New Stud Finders Make it Easy to Hang Things on Your Wall

Hold on now.

Let's not put another hole in the wall. Years back, you would take a nail and tape measure to find where a stud was hiding under the drywall. I've seen this in many houses where there is a series of little holes until the right spot was found. Hey, the picture they had there covered all the holes anyway, right?

The latest stud finders have come a long way since the advent of the very first ones. I know this, as I have a older one and a new one that does everything except for put the nail or screw in for me. People do how ever forget sometimes to take in to consideration the weight of the object they will be supporting on a wall. I have seen full flat panel TVs supported on wall mounted shelves. Done, correctly can be very eye appealing and nice, done wrong can lead to big problems. Always take into consideration what nails or screws and brackets are needed for your item.

The new stud finders run on batteries and many have a built in level and laser eye guides. So, again they do just about everything for you except drive the nail in. Many even let you know if there is electric wiring in the area that you want to put a nail in, I think you can see how this could be a very shocking experience.

There are what are called drywall anchors. They are a bolt with spring nut that expands on the other side of the drywall when people can't find studs or have to have a anchor in that spot. Do not use these to hang very heavy items. The wall will start to give and crack over time. I know I have repaired these for people in the past. Used in the right application they will work just fine.

The right item and tool for the right job. Always remember safety first.