This is a post from our archives–ten years and six houses ago!!–and I’d thought I’d reshare it today. Enjoy some very old photos of our Nashville house as well as a quick and easy tip for hanging silver platters.
I’ve been working on our master bathroom and bedroom, both of which were painted a shocking apple green (think late 90’s) when we moved in. The bathroom’s almost done, and one of my projects last week was to hang some silver platters on the wall. I have an addiction to buying old silver at thrift stores and flea markets, and silverplate is fine with me–it’s way cheaper and I actually like the way it looks when the plate starts to wear off.
I didn’t want to buy the metal plate hangers to hang these–first, I was feeling frugal, and second, I don’t like the way they metal hooks show around the sides of the plates. I figured there had to be an easier way to hang lightweight plates and platters on the wall, and this is what I came up with, using 3M Command Hooks. It’s too easy to even be called a tutorial, yet that’s exactly what I’m calling it…
How to Hang Silver Platters on the Wall
1. Depending on the size and shape of your plate, use either one or two hooks on the back. For example, here’s what I did to hang the round platter. It took just one hook, note that I used the metal kind {available here} and I flipped the hook backwards from how you’d normally hang it.
For the oval platters, which have edges that round up (like a bowl), I used two hooks each, turned sideways, and I flipped the hooks to create a hole for the nail:
2. To hang, I used a twist tie to secure the round platter to the nail in the wall. I just happened to have the silver ones from cello treat bags but the color doesn’t matter as it doesn’t show.
The oval platters just hang directly onto the nail, no picture needed. Here’s the finished look, with no visible hanging hardware:
The hook and loop adhesive strips work well for lighter weight platters, too.
The 3M people recommend that you wait awhile after sticking the hooks on before you actually hang them, to give the tape time to set, but I only ever do that when I’m hanging something heavy. And when it’s time for a change, you just pull the hooks and tape off and your platters are ready to be used for something else. Too easy!
Here’s the entire bathroom, if you’d like to see it, and thanks for stopping by!
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I wanted to hang a old try I found at goodwill but like you I didnt want the metal hanging part to show.. Now I know exactly what to do..
thank you
YES!!! I love these hooks and use them often for hanging many different items.
Very creative to set them in sideways…brilliant!
janet xox
htp://theemptynest-janet.blogspot.com/
I wish you had included a picture of the 3M Command Hooks as they look when you buy them. I am not familiar with them so don’t know exactly what to look for. Are they in ‘office supply’, paint dept., or where?
Do you actually polish your silver trays? I like your displays. I have many trays that have been stored away for years because I got tired of polishing them. Any tips on that?
Hi there–
The 3M hooks should be easy to find in any big box store, like Target, Walmart, Home Depot, or Lowe’s. Just ask when you get in there. I usually buy mine at Target and they are in the home organization organization section there.
As for my silver platters, I probably polish them about three times a year. My favorite polish is Wright’s Silver Cream. I like both the brightly polished look and the tarnished look, so I try not to go too crazy about polishing them.
Thanks for stopping by!
Christy
I have a collection of pounded aluminum serving platters and dishes and have been looking a way to hang them without damaging them – this will work nicely. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad it helped, Ann!
Do you think this would hold a large ceramic platter? Trying to help out a friend, cannot figure out what will be strong enough for ceramic. Thanks
I guess it depends, Lucy. I think if you adhered the hook onto the back using something like Gorilla Glue, then it would stay. The silver platters tend to be relatively light, so it’s not been an issue. Good luck!
There is also something called invisible disc adhesives that work great and come in different sizes for different size plates or other objects you want to hang. You can get them from a website called Dischangers or Hobby Lobby, Amazon, Walmart and other places if you do a google search. I found a pack of them for just a few bucks and they will hold more securely than a twist tie. Your arrangement is great for the platters but if you want to hang something more fragile you can check out the discs!
Great idea, Liz. I’ve seen those but haven’t tried them yet. Thanks for posting this comment so everyone else can share the information!
Couldn’t you just use the tab from the top of a soda can instead of a twist tie? It would even be cheaper than buying the invisible disc hooks and do the same thing.
You certainly could, Dianne. I’ve seen that on Pinterest, and it’s a great idea. We just don’t have any soda tabs when I need them! 🙂
Thank you so much for the great idea!
I used 3M hooks to hang garland this Christmas. When I took the garland down, 3 of the hooks took the paint right off the wall. I was not very happy!
I just polished up some silver pieces and checked pinterest for ideas of hanging, and low and behold, YOUR idea popped up! So creative!!! Hope to see you next week when I’m at Becky’s!
Hello Christy! Thank you so much for the great tips. I tried the very expensive glue Plate discs and they fell right off as soon as they dried. I always have these Command hooks and use Them for everything. I also just bought Wright’s silver polish! Your bathroom is beautiful. Keep up the great work
Brilliant!!!!!! I was avoiding buying those expensive plate discs and looking for another solution. I’m thrilled. Thank you so much.
I just used one of my unused trays and drilled a hole through it and made it into a clock. I love the vintage look and I just took apart another clock to use the parts so it didn’t cost a thing.
Can you post a photo please?
I saw the comment about using Gorilla Glue and thought perhaps a dab of clear silicone might work on the heavier platters too.
John, that’s an excellent idea. I’m sure you’re right.
Thank you!
Christy
But I want to(at will) take my trays down and use them. Any suggestions?
The double stick tape that Command strips are made out of is removable; just remove the hook, peel off the tape, and use your platter. Replace when you want to rehang.
Christy
The heavy duty Velcro 3m strips are perfect for trays. They don’t need a hook or nail on the wall. Love the trays!
I use them for plates all the time, so that doesn’t surprise me. I think I actually wrote this post before the velcro strips were out, so that tells you how old it is!!
Thanks for the tip-Christy
How many pounds do the command hooks carry in your photos?
I want to put up a silverplated tray with metal house numbers for the outdoors (almost 2lbs combined). I found out that the hooks of 2 lb carrying command hooks do not bend past the top of the white portion of the command hook. I want to avoid the French cleat (lots of work for me). Any suggestions?
My platters were much lighter than that–just a few ounces. I think you’re going to have to look elsewhere and not use command hooks because of the weight. If you don’t want holes in the platter, maybe you could use twine tied on the handles to create a hanger?
I tried this technique with a group of silver plate platters and both of my larger ones fell down. One damaged a chair and baseboard in the process. I am therefore waaay afraid to attempt to hang ironstone plates or platters. Anyone know how to without breaking antique platters? Love the look, want to do it!
Hey, Lee Ann–The only times that command hooks have failed me it was either because I exceeded their weight limit or didn’t prepare the surface before sticking the tape on (clean the platter and wall with alcohol, dry, let hook sit for one hour before hanging anything on it). That being said, it’s possible that your ironstone is going to be way too heavy for command hooks, in which case you could consider using an English disc hanger (like this one: https://amzn.to/36wcLbQ) and even using Epoxy to glue the disc to the back of the platter. If you don’t want to put glue on them, then you can always consider a wall-mounted display rack like this one: https://amzn.to/2t2L9xq. I hope that helps! Christy
Great idea. J have a few trays and had not thought of hanging them on a wall. Instead thought of displaying things on them but this is so much better. Thank you so much.
Lorraine
So glad to give you a new decorating idea! Enjoy figuring out where to hang them.