HOT TIP

Hanging pictures includes the task of finding a secure spot on your wall…a task which has always caused me more than a little concern. What if there is no stud behind there to hold this painting? When hanging a heavy piece of art, this is something to worry about.

Here are some helpful hints:

• There's the old way of rapping on the wall with your knuckle, ear to the wall, listening for a solid "stud-thud". But this method is not that reliable...in older homes studs can be random, and elusive, at best.
• Or you can run to the hardware store and invest in an electronic stud finder, which will beep as it passes over wall studs or ceiling joists.
  Fairly reliable.
• If you get inspired at 2:00 AM and absolutely MUST hang those pictures right then and there, with no stud-finder in sight, you can depend on the help of a common pocket compass! Hold the compass level with the floor (at a right angle to the wall) and slide it slowly along the wall. Observe the needle of the compass. Movement will indicate the presence of nails (hence, a stud) beneath the wall's surface.

Remember, wall studs are generally 16" apart, center to center.

                                                                          ~Karen

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