How to Find Studs Without a Stud Finder (A Beginner’s Guide)

measuring tape and pencil marking with a white wall

When you don’t have a stud finder, there are several ways to locate studs in your wall. This can include using magnets, finding switch boxes, tapping the wall, or trying unconventional methods like using your smartphone, a coat hanger, or a hair clipper. A stud finder is typically the best tool for the job, but with these techniques, you can still get the task done effectively.

This article contains methods you can use to find studs without a stud finder. It’ll also help you know which method works best for your type of wall, whether it’s drywall or plaster.

Before we go into that, it’s important to note that stud finders are still the fastest and easiest way to find wall studs. If you’d rather go that route, our guide will teach you how to use a stud finder to find studs in your wall.

How to Find Studs Without a Stud Finder
1Tap the wall and note the sound and feel
2Check around electrical boxes
3Use a magnet to find wall fasteners
4Look for holes made in the wall caused by fasteners
5Check for dimples in the interior trim
6Measure from the corner of the room
7Use a pin to poke suspected stud areas

Things You’ll Need to Locate Studs Without a Stud Finder

To find the studs in your walls without a stud finder, you’ll need some simple tools. 

General must-haves include:

  • Hands (yes, you’ll need those hands)
  • Tape Measure
  • Small Nail (1½ inch)
  • Hammer
  • Caulking
  • Pencil
  • Tape

Tools for specific methods:

  • Magnet
  • Flashlight
  • Smartphone
  • Coat Hanger
  • Steel Wool
  • Electric Hair Clipper or Razor

Don’t worry! These tools are easy for beginners to use. They don’t require any special knowledge or expertise.

1. Knock or Tap the Wall

The sound or feeling you get when you knock or tap the wall can be a good way to determine where the studs are.

You should start by gently tapping or knocking on various parts of the wall, taking note of the sound or feeling it produces. The closer you get to a stud, the more solid the sound and feel of the wall become. However, as you get further away from it, the sound and feel become lighter and more hollow – like an empty box or barrel.

2. Follow Electrical Outlets and Switches

Electrical outlets and switches are usually fastened to the edges of studs. It stands to reason that where there’s an outlet or switch, you’ll most likely find a stud right next to it.

For this method, you should first locate the nearest electrical fixture (light switch or outlet). Try to determine whether the stud is on the left or right side of said fixture – this is where the real challenge is.

graphic showing electrical box and stud
Photo Credit: Racheal Oyebode

To find which part the stud is in, you can use the “knock or tap” method. You could also remove the switch plate and look for the nail that was used to secure the fixture to the wall stud.

Pro Tip: More than 80% of people are right-handed. When contractors mount electrical fixtures, they typically hold the hammer in their right hand and nail towards the left. Check the left first; if the stud isn’t there, you know it’s on the right side.

3. Use a Magnet

For this job, a fairly strong magnet—like the ones attached to your fridge—will do. You could also vandalize an old hard disk drive, DVD player, or other home appliance and remove the magnet within it.

Place your magnet on the wall and move it around until it sticks to one of the steel fasteners (nails and screws). These steel fasteners are used to affix your wall finish directly into studs. When your magnet sticks to the wall, it’s most likely latching onto a steel fastener, which is, in turn, fixed into a stud.

An alternative is to fashion your magnet into a magnet-string combo. Here’s how it works:

  • Insert a string between two magnets and secure them with glue.
  • Find an electrical box.
  • Swing the magnet close to the wall within the box’s proximity.
  • Once the magnet sticks to the wall, mark that spot.
  • From the same spot, measure 16 inches to the other side and leave another mark.
  • Swing your magnet string around this area.
  • If it sticks to that spot or directly above or below it, there’s a stud in there.

Note that your magnet might be attracted to steel pipes within the wall as opposed to nails or screws. To verify, you can move the magnet upwards or downwards and mark each point where it sticks. A consistent trend is a strong indicator of steel fasteners.

Pro Tip: You’ll get better results with rare earth magnets. You can find them—for much less than the price of a stud finder—at any hardware store.

4. Look for Dimples in the Wall

A dimple is a cavity directly on top of a nail or screw. After nailing or screwing a wall finish to a stud, the nails or screws are caulked and painted over. However, these spots often do not return to their original appearance and may instead have a cavity or dimple.

So, where you find a dimple, you’ll find a steel fastener; where there’s a steel fastener, you’ll find a stud edge.

To find a dimple, you’ll need a flashlight. Shine the light on the wall from the side. This will help exaggerate any imbalances or imperfections on the wall and allow you to spot any pressed-in spots, cavities, or dimples.

5. Check for Dimples in the Interior Trim

Like the previous method, this one involves finding dimples. However, this time, you’ll be looking for them on your wall trim.

Interior trim is typically nailed to studs in the wall, and the nail is covered with caulk and paint. Of course, this can lead to dimples. Check your interior trim—crown molding or baseboard— and try to locate any cavities or dimples. Once you pinpoint one, you’ve likely found a stud.

6. Measure From the Corner of the Room

Without exception, the corner of every room is held up by a stud. Thanks to this, finding wall studs with just your tape measure is possible.

Find one corner of the room and measure 16 inches away from it. According to building codes, studs must be spaced 16 inches apart. Mechanical engineer Colin Young says: “…wall studs should always be spaced as such. This is a building code measurement…any exceptions here are a building code violation…”

Thus, when you move 16 inches from the apparent stud in the corner, chances are you’ll hit another stud.

If you don’t find a stud after measuring from one corner, measuring from another corner should do the trick.

Pro Tip: The studs in some buildings are 24 inches apart, not 16. Unfortunately, you won’t always know this beforehand. Therefore, when looking for studs from a room corner, you can first measure 16 inches. If it proves fruitless, you should then measure 24 inches.

Read More: How Far Apart are Studs?

7. Use a Pin

This method requires you to take a pin and pierce part of the wall that you suspect contains a stud. If the pin feels little to no resistance, there’s no stud in that spot. Conversely, if there’s an increase in the level of resistance or if the pin can’t get through at all, you’ve found a stud.

Pro Tip: You can use this to verify the accuracy of the other methods. Pins are small, so they won’t damage the wall nearly as much as nails or drills would.

Unusual Ways to Find Studs Without a Stud Finder

While there are several unconventional ways to locate studs, it’s worth mentioning that using a traditional stud finder is often the most accurate and efficient method.

Method #1: Use a Stud Finder App

You’ll need a smartphone and a stud finder app for this method. You’ll likely find the app in your App Store or Play Store.

searching stud finder app
Photo Credit: Racheal Oyebode

Just follow the instructions in the app, place the phone on the wall, and use it like a stud finder. Since the app works by using the magnetometer in your phone to locate fasteners (nails and screws), you’ll mostly be moving the phone up or down.

Method #2: Use Steel Wool

To use this method, you’ll need two steel wool pads. Hold them close to the wall and rub them together as you move across it. As you rub them, electrical charges will come off the wool and get attracted to the steel fasteners in the wall.

Method #3: Use a Hair Clipper

This is a carbon copy of the “knock or tap” technique. You’ll turn on your electric hair clipper and put it back-first against the wall. Move it around and listen for a change in its hum. The closer it gets to a stud, the deeper and more muffled the hum becomes. The farther it gets, the louder and more shallow it is.

Method #4: Use a Coat Hanger

Like me, you’ll have to sacrifice one of your coat hangers for this. Grab a wire hanger from your wardrobe and unwind it.

hanger on a ground
Photo Credit: Racheal Oyebode

Once that’s done, the next step is to bend it into a “U” shape with equal lengths on both sides.

u shaped hanger on the ground
Photo Credit: Racheal Oyebode

Now, punch a wide enough (not too wide) hole in your wall and stick one leg of the hanger inside. Fiddle with the hanger until the leg inside the wall hits a stud. When this happens, the leg inside and the one on your end will both point toward that stud.

Choosing a Method for Locating Studs in Drywall and Plaster

Drywall and plaster are not the same—that much is common sense. But did you know that the methods for finding wall studs in each are different as well?

The table below highlights the technique to use when looking for a stud in drywall vs plaster.

Stud Finding TechniquePlasterDrywall
Knock or Tap the Wall
Follow Electrical Outlets and Light Switches
Use a Magnet
Look for Dimples in the Wall
Check for Dimples in the Interior Trim
Measure From the Room Corner
Use a Pin

Lath and plaster is much thicker than drywall. As a result, it can be harder to find studs within it.

Read our articles to learn about wall studs and the various types of studs that exist.

Main Image Credit: cunaplus / Adobe Stock / License

Racheal Oyebisi

I am a writer with a passion for transforming homes through insightful and engaging content. With a love for all things DIY, I specialize in crafting home improvement articles that inspire and educate readers on a wide range of topics. In my free time, I enjoy staying active and love to read.