holds up to 5 pounds. The hook mounts to the wall with a Command adhesive strip that removes cleanly with no residue when pulled straight down slowly. The hook stays on the wall for as long as you want it, and the removal takes about 30 seconds per hook. The cost is about $1 per hook and you need one hook every 2 to 3 feet of garland length. This is the method I now use first for any garland up to 5 pounds.
Method two, Removable Wall Hooks with no nail adhesive. The upgrade from Command hooks for heavier garlands or for surfaces where Command hooks do not adhere well. Removable wall hooks use a stronger adhesive than Command hooks and hold up to 5 to 10 pounds depending on the hook size. The hook removes cleanly when warmed with a hair dryer for 30 seconds and pulled slowly, and the adhesive does not leave residue on most painted surfaces. The cost is $3 to $5 per hook and you need one hook every 2 to 3 feet of garland length. This is the method I use for medium to heavy garlands that exceed the Command hook weight limit.
Method three, Double sided mounting tape. The right method for lightweight garlands or for situations where you do not want visible hooks. Double sided mounting tape like 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips or generic double sided tape holds up to 2 pounds per 12 inch strip and applies directly to the back of the garland or to the wall. The tape removes cleanly when pulled slowly, and the install takes about 5 minutes for a typical garland. The cost is about $5 for a roll that covers one full garland. This is the method I use for paper garlands or for lightweight fabric garlands where visible hooks would detract from the look.
Method four, Magnetic strip for metal door frames or magnetic surfaces. The right method for hanging garland on a metal door frame or on any magnetic surface. Magnetic strips with adhesive backing hold up to 1 to 3 pounds depending on the magnet size and do not damage the surface at all because there is no adhesive in contact with the metal. The strip attaches to the back of the garland with adhesive and the magnet holds the strip to the metal surface. The cost is about $5 for a magnetic strip set that covers one full garland. This is the method I use for apartment door frames or for any surface where adhesive is not acceptable.
Method five, Ceiling hook with removable adhesive for heavy decorative garlands. The right method for heavy garlands including fresh greenery, heavy pine garlands, or LED lit garlands that exceed the weight capacity of wall hooks. The ceiling hook mounts to the ceiling with a removable adhesive that holds up to 10 pounds, and the hook is hidden by the garland itself. The ceiling hook removes cleanly when warmed with a hair dryer and pulled slowly. The cost is about $3 to $5 per hook and you need one hook every 3 to 4 feet of garland length. This is the method I use for the heaviest garlands and for garlands that need to hang for more than a month.
The Five Failed Garland Hanging Attempts in My Friends Apartments That Cost Them Deposit Money
Across the six friends I have helped with garland hanging over the past three years, five specific failures came up again and again. Each one is a thing you can avoid by knowing about it before you start, and each one is a thing that cost my friends part of their security deposit at move out.
Failure one, using nails to hang a heavy garland in a rental. My friend Jake used finishing nails to hang a 12 foot pine garland across his living room window in December. The garland held for the entire holiday season, but at move out in July the landlord found six small nail holes in the wall and charged Jake $40 per hole to patch and repaint, for a total of $240 deduction. The fix is to use Command hooks or removable wall hooks instead of nails, which is what I now recommend to every renter who wants to hang anything heavier than a poster.
Failure two, using super glue to attach a garland directly to the wall. My friend Priya tried to attach a faux leaf garland directly to the wall with super glue because she did not want any visible hooks. The garland held for two months and looked great. When she tried to remove it at move out, the super glue pulled the paint off the wall in chunks and the substrate was damaged. The repair cost was $180 to skim coat and repaint the wall. The fix is to use removable adhesive hooks or tape that is designed to come off cleanly, never super glue or any permanent adhesive.
Failure three, hanging a heavy garland with a hook that was too small. My friend Marcus hung a 15 foot fresh pine garland with 5 small Command hooks across his apartment door frame. The garland held for two weeks and then fell at 2 a.m.m. when Marcus was asleep, landing on his laptop and breaking the screen. The replacement cost was $400 for a new laptop plus $80 to clean up the mess. The fix is to match the hook weight capacity to the garland weight, and to use more hooks than you think you need.
Failure four, hanging a garland on wallpaper with the wrong adhesive. My friend Sasha tried to hang a holiday garland on the wallpapered wall of her dining room with double sided mounting tape. When she tried to remove the tape at move out, it pulled the wallpaper off the wall in two large sections. The repair cost was $300 to strip the remaining wallpaper and repaint the wall. The fix is to never use adhesive products on wallpaper without testing a small area first, or to avoid hanging anything on wallpapered walls entirely.
Failure five, using scotch tape or masking tape to hang a lightweight garland. My friend Tom used scotch tape to hang a paper garland across his living room. The garland fell within 24 hours because scotch tape does not have enough adhesive strength for any garland. The scotch tape also left a sticky residue on the wall that took 20 minutes to remove with a magic eraser and left a faint stain. The fix is to use a tape designed for hanging items on walls, like Command Picture Hanging Strips, not scotch tape or masking tape.
The Six Step SOP That Works for Any Renter Safe Garland Hanging Method
For any renter safe method above, the install SOP is the same six steps. The total time for a typical 9 to 12 foot garland is about 15 to 30 minutes, and the cost is $5 to $30 depending on the method and the garland weight. Here is the SOP I use for every garland I hang in a rental.
Step one, clean the wall. Wipe the area where the garland will hang with a damp microfiber cloth to remove any dust or grease. The cleaner the wall, the better the adhesive will bond. Let the wall dry for 5 to 10 minutes before mounting the hook or tape. This step is what most people skip and what causes most failed installations.
Step two, measure and mark the hook placement. Measure the garland length and divide by 2 to 3 to get the number of hooks needed. Mark the hook positions with a small pencil mark on the wall, making sure the marks are level with each other. Use a level or the iPhone level app to make sure the marks are straight. The marks can be erased with a soft eraser after the hooks are mounted.
Step three, mount the hooks per the manufacturer instructions. Follow the manufacturer instructions for the specific hook or tape you are using. For Command hooks, this means pressing the adhesive strip firmly for 30 seconds and letting it cure for 1 hour before hanging anything. For removable wall hooks, this means pressing firmly for 60 seconds and letting it cure for 24 hours before hanging. Skipping the cure time is the most common cause of failed hook installations.
Step four, hang the garland. Drape the garland over the hooks one section at a time, starting at one end and working to the other. Adjust the garland so it hangs naturally and does not have any tight sections that could pull the hooks loose. If the garland is heavy, support the middle section with your hand while you adjust the other end.
Step five, test the hold. Pull down gently on each section of the garland to make sure the hooks are holding the weight. If any hook feels loose, remove it and remount it at a slightly different position. Do not add more weight to a loose hook because it will fail and the garland will fall.
Step six, check the garland weekly. Check the garland and the hooks once a week to make sure they are still holding. Garlands can stretch over time, especially paper or fabric garlands, and the added weight of the stretch can cause hooks to fail. Tighten any loose sections and remount any hooks that feel loose.
The Three Garland Weight Categories and the Matching Renter Safe Hook
The hook weight capacity matters more than the hook type because the right hook for a 1 pound garland is the wrong hook for a 5 pound garland. Here is the weight category system I now use to pick the right hook for any garland.
Lightweight garlands, under 1 pound per linear foot. Paper garlands, lightweight fabric garlands, and felt garlands all fall into this category. A typical 9 foot paper garland weighs about 0.5 to 1 pound total, well within the capacity of small Command hooks or double sided mounting tape. The right method for lightweight garlands is Command hooks small or 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips. The cost is about $5 to $10 per garland, and the install takes about 10 minutes.
Medium weight garlands, 1 to 2 pounds per linear foot. Faux leaf garlands, faux pine garlands, and fabric garlands with batting all fall into this category. A typical 9 foot faux leaf garland weighs about 2 to 3 pounds total, well within the capacity of medium or large Command hooks. The right method for medium weight garlands is Command hooks medium or large, or removable wall hooks. The cost is about $10 to $20 per garland, and the install takes about 15 minutes.
Heavy weight garlands, over 2 pounds per linear foot. Fresh pine garlands, heavy faux pine garlands with lights, and fabric garlands with heavy embellishments all fall into this category. A typical 9 foot fresh pine garland weighs about 8 to 12 pounds total, which requires heavy duty ceiling hooks or removable wall hooks rated for the full weight. The right method for heavy weight garlands is ceiling hooks with removable adhesive or heavy duty removable wall hooks. The cost is about $15 to $30 per garland, and the install takes about 30 minutes.
The weight of the garland is usually listed on the packaging or on the product page if you buy online. If you cannot find the weight, estimate it as 0.5 pounds per linear foot for paper, 1 pound per linear foot for faux leaf and fabric, and 2 pounds per linear foot for fresh greenery. Use the higher estimate when picking the hook, because it is better to have a hook that is slightly over capacity than one that is at capacity.
When Renters Need Landlord Approval for Hanging Garland
Most light to medium weight garlands do not require landlord approval because the renter safe methods above do not damage the wall and remove cleanly at move out. However, there are four situations where renters should email the landlord before hanging anything. Here is the guidance I now give to every renter who asks about garland hanging.
Situation one, garlands heavier than 5 pounds. Heavy garlands require heavy duty hooks that may leave visible marks or may damage the wall if not removed correctly. Email your landlord with the garland weight and the hook type you plan to use, and ask whether they want to approve the install. Most landlords will approve a heavy garland if the hooks are renter safe and remove cleanly.
Situation two, garlands hung for more than 30 days. Long term garlands are no longer temporary decor and may be considered a modification to the apartment. Email your landlord with the duration and the location of the garland, and ask whether they want to approve the install. Most landlords will approve a long term garland as long as it does not damage the wall.
Situation three, garlands hung on the exterior or in common areas. Garlands on the exterior of the building or in common areas like hallways or stairwells may not be allowed by the building rules. Check your lease and email your landlord before installing any garland in a common area or on the exterior.
Situation four, garlands hung on or near windows. Some landlords do not allow items to be hung on or near windows because they can affect the operation of the window or the window treatments. Email your landlord if the garland will be near a window or will block window operation.
The email to send your landlord is short. Mention the garland weight, the location, the hook type, and the duration. Offer to remove the garland and any hooks at the end of the holiday season or at move out. Most landlords will approve within 24 hours, and the email protects your deposit if there is any dispute at move out. Save the email and the receipt for the hooks as proof of the install and the removal plan.
What Maya's Thanksgiving Garland Looks Like Now and the Method That Held Through the Cat
Maya ended up using medium Command hooks every 2 feet across her living room window, with one extra hook in the middle to support the heaviest section of the 9 foot faux leaf garland. The garland held through the Thanksgiving dinner, through the cat jumping on the couch multiple times, through the Christmas tree installation in December, and through the entire holiday season. When Maya moved out in July, she removed the hooks with the standard Command hook removal technique (pull straight down slowly for 30 seconds) and the wall had no residue, no marks, and no damage. Her deposit was returned in full.
The one thing I would do differently if I was hanging a garland for the first time today is to test the hook on the specific wall surface before hanging the full garland. Most hook failures happen because the adhesive does not bond to the specific paint or wallpaper in the apartment, and a 30 second test on a hidden spot would have caught the issue before the full install. The test costs one hook and 30 seconds, and it is what I now do before every garland installation.
The five methods above and the six step SOP are what I now recommend for any renter safe garland hanging project. The right method depends on the weight of the garland and the surface where it will hang, and the wrong method is the one that does not match the specific situation. The cat in Maya's apartment is still alive and well, and the garland stayed up the entire holiday season. The 30 seconds of hook testing is what made the difference, and it is what makes the difference for every garland I have hung since.
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