Looking for a Stud?
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Not that kind of stud. A wall stud. Whenever possible, always try to secure shelves, mirrors, or other slightly heavy items into a wall stud. But, you know that...
What you might not know is how to find the stud. Sure, you can cheat and use one of the electronic stud finders -- you place it against the wall and move it along until it lights up when covering over a stud.
If you don't have one of those, you go "low tech." Studs are typically 16 inches, center to center. Remove one of the wall plates from a light switch or electrical socket -- usually the electrical boxes are mounted to a stud. Look to see if it's on the right or left hand side and measure 16 inches either way to find your stud.
You can also check your baseboards. Most baseboards are nailed directly into the studs. If it appears the nails are about 16 inches apart, you've more than likely got the location of the wall studs.
You might be able to remove a lamp shade from a lamp and shine the bare bulb on the walls -- drywall is normally screwed into the studs and it can leave a seam. You can move the lamp around to expose highlights to see those seams.
