When mounting shelving or heavy appliances like range hoods, you need to anchor them to a stud. How do you find a stud? We’ll show you in this article — the best part is, you don’t need a stud finder.

Here are four things to keep in mind to successfully find a stud without a stud finder.

Normally, an outlet is right next to a stud.

In most homes, studs are built around outlets and are located inches apart. Grab a tape measure to get started.

First, measure 16 inches from the left side of your outlet and mark a vertical line on the wall with a pencil.

Second, measure 16 inches from the right side of your outlet and mark a vertical line.

Most of the time, your stud will somewhere in between those two markings, or close to them.

If you have no outlet, the first stud will likely be located 14.5” from the corner of your wall.

You can measure this with a tape measure. After you find the first stud, the following studs (in most cases) will be about sixteen inches away.

Once you’ve made your measurements, knock on the wall in that area and listen for a solid sound.

When you find a stud, it’s right behind the sheetrock. That means when you knock on the wall, you’ll hear a solid sound. Check out the video to see what it sounds like.

If you hear a hollow sound, there’s no stud behind the sheetrock.

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Make sure that you’ve hit the stud.

The last thing to do is to make sure that you’ve hit the stud.

Drill into the wall and you’ll know immediately.

If the screw drives into the wall easily, you’ve missed the stud. If your drill slows down as the screw enters the wall, you’re in the right spot.

It’s that easy.

Now you have found a stud to anchor your range hood or whatever else you’re mounting.

Hopefully you found this article helpful!

We are happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Please create a ticket, email us at support@prolinerangehoods.com or call our support line at (877) 901-5530 to talk to a live representative.