Tips on How to Find a Wall Stud
By Mark J. Donovan
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Finding wall studs is a common problem for many homeowners. Whether hanging pictures on a wall or trying to install crown moulding or baseboard trim, it is important for nails or screws to be fastened to wall studs. Pounding a nail into just drywall is insufficient for holding up a picture or holding trim snugly to a wall. In time, the nail will slowly dip south until your wall picture is lying on the floor, and trim will peel away from the wall.
How to Find Wall Studs There are a number of techniques for finding wall studs. First, wall studs are normally placed on 16 inch centers, except near the wall edges. Thus, if you can locate a wall stud near the center of a wall, all you need is a tape measure to find the adjacent ones. |
Second, electrical outlets and switches are normally attached to wall studs. Third, baseboard trim and crown moulding are nailed to wall studs. Consequently, by taking a close look at your existing baseboard trim and crown moulding you can usually find wall studs.
If none of these hints for finding wall studs are available to you, then you need to employ one of the following techniques.
| First, if you are an experienced carpenter with a good ear, you can simply tap your knuckle along the length of the wall and hear the slight difference in pitch as you tap over the wall stud. When tapping over a wall stud, the sound has a dead thud sound compared to other locations on the wall. Again, once you find one wall stud, a measuring tape can help to find the adjacent ones.
If you lack an experienced ear, then purchase an electronic stud finder. An electronic stud finder measures the relative density of the wall surface to find wall studs. When it passes over a wall stud there is an indicator to let the user know. |
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An alternative and cheaper wall stud finder is the old magnetic type. These types of stud finders are inexpensive, however they take a little more effort to locate a wall stud. Magnetic stud finders utilize a magnet to effectively find the drywall nails or screws. Consequently you have to search up and down, and side to side to find the nails or screws.
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Related Information
Additional Finish Carpentry Resources from Amazon.com
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