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The Finishing Nail Hack

Is the object you’re mounting fairly large and wide? If so, chances are it will conceal a few tiny holes in your drywall once it’s up. Use a small hammer to tap a finishing nail into the drywall in a spot you know will be covered. You’ll know right away if you hit a stud or not since studs provide noticeable resistance to the nail. If you hit nothing, the nail will pierce through the drywall and beyond easily. If this happens, pull the nail out, then try again an inch to the left or right. You’re sure to hit a stud before long.

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The Tape Measure Hack

Most stud walls are built 16 inches on center. That means there are exactly 16 inches from the face of one stud to the same face of the neighboring one. Use your tape measure to measure over from the nearest corner of your wall in 16-inch sections until you reach the approximate area you need to find a stud. Then tap a finishing nail into the wall. If you don’t hit a stud on your first try, you’re almost certainly very close.

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The Knocking Hack

It sounds too simple to work, but knocking on the wall is a tried-and-true way to find a stud in a pinch. Give it a try. The hollow area between studs will give a noticeably different sound when rapped sharply with your knuckles than the drywall directly above a stud. Start knocking in the area you want to find a stud. If the spot sounds hollow, move half an inch to the left or right and knock again. Keep moving and knocking until the sound changes. Chances are when the knocks start sounding solid, you’ve found a stud.

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