Hanging A Heavy Mirror/Picture/TV On A Wall? ALWAYS DO THIS!! (Bracket Studs...AVOID DISASTERS!)

Check Out Our FREE GUIDE: *25 Must-Have Carpentry Tools...Under $25 Each!*

AFFILIATE TOOL LINKS:
Zircon Stud Finder A200:
Folai Stud Finder:
Tavool Stud Finder (Most Purchased!):
CH Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder (Most Purchased!):
Estwing 16 oz. Leather Grip Hammer:

Hillman 2" Trim Nails:

(Please Note: These are affiliate links. When you shop through these links, we receive a small commission at NO EXTRA CHARGE TO YOU. We greatly appreciate the support!)

FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM:
FOLLOW US ON LINKEDIN:

Hanging A Heavy Mirror/Picture/TV On A Wall? ALWAYS DO THIS!! (Bracket Studs...AVOID DISASTERS!)

When hanging heavy items like mirror, pictures or TVs on a wall, you should always make sure you're attaching to a stud. BUT, there's a step in the process you should never miss! It's called "bracketing" the stud. This short video from The Honest Carpenter will teach you how to do it!

Studs have a certain thickness to them--typically 1-1/2" for modern houses, though it can be up to 2" in older homes.

In order to make sure you're getting the most support out of a stud, you should driver your fasteners in the CENTER of the stud. Fasteners that aren't in the center are more likely to gettin pulled out.
This can result in serious injury!

To find the center of a stud hidden in a wall, you can "bracket the stud."

The easiest way to bracket studs is by using a trim nail. Find the stud with a magnet, or stud finder. Now, use a trim nail to test that the stud is truly there--drive the nail in to hit wood.

Pull the nail out, move 3/4" to the right, and drive the nail again. It should hit nothing.

Pull the nail out, move 3/4" to the left of the original hole in the OTHER direction. Drive it again--it should hit nothing.

This will prove that you have found the edge of the stud. Now you can use these points to plot the actual center of the stud!

Do this every time you want to hang something heavy (mirrors, pictures, TVs, weight racks) from your wall.

Thanks for watching! Be sure to visit us at The Honest Carpenter Website:

[Pgeters]

For drywall, I use a sewing push pin, with the little plastic ball on the end. I break the plastic off by crushing it with vise grips and then clamp down on that end with the vise grips. Holding the vise grips, you can carefully push the pin through the drywall and tell if you have hit wood or not. Obviously leaves a much smaller hole that is easier to patch.

[mysticmeadow]

When I saw you tack the holes I burst out laughing. Apparently the previous tenant in my home didn't have a stud finder and there is literally a 3 foot line of holes along one of my front room walls. I was always curious as to how they got there and now I know. Thanks :)

[timothycreasy]

I have never heard of bracketing before. Thanks for the clarification of what it means also.
Yet another trade word I have learned from you from watching your channel. Thank you for the helpful content you put out boss .

[canebro]

The trim nail is good, but I like to use a drill with a 1/16" bit. Much easier to get in and out, and a tiny hole. Bonus is you can also drill your pilot hole for the actual bit you want.

[WanJae]

That's great advice! I not only sweep the studfinder from both directions, I turn the studfinder UPSIDE DOWN and sweep from both directions, because in many cases the signal is somewhat offset from the housing of the studfinder (ie, what you would think is the middle of the studfinder is not). I sort of visually take an average of all four tick marks I make and call that the center of the stud.

[kathywings]

Thanks! I’m a beginner and did not know about bracketing. Very helpful safety precaution.

[debbymiller]

Bracketing a stud was news to me. I have a very heavy mirror to hang in a bathroom. You just taught me how to avoid a disaster. Thanks!!

[akmnl]

Great video, thanks! As a long-time DIYer, I have used an assortment of electronic stud finders and tried to bracket the stud with them. I have gone back to just tapping the wall with my finger and then using the finish nails to find the center of the stud. Nice to know that others use and like this method. 👍

[joshhoevelmann]

I use tiny T pins that I can push in with my hands. Smaller holes. I use this in conjunction with a stud finder.

[bossone]

I'm sure some people are the thinking about past projects and sweating it.

[chelsealevinsohn]

Im literally an amateur and live in a ground floor apartment trying to hang a swing chair after my father in law hitches the job my handing the chair from a beam he put up in the corner of the room about two thirds up the wall, not on the ceiling, he did this to avoid having to locate joists and I'm just trying to redo this whole thing myself directly into the ceiling as the swing chair currently rests against the wall and doesn't swing at alk, I greatly appreciated all your videos they've helped a lot

[chereejohnson]

You are the Man!! Never thought of this "obvious" future nightmare! "Was it helpful?" ? It was life changing Gold! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!

[sean]

I found the studs in the wall on which I was hanging my TV by removing a large piece of drywall, lol.

Apparently, my house was built by a bunch drunk and/or blind guys. There's not a whole lot that's square/plumb and a good portion of the studs aren't on 16" centers. So I cut out a large portion of the drywall, added in some cross bracing, reattached the drywall, fixed the gaps/holes, and then hung my TV. It wasn't ideal, but it got the job done.

[marloschmidtswitch]

Thank you, ... I’ve been doing this for a while and was embarrassed because I thought it was an amateur move, ... this was a confidence building for me, ... thanks again.

[brianbacich]

I feel like I should tear my tv down and double check the bolts now. Damn ignorance was bliss

[codacreator]

I'll admit I didn't even think about it. Everything you said makes perfect sense, of course, but it just didn't register until I got here. I was one of those guys that hit a stud with a stud finder and started hammering. Well, not any more. Thanks for the tips!

[psalms]

Although I didn't know this, I do have a stud finder that locates the center of the stud. What I didn't know about is the position of the stud in the wall. I thought it was positioned with the wide side facing towards me. Now I know the stud is much narrower and I can use this bracketing technique with a nail will help me be sure and safe. Thanks for this video

[partsdave]

I’ve been “bracketing” with a stud finder for 30 years. Always works for me.

[zachlopez]

Great video! Ive been bracketing with the stud finder but will start double checking with the nail just to be safe!

[ehudgavron]

Hi Ethan! I'm a DIYer and watch your videos all the time. I'm also an ex-IT-guy. I find the Magnepull saves me more time and lets me find and go through hidden wall construction easier than anything else.

Nails... great. Stud finders... great. Magnepull... not only find the stud but get stuff through it without fishtape. Not as useful for hanging ... but extremely useful for wiring.