Hang & Level - an easy way to hang pictures so they're level!

Thursday, July 9^th, 2009 Netcast 869

Hanging pictures. How hard can that be? Actually, it can be a real pain. You measure, figure out where the nail in the wall goes, and hammer it in. You step back, it looks lopsided and the hole is in the wrong place. It’s worse if you’re trying to hang a series of photos or pictures in an “art” grouping. At a press event recently I made an interior decorator, Liette Tousignant who has come up with a solution to picture hanging problems. Liette told me she designed a tool to help her hang pictures for her clients. When they saw how easy it was to hang pictures properly, they asked Liette if they could buy her device. That led her to produce her invention for the commercial marketplace. Her device is called Hang & Level. It’s an easy solution for hanging pictures or other small wall items like clocks, mirrors, plaques, and even awards. Hang & Level marks exactly where the nail goes. Or where the two nails go if you heavy something heavy. Two built in levels assure that everything will hang evenly. Here are the four basic steps: 1. Place the item that’s to be hung on the hook or hooks of the device. 2. Position the item and tool on the wall and find the right spot. 3. Then press the button or buttons to mark exactly where the nail goes. 4. Hammer in the nail, hang the item and level it with the built in levels. It can mark a spot for one or two nails depending on the weight of what you wish to hang. Maximum weight for a single hook: 10 lbs. Maximum weight for double hooks: 20 lbs. There are easy how-to graphics printed right on the tool. I got to meet and chat with Liette Tousignant. I asked her if she would allow me to guess how much money it took from the time she decided to go into business selling her device to actually getting it into stores. I guessed $150,000. She told me she passed that number and it was more like an $180,000 investment. I mention this not to discourage inventors, but to let you know that getting a product to market is a long, expensive road. While doing a web search I found Liette demonstrating and selling her product on QVC for $16.91.  

Hear this Netcast: www.twit.tv/dgw869