What Nails to Use for String Art? - Complete Guide

What Nails Should You Use for String Art?

A practical guide based on years of making, testing, and real projects

Let’s talk about nails.

Not the ones on our hands, but the ones that quietly decide whether your string art feels calm and satisfying to make, or slightly frustrating from the very first row of string.

Nails don’t get much attention, but they should. They affect how smooth the process feels, how clean the final piece looks, and whether you enjoy the hours you spend wrapping thread or just push through them.

The wrong nails won’t just affect how your piece looks. They change how the entire process feels, from the first wrap to the final knot.

This guide is based on years of hands-on experience making string art signs, kits, and patterns, not theory.

Can You Use Screws for String Art?

Short answer: yes.

Honest answer: I don’t recommend them.

Screws add visual weight, are harder on your hands, and rarely improve either the process or the finished result. Since this article focuses on what actually works well, we’ll leave screws aside and stick to nails that make string art more enjoyable.

The Three Nail Types You’ll See in String Art

There are three main nail categories people use for string art. Two of them I still use regularly. One I would only choose in very specific cases.

Lost Head Nails

Lost head nails have, as the name suggests, almost no head at all. They were originally made for floorboards, but they work well for geometric and circular designs where the string needs to sit close to the surface.

Because the head is minimal, the visual focus stays on the string itself. They are available in different lengths and finishes and can look very clean when used correctly.

The trade-off is control. With such a small head, the string needs to be guided carefully so it doesn’t ride up the nail. These nails work best when you already understand how your pattern behaves.

Good choice for:

• clean geometric designs
• experienced makers
• projects where the string is the main visual element

Less ideal for:

• beginners
• detailed silhouettes
• dense layering

Hardware Nails

Hardware nails are easy to find and affordable, which is why many people start with them.

There are two important things to know:

Cheaper steel nails often come with residue or grime from manufacturing. Washing them in acetone helps, but they can darken over time.

Zinc-plated hardware nails stay cleaner and look better long-term. If you decide to use hardware nails, these are the better option.

Hardware nails can work if:

• the nails will be painted over
• the nails are not meant to be visible
• you are testing or practicing

Even then, the process usually feels rougher compared to using polished decorative nails.

If you care about how the process feels, not just the final result, hardware nails are rarely the best choice.

Decorative Nails – My Default Choice

If I had to recommend one nail type for most string art projects, this would be it.

Decorative nails, often sold as escutcheon pins or upholstery nails, were originally made for shoemaking and upholstery. For string art, that means smooth surfaces, consistent sizing, and a clean finish without extra work.

For years, I used decorative nails from the upholstery sections of hardware stores. They were the right type of nail, but the quality was inconsistent. Bent shanks, uneven heads, mixed finishes – more often than not, I had to stand there comparing packages, trying to find ones that actually matched. In the end, we found a supplier whose quality we trust, and happily added their brass-plated string art nails to the GoodStrings shop. These are the same nails we’ve used in our kits and finished signs since 2015, chosen for consistency, not convenience.

For about 90 percent of string art pieces, I recommend polished decorative nails.

If you’re making string art for yourself, not for a classroom or a one-off experiment, this is the nail type I would start with.

The only time I would not is if you plan to fully paint over the nails afterward. Even then, the process itself is usually more pleasant with polished nails.

What Size Nails Should You Use?

Nail size matters more than people expect.

For most projects, I avoid going smaller than 10 mm in length. My personal go-to is 1.2 mm diameter by 15 mm length.

This size works well because:

• it holds dense layers of thread
• it supports silhouette designs
• it allows tension adjustments without slipping

Shorter nails can work for light geometric designs, but once you start layering thread, length gives you flexibility. If you are unsure, choose slightly longer rather than shorter.

Nails Are Part of the Experience

Nails are not just a supply choice. They shape how string art feels from start to finish.

Nails don’t work in isolation. If this topic matters to you, these guides complete the picture:

• choosing the right thread for string art
• creating clean nail holes
• understanding why material quality matters
• working without a kit and choosing wood bases

All of these decisions work together.

Final Thoughts

There is no single nail that works for every project. But there are choices that make the process calmer, cleaner, and more predictable.

If string art is something you plan to return to, not just try once, nails with a polished finish are usually worth it.

Choose tools that respect your time.

Happy crafting,

Renate from GoodStrings