How far are the wooden wall studs spaced apart in a home?

Question

What is the wall stud spacing in a new home - 16" apart??

What about an older home - built in 1900 - is it 14"?
They are very difficult to find with all the plaster & lathe in the wall!

Answer 1

My house was built in 1901 and the truth is there were no standards back then, you may find as we have they may be different all over the house.

Answer 2

Wall studs in a new home are 16" on center.
Studs in an older home were arbitrary. Since the studs in 1900 were a full 2" by 4" and made with Douglas Fir or Southern Yellow Pine which was more abundant and harder than the new whitewoods, in less expensive homes the spacing was as much as 24" apart. But in the more expensive homes the spacing could be as close as 12". It all depended on how much you were willing to spend.
To find the studs in a wet plaster wall you need to buy the more expensive stud finder that penetrates deeper. Metal lathe can really complicate things too. I've had to go as far as driving a finish nail in every 1" till I ran across it.

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
How far are the wooden wall studs spaced apart in a home?
What is the wall stud spacing in a new home - 16" apart??

What about an older home - built in 1900 - is it 14"?
They are very difficult to find with all the plaster & lathe in the wall!

Answer 4

Stud Spacing

Answer 5

If you can't use a stud finder to locate them, the best way is the old fashioned way. Thump the wall and listen for a solid sound. If that doesn't help, the only other way, is to use a nail and a hammer, and work from 13" to 17" until you hit a stud. Mark that one, and repeat the process, until you determine, the spacing of the studs.
They could be as far as 24 " but that is very unusual.
good luck.

Answer 6

Becase of board size you would start your layout 15 1/4 then 16 on center older home were 24 on center because they used oak wallnut and other hard woods a good stud finder or the stand by a long finish nail the nail will go through the lath but if you find a stud you would know

Answer 7

you are correct. Because of types of lumber and the style of construction, the space between wall studs has changed. Generally, in a new home, it is every 16" and a double stud around door frames and windows. They are hard to find in older homes, I understand, so just check with a stud finder about every 14-16" and see if you can find one. Sometimes it is a little different in every home because different people built each home.

Answer 8

celtic-tides hit the nail on the head,no pun intended. I personally have been working on a house built in the 1900's and although most studs were indeed spaced on 16" centers,a good number were spaced on many different centers.Stud finders might not work to well,a good alternative is hammer and nail. You might try using a length of 1x1 with a 3" nail in one end,just nail it in far enough so that it won't pull out easily and cut off the head. Hope this helps-----good luck.

Answer 9

What Is A Wall Stud

Answer 10

A lot of it depends on what area of the country you are located in. In the Midwest, it was common for older homes to be either 14 centered (meaning that many inches apart). However, if the house was built by someone other than a professional contractor, it is possible for it to be a different center. I used to own a house that was 12 centered. Guess they wanted to make sure that it would stay standing - lol.

Answer 11

Get a stud finder.
Or try this from This Old House:
http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/solutions/article/0,16417,212066,00.html
Or have you tried knocking? You might be able to hear the difference between the hollow wall and where the studs are at.