How To Hang Anything Without a Stud Finder

Fairly recently, I had started to decorate my new apartment. Like most Millennials out there, I decided that the best way to jazz it up would be with a variety of posters and knickknacks that were designated as "wall art" by the potato-shaped salesperson at Home Depot.

Unfortunately, I forgot to get a stud finder so I could hang the items in question properly. It took a while for me to find solutions, but thanks to the internet, I did.

Thanks to the net, I can now hang anything without a stud finder. Here's how you can do the same.

Why do you need a stud finder?

If you're like me, you didn't understand why you'd even need a stud finder to hang a picture on your wall. The truth is that most walls, especially those made out of plaster, can't really support heavy stuff like a metal picture frame.

To make sure your walls can handle the burden, make sure to hang your goods on the support beams of the wall. These support beams are called studs.

If you don't hang your stuff on a stud, you might end up damaging your walls or have your things fall off the wall. So, you do need to seek out studs, particularly if you have heavy things you want to hang.

Now, let's teach you how to hang anything without a stud finder.

In order to hang anything without a stud finder, you're going to need to school yourself on the subtle art of finding a stud. The fun thing about buildings is that they often have telltale signs of studs, simply because of the fact that every building "settles" with time.

To find a stud using a flashlight, turn off the lights and shine your flashlight at a high angle. You might notice bumps. The bumps are where nails to the support beams are, which means that a stud will be right below them.

You could also seek out power outlets or electrical switches.

Power outlets and electrical switches tend to be nailed up close to a house's studs. Most of the time, power outlets are nailed on one side of a stud. So, if you line up your stuff with your power outlets, chances are that you will have no problem hanging up your gear.

Measure 16" from the first stud you found, and knock on your wall to make sure you found a stud.

Obviously, you shouldn't hang your art near an electrical outlet unless you're up for a shocking end. So, if you want to hang anything without a stud finder, you're going to need to find studs adjacent to the telltale areas.

Most studs in modern homes are placed around 16" apart, so once you find a stud, knock on the wall. The next stud will make a solid noise, rather than a typical "empty, hollow" noise. If you can't hear the solid rap, try to knock 24" away.

The truth is that trying to find studs 16" or 24" apart can be taxing, but it works pretty well. You can hang anything without a stud finder as long as you are able to knock on a wall. Who'd have guessed?

To make sure you caught the stud, drive a small nail into the place you've rooted out.

If the stud doesn't hit wood or metal, take a long wire and drive it into the hole. If you got the right place, you'll be able to feel it using a wire, and therefore can use that location to hang up heavier items.

This is a great way to find a place to hang up extremely heavy items like a television mount or a hefty bookshelf. That being said, you don't need to find a stud to hang anything without a stud finder...

Admittedly, poster putty can leave a pretty unsightly stain on walls and on the backs of posters. However, it's incredibly useful, especially if you ave a lot of posters and very little patience for seeking out studs throughout your home.

Though this isn't a route that you can use to hang anything without a stud finder, it's incredibly useful for people who have a lot of paper products they want to display. (Speaking as someone who loves new movie posters and posters of overly-shopped actresses, this is a huge deal.)

Don't get me wrong; wall-mounted coat racks are awesome. They are very useful and can add a nice layer of functionality to your foyer. After all, everyone likes to be able to walk into a home and hang up their hat, right?

Well, yes they do. That doesn't mean you need to waste time trying to fiind studs in the wall. A simple over-the-door coat rack can save tons of time and give you the same effect.

Love the idea of having a place to put your apron? Need a place to hang up that one ladle you always use? Command hooks allow you to hang anything up without a stud finder, provided that it's a lightweight object.

I have a million lifehacks involving command hooks, so I might be biased, but these things are true lifesavers. All you need to do is stick them on your wall, and then use them to hang up your goodies. They allow you to hang anything on anything.

Butterfly bolts are pretty useful when you need to hang heavier items but can't really use any of the remaining studs in your home.

The way butterfly bolts work is simple. They have "wings" that expand behind the wall. By letting the "wings" expand, the item in question will have a more secure position on the wall and will be less likely to fall.

Whether they are a full alternative for hanging anything without a stud finder is debatable, but they definitely are great to use for items that are of middling weight.

I'm a bit leery of drilling holes in bathroom walls or in tiling, simply because I get worried about mold. Suction cups are great for this, and most shower caddies will come with them included as part of the installation kits.

Of course, if you have something that needs to be hung up and doesn't come with a hook, you can always just buy a pack online.