There are several reasons why you’d want to mount speakers on a wall. Maybe it’s not practical to place the speakers on the floor due to space constraints and you’re only left with the option of mounting them on the wall. Also, you may want to mount speakers on the wall to improve your listening experience by mounting them at ear height. If you have a home theatre system, you can create the best surround sound effect by hanging the speakers on the walls.
However, some circumstances may not allow you to drill holes on the walls. Probably your landlord wouldn’t allow you to drill holes on the wall or you just don’t want to damage the walls and demand expensive repairs in the future when removing the speakers. In this article, you’ll learn how to mount speakers on wall without drilling holes.
There’re various ways you can mount speakers on the wall without the hassle of drilling holes. You can try these methods:
1. Mounting Speakers with Picture Hooks
Wondering how to mount heavy speakers on wall? Picture hooks are the best option to mount heavy speakers on the wall. The best thing about this method is that your speakers will be secured in place without the risk of falling over. Thus, you can enjoy listening to music from heavy speakers without worrying about them falling and getting damaged.
Picture hooks are available in several selections and weight limits. Just ensure the picture hooks you’re choosing can support the weight of your speakers. To be on the safe side, choose a picture hook that’s capable of supporting almost double the weight of your speaker. For instance, if your speaker weighs 15 pounds, choose a picture hook that can support a weight of at least 30 pounds.
Although picture hooks are designed for mounting pictures on walls, they’re great for mounting speakers without making any holes. With picture hooks, you can secure bookshelf to wall without screws.
Since there’s no drilling or screwing involved, you can easily remove the hooks in the future as needed without leaving any damage on the wall. Thus, you won’t have any repairs to do, be it on your property or a rented property.
Here’s how to mount speakers with picture hooks:
Step 1: First, choose the wall location where you want to mount the speaker. Picture hooks work best when mounted on smooth walls. They’re not ideal for mounting on coarse walls such as bricks and textured walls.
Step 2: Picture hooks have an adhesive backing. For the adhesive backing to stick tightly in place, it should be mounted on a clean surface. Thus, rub the area you want to mount the hook with a clean cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol will clear any grease, oil, or dirt from the wall surface to allow the adhesive to stick tightly. Allow the area you’ve cleaned to dry before continuing.
Step 2: Picture hooks have an adhesive backing. For the adhesive backing to stick tightly in place, it should be mounted on a clean surface. Thus, rub the area you want to mount the hook with a clean cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. Rubbing alcohol will clear any grease, oil, or dirt from the wall surface to allow the adhesive to stick tightly. Allow the area you’ve cleaned to dry before continuing.
Step 4: Most speakers have pre-drilled holes on the back from which you can hang them on a hook. Check for the hole and hang the speaker carefully.
Step 5: Repeat these steps when mounting more speakers on the wall.
2. Mounting Speakers with Alien Tape
Alien tape is ideal for mounting medium-weight speakers on a wall. Alien tape isn’t as adhesive and strong as picture hooks. It’s especially great for mounting soundbars as you can cut the tape to match the length of a soundbar.
Alien tape has an adhesive backing on both sides. It sticks best on smooth surfaces such as glass, ceramic, wood, and plastic. You can easily remove the tape without leaving residue or damaging the wall.
Here’s how to mount speakers with Alien tape:
Step 1: Choose the area of the wall where you want to mount the speaker.
Step 2: Clean the wall area by wiping it with a cloth soaked in rubbing alcohol. Allow the cleaned area to dry.
Step 3: Cut enough pieces of Alien tape to match the length of the speaker. You can use several strips of the tape when hanging large speaker boxes. If you’re hanging a soundbar, cut a piece of Alien tape that’ll match the entire length of the soundbar.
Step 4: Stick the cut piece of Alien tape on the clean area of the wall.
Step 5: Stick the speaker over the tape. Press the speaker firmly over the wall for tight adhesion.
Step 6: Repeat these steps to mount extra speakers with Alien tape.
3. Mounting Speakers with Command Hooks
Another great option for mounting speakers on wall without making holes is using command hooks. Command hooks are widely available from home improvement stores and grocery stores or online. Besides being ideal for mounting decorations and pictures, you can use them to mount lightweight speakers.
Command hooks have an adhesive backing and a hook design. They’re affordable and easy to peel off from the wall as needed without leaving an adhesive residue. They stick best when installed on a smooth wall surface. However, they’re only ideal for mounting lightweight speakers.
Here’s how to mount speakers with command hooks:
Step 1: Select the area of the wall where you want to mount a speaker.
Step 2: Wet a cloth with rubbing alcohol. Clean the wall area you’ve chosen with the wet cloth. Avoid cleaning the wall with water and detergents or household cleaning agents as they can leave a residue on the wall that’ll prevent the command hooks from sticking in place. Allow the spot to dry after wiping it off.
Step 3: Remove the paper covering the adhesive on the command hook to expose the adhesive backing.
Step 4: Stick the command hook on the cleaned spot. Allow the command hook to stick in place for about 60 minutes before proceeding. This will allow the adhesive to stick firmly in place.
Step 5: Mount the speaker on the command hook.
Step 6: Repeat these steps to mount more speakers on other walls with command hooks.
Conclusion
If you’ve been wondering how to mount speakers on wall without drilling holes, you can see it’s something possible. However, if you’re dealing with very heavy speakers or swivel speakers, or the walls are plastered or textured, these options may not work for you. For heavy speakers or swivel speakers and textured walls, consider using speaker stands in situations where you don’t want to drill holes.
Michael Evanchuk is a San Francisco-based sound engineer with 20 years’ experience installing, troubleshooting, and repairing commercial, automotive, and household sound equipment. Evanchuk owns an auto stereo center, where he offers highly competitive car audio installation and repair services. He has written dozens of articles on different sound engineering topics, all of which have been published in leading journals, blogs, and websites.
