How do I find and mark 16' centers when building a stud wall - brain cramp?

Answer 1

Your studs should be over the floor joists, ceiling joists over the studs, and so on. Find the location of the floor joists and use that to lay out your wall. On walls that run parellel to the floor joists, you can just pull your 16s from the end of the plates. The 16" o.c. marks on your tape measure are marked in red. If you are marking 16s right off the edge of the plates, mark 3/4" shy of the 16" marks, example: 15 1/4, 31 1/4, 47 1/4, etc. If you are marking 16s to follow an existing layout (such as floor joists), mark your first stud location, tack a nail to hold your tape, then mark 16s from there.

Answer 2

16" on center means just that - from the center of the studs. Starting with the end stud, find the center of that then measure out 16 ". That will be the center of the next stud. Even if you start from the outside end of the first stud, that same end on the next stud will be 16". A standard 2x4 stud is actually 1 1/5 x 3 1/2, so if you measured 3/4" in from the edge of the stud you'll find the center.

Answer 3

Measure 16" from the outside of the first stud to the center of the next stud the 16" from center to center.

Answer 4

The question is confusing. FIND and MARK, when BUILDING???

If you're building that suggests there is no drywall yet, and measuring is easy with a tape measure.

If the wall is an add on, and drywall hides the studs, then you aren't truly "Building" it.

If studs are already hidden use a decent stud finder, or poke and hope. every 16 inches from any corner.

Enlighten me please.

Rev. Steven

Answer 5

On your Tape Measure, you have 16" marked or 24" marked in a red zone. That is so that you can easily find the centers of a stud, with out too much effort.

I wish you well..

Jesse