# How can I find studs? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 13, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347 "2003-09-13T04:54:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/1 "2003-09-13T04:54:21Z")
No, I’m not looking for dating advice. I’m trying to hang some wall-mounted shelves. I’ve got these metal brackets that attach at either end of the length of the shelf, and I was hoping to put up 3 to 4 foot shelves, so I doubt they’ll hold up very well if the brackets aren’t screwed into a stud. I bought a stud finder, but I’m getting really erratic results. I can consistently find a stud at one point at about 4 feet high, but there’s nothing at the same spot in the wall a few feet down. I can find another stud at that height about 48 inches across the wall (which makes sense assuming the studs are 24 inches apart), but I can’t consistently find anything between them, and I don’t think 48 inches between studs would satisfy any kind of building code. I get all kinds of unrepeatable results all over the place, which could be wires and whatnot. I’m tempted to just take a hammer to the wall and then patch the drywall and repaint, but it seems like a lot of work when I’m just renting the place. Is there another way to locate studs? ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/2 "2003-09-13T05:08:19Z")
Buy a stud finder? I think Black and Decker makes one that even includes a laser level. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/3 "2003-09-13T05:09:36Z")
See, if I read the OP… Disregard! ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/4 "2003-09-13T05:10:35Z")
Actually, aren’t 16" centers most common? I second the notion of a studfinder if you aren’t comfortable with tapping the wall. ---
**Author:** ![bernse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/5 "2003-09-13T05:12:00Z")
Heh - Actually, believe it or not, I did read the OP! I meant to say maybe a _better_ studfinder! Honest! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Dumbguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dumbguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dumbguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/6 "2003-09-13T05:24:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bernse \* > \*\*Actually, aren’t 16" centers most common? \*\* Come to think of it, 16’’ centers would still give you another stud at 48’’, so you’re probably right. ---
**Author:** ![JimOfAllTrades](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@JimOfAllTrades](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JimOfAllTrades)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/7 "2003-09-13T05:25:24Z")
In modern residential construction, I believe studs are normally 16” on center, not 24. But that still accounts for the two you may have found 48” apart. What kind of stud finder are you using? There are some cheapie types that are just magnetic. They react to screws or nails holding the sheetrock on. These are very unreliable. The better ones (which I believe use either inductance or ultrasonics to sense a change in the depth and/or density in the material) work fairly well. They typically run about $15 bucks at the local home depot type store. If they aren’t working, there are a few things you can look for. Shine a light at a very close angle across the wall (i.e. hold the light very close to the wall and let shine across the surface). Any little imperfection in surface is highlighted this way, and you may be able to see the signs of where the sheetrock is nailed. Look for slight bulges or troughs that run in straight line down the wall, or slight round indentations in straight lines running down the walls. If you can see those, they are always over the studs. If you can pry the baseboard off, you can frequently see the bottom of the studs in the slight gap between the sheetrock and the floor. Renailing the baseboard and running a bead of caulk along the top is a much simpler repair than patching a hole in the middle of the wall. Lastly, measure out from both corners and mark (unobtrusively, of course) every 16 inches. The studs are usually laid out starting with one corner or the other. Do any of the marks fall on the spots you suspect of being studs? If so, they probably are. ---
**Author:** ![Extraneous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/0ea827/32.png) [@Extraneous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Extraneous)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/8 "2003-09-13T05:29:44Z")
Cheap stud finders use a small magnet, based on the assumption that the wallboard will be secured to the stud by steel nails or screws. If you are getting inconsistent results, throw the silly thing away and use the “thump-until-it-doesn’t-shoud-hollow” method (or get a more sophisticated finder). p.s. - how _DO_ the non-magnetic finders work? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/9 "2003-09-13T05:37:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Extraneous \* > \*\*p.s. - how _DO_ the non-magnetic finders work? \*\* [How do stud finders work?](http://www.howstuffworks.com/question271.htm) > [@](#): > > In a way, these stud finders are like a touch switch on a touch-sensitive lamp. They are using changes in capacitance to sense where the stud is. > > When the plate inside the stud finder is over wall board, it will sense one dielectric constant (sort of like an insulating value); but when it is over a stud, the dielectric constant is different. It works on a capacitance differential generated by density difference. The circuit in the stud finder can sense the change and reports it on its display. The second patent below shows you exactly how to build this sort of stud finder. > > The latest technology in stud finders uses a very small radar system to detect the stud. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/10 "2003-09-13T12:50:43Z")
Are there any otlets in the area? Outlets are typically placed on one side of the stud or the other. rfemove the cover and figure out which side the outlet is on. As mentioned, most studs are spaced 16" on center. That is what I did when I put up wall mounted shelves Brian ---
**Author:** ![John\_Zahn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@John\_Zahn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Zahn)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/11 "2003-09-13T15:20:25Z")
I’d also recommend a good electronic stud finder. I picked mine up at Lowe’s for something like $10-$20.00, it’s been awhile, and not sure. It works quite well. Most codes require 16" studs on center for the perimeter on the lower story for two story homes. One story homes are nearly always 16" or 24" for the perimeter. For interior walls, they generally go with 24"O.C. here. JZ ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2003, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-can-i-find-studs/201347/12 "2003-09-13T16:02:21Z")
If I read this correctly, you found something at 48" up from the floor. This would probably be fire-blocking or nailer blocks for the sheetrock, which would explain why you don’t find them lower or higher. Magnetic studfinders only react to the nails or screws in the gypboard. Go slowly across your wall at a height that is NOT 48" until you get a reading. Mark the spot with a pencil. Move 16" to either side and move slowly up and down until you get another reading. If that doesn’t work, go to 24" and try it again.