How to Space Studs

Use a framing square to space wall studs. It has a thin tongue that is16 inches long and a wide blade that is 24 inches long. The tongue is 1-1/2 inches wide, the specific width of any 2-by stud lumber. Measure 16-inch stud spacing with the tongue and 24-inch spacing with the blade. Set the tongue across the narrow dimension of the stud to mark both sides of a stud on a wall plate.

Space studs on exterior walls by marking the first stud location at one end of the wall plates, top and bottom. Set the plates side by side on a level surface so you can mark both at once (you can stack four plates to do two walls of the same length at the same time). Mark the first stud at the end of the wall. Measure in 15-1/4 inches and mark the outside edge of the second stud; this allows a 4-foot sheathing panel to fit at the end of the wall and in the center of a stud.

Measure every 16 inches from the outside edge of the second stud and mark the stud locations. Mark the point, turn the square with the tongue across the board, mark both sides of the stud, and move to the next location. Repeat this procedure on all walls.

Mark special studs for windows and doors. Locate those openings on the plates and mark the outside edges. Put full studs on both sides of the opening, fit a header board horizontally between them at the top of the opening, then measure and cut shorter studs to go between the bottom of the header and the bottom plate. Measure and cut short "cripple" studs to fit between the top of the header and the top plate, also set 16 inches apart. Frame a window with a header but also with a "footer" at the bottom of the opening, with "cripples" from that footer to the bottom plate, 16 inches apart.

Check building codes for double stud requirements. Some codes require double studs at wall corners and outside door openings. Space these as additions -- the outside stud in a double will count as the basic stud for 16-inch spacing, with the double just an extra component.