How To Hang Plants From A Ceiling Without Drilling

Upgraded Home Team
by Upgraded Home Team
Hanging plants from the ceiling can make any space feel more lively, but getting them up there can be tricky. Luckily, you don’t need to use a drill and you hang plants from the ceiling with alternatives like tension rods and clamps. Whether it be hooks, tension rods, or magnets, let’s take a look at how you can hang plants from the ceiling without drilling a hole.

It’s a new house, and you don’t want to mar those beautiful ceilings by drilling holes to hang your plants. Or, you are in a new apartment, and the landlord is explicit about no holes in the wall or ceilings. So, how do you hang plants from a ceiling without drilling holes?

To hang plants from your ceiling without drilling holes, use high-strength magnets, tension rods, clamps, or removable adhesive hooks. If you have a suspended ceiling or drop ceiling, there are special hooks that clip to the ceiling frame. You can also use alternative methods like floating plant shelves, hanging plants from a coat rack, or repurposing a ladder as a plant stand.

There are many options for hanging plants when drilling holes in a ceiling is not an option. Creative thinking is the key to finding unique and exciting ways to display your plants. ( Have holes you need to repair? Check out this article about repairing holes in drywall.)

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Five Ways To Hang Plants From Ceiling Without Drilling

Plants can add a natural feel to your home or apartment and can be a healthy addition to your life. However, drilling holes in your ceiling to hang your plants isn’t always ideal.

You could damage pipes, wiring, or other things that are hidden behind your ceiling. Also, if you rent, you might not be allowed to put holes in the ceiling.

Luckily, just because you can’t put holes in your ceiling doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some beautiful greenery in your space. With a little creativity and some purposeful re-thinking, there are alternatives to drilling holes in a ceiling to mount a hook.

Magnets, adhesives, and cleverly repurposed items avoid unsightly holes that may cause problems with rental deposits. Don’t be discouraged. Take the challenge and find those ingenious and imaginative new ways to get your plants where you want them.

Check out these five ways to hang plants from the ceiling without drilling.

1. Use Magnetic Hooks

Many apartments, especially in urban areas, often have exposed metal beams. These make perfect plant hangers without the need for drilling.

New technologies in magnets allow you to hang much heavier loads safely. Some of these magnets can hold up to 100 lbs.

If your apartment is a converted industrial or warehouse facility, you may not have to look far for a metal beam. Many of these styles of apartments retain the industrial look with open support structures on the ceilings. In some instances, you may not be so lucky.

You may need to do a bit of investigating to find the metal beams in your apartment. Some may hide under or behind decorative coverings. Some magnetic hooks are strong enough to hold a plant-sized load through thinner coverings that may hide metal beams. Finding hidden beams can be as easy as using the magnet.

Slide the magnet over the surface where you think a beam may be hiding. You will know soon enough if there is a beam just waiting to hold a magnet and your plants. Once you locate the beam, you should find others spaced regularly across the ceiling.

2. Use Special Hooks Made For Drop Ceilings

Many times, apartments converted from older structures feature drop ceilings. Drop ceilings feature a metal grid track into which ceiling panels fit. If your apartment has drop ceilings, you don’t have any problem at all.

Drop ceiling manufacturers offer special hooks that attach to the track of the support grid. Look at the signs hanging from the ceiling of your favorite retail store. More than likely, these signs are hanging from this type of hook.

You can purchase these types of drop-ceiling hooks at home improvement stores like Home Depot or Lowe’s. The hooks cost about $1.50 for a four-pack.

3. Use Tension Rods To Hang Plants From Ceiling Without Drilling

Your home may have skylights or other gaps and openings in the ceilings. If so, you can use tension rods or spring curtain rods along with simple S-hooks. These spring or screw-operated rods make great plant hangers in skylights, stairwells, and other openings in a ceiling.

The smaller versions of tension rods have an internal spring. To install them, you compress the spring. Place the rod in the opening and let the spring hold it tightly in place.

The rubber caps on the end of the rod won’t mar the ceiling’s or wall’s finish. Plus, some of these rods will hold several pounds of plants.

For larger openings, a screw tension curtain rod may be a good bet. These types of tension rods don’t have springs.

Instead, an internal screw mechanism lengthens the rod as needed; you simply turn the rod to reach the desired length. This type of mechanism can hold heavy drapes and curtains and can undoubtedly support some potted plants.

4. Removable Adhesive Hooks

Using removable adhesive hooks is an excellent way to hang various items without putting holes in the wall or ceiling. Removable hooks feature high strength, peel away adhesives.

Several manufacturers now offer hooks that you can adhere to almost any surface and remove later without damaging the finish.

The variety and design of these hooks are impressive. Most feature plastic hook bodies, but some have metal hooks that hang vertically when applied to a ceiling. This style of adhesive hook is perfect for lighter-weight plants.

Removable adhesive hooks are great solutions for hanging smaller plants from your ceiling. However, there are some caveats to the use of these hooks:

  • Follow the directions on the package.
  • Make sure the surface is clean and free of dust, dirt, oil, or grease. Cleaning is especially important in kitchens where a thin film of cooking oil can accumulate.
  • Respect the manufacturer’s load limits. If the plant hanging from an adhesive hook is more than 50 percent of the rated capacity, wait 24 hours.  The adhesive needs time to cure before the full load can be applied.
  • Also, some adhesive hooks might not hold well on overly-textured surfaces.

5. Use Clamps On Drop-Down Areas

If you have openings between rooms, you can use carpenters’ clamps to hang plants from the header. The header is the short piece of wall that comes down from the ceiling to provide some separation.

These sturdy clamps feature a squeezable trigger to tighten the clamp. The clamp bar that protrudes from the rear of the clamp trigger is a perfect plant hanger.

Also, door openings often don’t have a door installed or a never-used door. The same style of carpenters’ clamps works in doorways as well. Many carpenters’ clamps will fit over the door trim to clamp onto the wall without leaving any marks.

For a more industrial look, metal c-clamps work with the same sort of arrangement. However, it would be best if you took care with c-clamps.

The pressure area of most c-clamps is smaller than the pads on the carpenter’s clamp. This smaller pad can easily make a divot in the wallboard.

Alternatives To Hanging Plants From The Ceiling

If you want to get your plants up off the floor or table, hanging from the ceiling isn’t the only option. Think outside the box and look for different ways to gain a little height for your plants.

1. Hang Plants From Stub Walls

Your home or apartment may have stub walls or pony walls. Stub walls are short sections of walls that define or divide a space. You may find stub walls at the end of kitchen cabinets or built-in bookcases. The stub walls make perfect places to hang plants with a little ingenuity.

Carpenters’ clamps also make a perfect way to use stub walls to hang plants. The great thing about these clamps is that they are designed not to mar or mark the material they hold. You can safely put these across the top of a stub wall, tighten them and use the protruding bar as a plant hanger.

2. Turn A Ladder Into A Plant Stand

Some of the more creative ways we have found are often sitting around the house or apartment. All you need to do is repurpose them.

Repurposing an old ladder can be a great way to give your plants some height and add a decorative flair to a room. A length of a wooden ladder leaned in front of a window makes a perfect showplace for plants. The ladder still lets light and air into the room and places your plants where they get the benefits as well.

3. Use A Coat Rack To Hang Plants

That dusty coat rack sitting in the entryway may make a perfect plant hanger. The coatrack, repositioned near a window, makes a perfect way to get your plants up and visible. Most coatracks also spin, making them ideal for turning your plants to expose them to the sun.

4. Hang Floating Shelves From Curtain Rods

Purchase some hanging wooden plant shelves from your local home improvement store. These shelves range from about $20 to $40 depending on the size and usually feature a wood and macrame combination.

Use S-hooks to hang the shelf from a curtain rod, positioning your plant perfectly near a window.

5. Use Over-the-Door Hooks

Dress up the front or back of a door with a potted plant suspended from an easy-to-install over-the-door hook. You simply place these hooks over the top of your door and hang your plant.

However, if opting for this method be thoughtful about the shape of the planter you use. Find one with a flat back that can rest flat against the door so your plant doesn’t stick out at a weird angle. Over-the-door hooks come in many styles and can hold anywhere from 5 to 20 pounds or more.

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Related Questions

How can I hang a window box without drilling holes in my home’s exterior wall?

Thinking outside could also mean a planter box outside a window. You can hang a window box without having to drill holes by using vinyl siding hangers. Or you can opt for a no-drill window box that uses a clamp-type bracket to secure the box in place. As an alternative, you can hang window boxes from a porch balcony or railing if you have one.


Can I hang a plant from a skylight?

If you have skylights, you can use suction cups to hang lightweight plants from the glass. It’s best to not go above 5 pounds, and make sure the hooks you use can carry the load.

Upgraded Home Team
Upgraded Home Team

We are a team of passionate homeowners, home improvement pros, and DIY enthusiasts who enjoy sharing home improvement, housekeeping, decorating, and more with other homeowners! Whether you're looking for a step-by-step guide on fixing an appliance or the cost of installing a fence, we've here to help.

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