Understanding Wall Framing:

There are some simple tricks to finding a wood stud. Understanding how walls are framed can make this process much easier. The first thing you should know is that most walls are framed with 16” between the center of one stud to the center of the next stud. Older buildings sometimes space studs at 18” or 24” “on-center”, or OC for short. Keep in mind, they could be slightly more or less than these standard spacings, due to poor workmanship, but they should be fairly close to these measurements.

Using Electrical Outlets and Light Switches as Guides

The next thing you should know is that all electrical outlets and light switches are attached to studs. So, if you are trying to find a stud, look for the closest outlet or light switch, then measure 16” in either direction to find the next closest stud. 

Tools for Stud Detection

To locate exactly where the stud is, you can use an electronic stud finder or a magnet. An electronic stud finder works by detecting changes in the thickness of the material being scanned. They usually work, but can sometimes give false readings due to interference from other objects inside the walls, like insulation, pipes, wiring, etc. To avoid these false readings, use a strong magnet, or a Stud Buddy magnetic stud finder instead.

The drywall is attached to wood studs using metal drywall screws. They are supposed to be screwed into the center of the stud, but sometimes they are a little off in either direction. My favorite way to locate a stud is to use the Stud Buddy magnetic stud finder. It’s a good idea to start by locating an electrical outlet, then run the Stud Buddy over the wall close to the outlet. Once I find that first stud where the outlet is attached, then all I have to do is measure 16” in either direction to locate the next stud over. Next, confirm the location of the next stud with your Stud Buddy. You can do that over and over again all the way down the length of the wall, then choose the stud that works best for where you need to mount your item. 

Marking Stud Locations Without Damaging Your Wall

Rather than mark your wall with a pencil, you can use blue painter’s tape. Tear off a small piece of tape and place it where the stud is located, then mark it with a pencil or a Sharpie. Once you are done,  just remove the tape and there are no marks left on your wall.

Finding the Center of the Stud

Once you’ve located the stud that works best for your mounting job, you’ll need to find the center of the stud. You don’t want to drive a screw through the edge of the stud because it won’t be strong enough, or the screw could penetrate through the side of the stud and fall out once under load. Whether you are using an electronic stud finder or the Stud Buddy, the tool should give you an idea of where the center of the stud is, but you’ll need to confirm you’ve found the center.  To do this, put a 3” wide piece of painter’s tape on the wall and mark where you think the center of the stud is. Studs are 1 1/2” wide, so the edge of the stud will be 3/4” from the center. Measure 3/4” from where you think the center of the stud is, mark the painter’s tape, then get your drill and the smallest diameter drill bit you have. Next, you’ll drill some small holes in the wall to find the edge of the stud. When you start drilling those small holes, you’ll either hit the wood stud, or the drill will pop through the drywall and hit air or insulation. Keep moving the drill bit down the wall until you find the edge of the stud, then measure 3/4” over and you’ve located the center of the stud. When drilling these holes, go slow and ensure you only penetrate the drywall enough to find the edge of the stud. Do not jam the drill bit in, you want to make sure you don’t accidentally hit a pipe, electrical wire, or other hazard hidden behind the wall.

Drilling Pilot Holes & Mounting Your TV to the Stud

Now that you know where the center of the stud is, it’s time to mount your item to the stud. This next step is the most important. You will need to choose the right fastener for the job. Use either a wood screw, a nail, or a lag screw depending on the project. Whatever fastener you choose, make sure you choose the correct length, or you could damage pipes or electrical wires. Wood studs are 3 1/2” deep and the center 1” is used to run pipes or electrical wires through the walls. If a stud is 3 1/2” deep and the center 1” is for pipes and wires, the most you can penetrate the stud is 1 1/4”. So, 3 1/2” minus 1” equals 2 1/2”. Divide that by two and you get 1 1/4”. Most drywall is either 1/4” or 1/2”. You only need the fastener to penetrate the stud 1” to be effective. Knowing this, we can see that the length of the screw should be 1”, plus the thickness of the drywall, plus the thickness of whatever you are mounting. For example, if you have a TV mount that is 1/8” thick, and 1/2” thick drywall, you’ll want to use a lag screw that is 1 5/8” long - 1” stud penetration, 1/2” drywall, and 1/8” mounting bracket. You’ll always want to pre-drill apilot hole into the stud before driving the fastener into the stud. Yourpilot hole should be slightly smaller than the diameter of the fastener being used. You can find apilot hole drilling guidehere. Now that you’ve located the stud, found and marked the center of the stud, chosen the right fastener size and length, and drilled thepilot hole, you are ready to drive in your fastener. You can use anelectric drill, but it is recommended that you use animpact driver as it has more torque than a drill.