How to Find a Wall Stud without a Stud Finder is a story written by Bob Vila.

We have all been there.You think the wall is held up by a wish, because there is no wood behind it.

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I will jump at any chance to buy a new tool, like I need to hang a picture, or I have a bee sting.It doesn't take much.I think of stud finders the same way I do ghost detectors, exciting for the five seconds that they are beeping and a total letdown after that, because I have a rule about only buying tools that really work.

I have a good understanding of the structure of a wall after months of framing the big addition to my current house.

If the baseboard is attached to the studs, you should be able to see where it might have been nailed.The holes are usually filled with caulk and painted, but you may be able to spot one that is missing a stud.To locate the additional studs, measure in 16-inch increments.

I look for switches or outlets if I don't have a chance to check out the trim, because at least one side of the electrical box will be mounted on a stud.I can usually detect which side of the outlet has the stud support by tapping it, even though I am not great at doing the "knock test" on the wall.I use the distance from the outlet to the stud side to determine the intervals of stud spacing.

If you measure from a corner of the room, you can see that the studs are 16 inches on the center.You are likely to have a stud that is less than 16 inches from one corner because all rooms aren't built in numbers.If you can determine where the shorter stud spacing might have been added, try the "knock test" near the corner.A hollow sound indicates there isn't anything behind the wall, while a more solid sound suggests there is a framework there to screw into.It is my least favorite because it only works if you are measuring a corner of the house.It is worth a try before you go crazy with the test holes.

If you are in the position of building your own house or have torn the drywall off some walls, I strongly recommend taking pictures of the walls before closing everything up.I take interior shots of every wall in my house before the wall goes up and I reference them all the time when looking for studs.