Find a Stud Without a Stud Detector

Find a Stud Without a Stud Detector in a perfect world, we’d be able to hang up heavy framed photos and flat screens anywhere we want on a wall for optimal viewing pleasure. But this is reality. And reality sometimes has you looking at bracketing on the floor and wondering what to do next.

Luckily, finding a stud—one of the most important things to know how to do as a beginner handyman—doesn’t require you going out and getting an electronic that looks very similar to a Taser and costs a pretty hefty amount for finding wood beams behind walls.

There are two ways to do this: an electric razor and a magnet. (You can knock on sheetrock, but this is a guess-and-check type method.)

For the razor or clippers. Turn it on and drag it flat across the wall. You should be able to hear a change in pitch. Keep in mind that studs are usually about 16 inches apart from one another, so you should be able to get a good idea of where each one is if you think you hear a tonal difference.

The more old-school method is to get a strong magnet attached to twine or thread and drag it along the wall. Since drywall is usually only a little more than a half inch thick at max, a powerful magnet can cling to any metal in the studs behind it.