Monthly Tip Wall Hangings – Part I … Where, Oh Where? Sheetrock, lath and plaster, brick, stucco, wood, hollow and solid, portaled or uninterrupted: what they all have in common is that as mere walls they are blank canvases waiting for their owner’s personal touch. And therein lies the fear that causes a grown man to quiver when faced with the problem of how to affix the adornments deemed appropriate by his partner. For sheetrock walls, the most common in today’s construction, there are three methods of dealing with the situation. The first is to take a nail, tap it into the wall at the desired location, and hope for the best. Providing the weight constraints are no more than a few ounces, this is usually sufficient. The second method is to locate a stud hidden in some secret, mysterious location behind the surface. Wall studs are traditionally located 16 inches on center, which means that once one has been located, the others should become relatively easy to discover. A word of warning however, measuring out from a corner will not guarantee a stud’s location, as the first stud may be somewhat closer, because of the wall’s overall length. The solution to this problem lies in the dream of chucking the whole project and going for a quiet drive down some secluded country lane. Just by letting the fantasy travel a bit further, it allows the introduction of the rural railroad crossing, the one without gates, with only a simple X-shaped sign emblazoned with: “Stop – Look – Listen.” Stop: There is a relatively inexpensive gadget known as a stud finder. Slide it along a smooth surface and a small warning light will signify a point where a stud lays hidden. Look: If a home is old enough, a careful examination of a painted wall may reveal a slight bulge or hairline circle where a nail used to fasten the wallboard to the supporting structure has begun to work its way back to the surface. Listen: Proceeding along a wall while gently rapping it with a knuckle will produce a hollow sound until a stud is encountered. The change in tone is what is being sought. While all of the above methods are more than adequate, none … like everything else in life … is 100% foolproof. To reshape the odds a little more in one’s favor, there is one more test to perform. With the tiniest drill bit possible, carefully penetrate the wall. If resistance is met and wood shavings follow the plaster dust, success is virtually assured. Unfortunately, however, even after the location of a stud is discovered, this often does not solve the problem, as it rarely coincides with the location of where the object, which was the initial cause of all of this, is to be hung. Contact Gentry Construction Co. 201 Montauk Hwy - Suite 7 · P.O. Box 1687 Westhampton Beach, NY 11978 Phone: 631-288-9004 Fax: 631-288-9012 Site by Hamptons Online