How to find best Metal Studs?

What are wall Studs?

A large number of the home have Studs that are made of metal. Generally, a wall stud is a vertical frame of wood or metal in a building’s wall that acts as a support for walls to support the framework. They are spaced either sixteen or twenty-four inches on center along the wall.

studs

They are located everywhere where you can find walls, between the ceiling and the floor. Their importance can be realized from the fact that they are part of every structural feature in your house, from windows and doors to interior walls and exterior siding.

Wooden VS Steel Studs

Wooden wall studs are the most commonly used in household walls. These are cheaper than steel studs. They are easily available in two dimensions: two by fours and two by sixes. They are available in a variety of lengths up to a maximum of 16 feet. You can easily get them from any supplies store specifically for building materials. Typically houses are built with the help of two by sixes for exterior walls and two by fours for interior walls.

Studs are positioned in such a way that they are perpendicular to the wall they are forming to provide strength and allow wires, pipes, and insulation to flow through easily. They are attached right in the middle of two boards called the top and bottom boards. To create the whole wall frame, both of these boards are supposed to be screwed to the upper and lower parts of the studs.

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While a large number of houses still prefer wood studs, the steel studs are also getting more popular. They cost almost thirty percent more than wood studs but have added advantages over the wood studs to justify the increase. They are lighter, straighter and the best part is that they offer a variety of lengths and widths to choose from.

Why do you need to find wall studs in your home?

Conventionally the knowledge of wall studs is usually beneficial to people who are looking to building or renovating their house. However, there are several other situations when the understanding ability to find wall studs can come in handy: when installing wall-mounted fixtures and appliances such as a television console, trim work, hanging a heavy picture or mirror, repairing a drywall to name a few. The walls themselves are not strong enough to support the weight of anything that is mounted or hung with its support.

Finding wall studs

Studs on walls can be found both manually and by using an electronic stud finder. If you have drywalls, it is relatively easier to accurately find wall studs using an electronic stud finder than finding them manually. However, it is less workable on lath or plaster walls, but some have a metal scanning feature that allows you to find the screws and nails that attach the stud to the top and bottom plates.

Finding a wall stud using an electronic stud finder

To find a wall stud using an electronic stud finder, firstly, determine how high on the wall you want to start looking for a stud. This will usually depend upon the installation height of the fastener you will use to secure the object you are hanging.

Calibrate the stud finder by positioning it on the wall. The stud finder will then indicate if it is calibrated or if you need to move it and try again. Then, place the stud finder on the wall and move it horizontally through the fastener’s height to determine the stud.

The electronic device will signal when it senses the ending of open space and the edge of a dense object. After the signal, go backward in the same direction and mark the other edge this way, you will be able to locate the beginning, the end, and the midpoint of the stud. Both the edges, if the stud should be one to one and a half inches apart. If not, then it may be possible that you have not deducted a stud but something else.

The center of the stud is the best place for screws or nails to drive in. It is best to have a pencil in hand to mark the key points which act as identification of the stud.  To confirm that you have actually found a stud, you should locate more points on the suspected stud.

Finding a stud manually.

On drywall walls, if there are raised or sunken imperfections vertically, then that may indicate fasteners that secure the panels to the studs. It is likely that the fasteners will give you a reasonable estimate of the center of the studs. Using a light torch aiming at the walls can help you identify the imperfections as you look along.

Alternatively, you can use an electrical box or outlet as a clue in finding the wall studs as they are likely to be attached to it. If you plan to take off the cover of the power outlet or switch, be sure to turn it off first. If you are successful in locating the edge of the stud to which the box is attached, then you can measure nearly less than an inch to locate the center of the stud.

Windows usually have studs on each of their sides, but since they are varying trims, it may actually prove difficult to approximate the edge of the studs.

Another tip for finding a wall stud manually is to tap the wall with your knuckles or hammer so that it makes a sound. If you plan to use a hammer, covering its head will prevent from damaging the wall.  The area where there is no stud will make a low hollow sound, whereas where there will be a stud tapping on it will produce a higher and more solid sound.

As with locating a stud using an electronic stud finder, when you think you have found a stud, mark the location and look for more points along the wall to confirm that you have really found a stud. To fully confirm the presence of a stud, you can drive a small finish nail into the wall at the suspected location.  If a stud is present, you should feel some resistance while the nail enters the wood.

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How to mount a TV on the wall without studs?

With the passage of time as technology has advanced televisions, have become thinner and lighter in size and weight and drastically better in image quality, which has increased the popularity of the trend of mounting TVs on walls. Along with giving households a sense of style, they also make the entertainment area look tidy and organized, removing wires which looked messy and confusing to handle.

Usually TV mounts are designed for drywall walls, which requires the presence of studs, but what if the wall that you want to mount your TV on has no studs? Surprisingly, you can still mount your TV but with the help of some other tools.

Using anchors to hang things such as picture frames are some of the easiest ways to hang anything on the walls without a stud. They work in various ways so as to prevent the screws from slipping out of their holes or damaging the drywall.

Toggle anchors, are known as toggle bolts, look like normal screws, but they are a bit different. They have a butterfly toggle at the end of them. When driven into the wall, these toggle anchors fulfill their purpose by anchoring to the back of the drywall.

Although a little hard to use than other drywall anchors, molly bolts are quite sturdy and well suited for medium and heavy loads such as shelves and televisions. They are available in two forms pointed and non-pointed.

Pointed molly bolts are designed in such a way that they have a sharp tip and can be driven into the walls by gently tapping them with a hammer. The non-pointed molly bolts, which are recommended for plaster walls, require a hole being made prior to being driven into the wall.

These are some of the ways you can mount your TV on to the wall without stud and enjoy watching shows and movies.

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Looking for the stud or the supporting part in the ceiling

Most of the time, the supporting part of the ceiling is attached between the range of 16 or 24 inches. Once you have located the first one, the others become easier to find. If you are looking to find the ceiling joist manually, then you will only need a tape measure or an electronic stud finder may also come in handy.

You will need to place the tape measure against the intersection where the ceiling and the wall meet. Then extend the tape to measure out 16 inches.  Using your knuckles gently, tap the ceiling and observe the sound that it makes. If it makes a low and hollow sound, then it would indicate that the stud is not present. On the other hand, if it makes a relatively loud and solid sound, that would indicate the presence of the stud. Since you are carrying out this experiment manually, you will need to tap several inches on either side of the 16 inches to locate the joist. 

Another way would be to use a stud finder that senses changes in density and signals its prediction through a beep.

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