How to Find Posts Behind a Tiled Wall

Home improvement projects can be satisfying, inexpensive, creative, and hugely frustrating. Almost all wall projects begin with the words “find a stud.” If you live in a new or hobbyist-remodeled home, this is a call to arms. Technically, the vertical planks that support the wall are spaced sixteen inches apart. This is not always the case. Finding wall studs behind drywall is quite difficult. If you are looking for posts behind tile, you may have a long day. Gather your tools, take a deep breath, and make sure the beer or lemonade is ice cold and waiting.

Instructions

1. Measure at sixteen inches from one corner. Move the beam finder slowly along the tile wall until it indicates a beam. This probably won’t work, but it’s best to try the simplest methods first.

2. Go to the room that is leaning against the tile wall, if there is one. Measure 16 inches from the closest shared perpendicular wall and sweep the stud finder over the wall in slow sweeps. If you find a stud, measure from there to the perpendicular wall. Go back to the tiled room and measure that exact shared perpendicular wall measurement.

3. Measure from a perpendicular wall in 16-inch increments, until you find one that falls on a strip of grout instead of a tile. Put the 1/8-inch glass or tile bit into your power drill and drill into the grout. If you find a stud, you should be able to measure 16 inches on each side and find another.

4. Bend the thick wire and glue it through the hole you drilled in the grout. Push along the back of the wall on either side of the hole to see if you can find a stud. If it does, pinch the wire between your thumb and forefinger, right in the hole. Pull out the cable and run it along the wall, fingers tight in the hole. The bolt should be on the other end of the cable. Mark that point with a marker.

5. Drill a hole in the stud. Measure 16 inches on each side of that stud and you should find another.

6. Fill the grout pilot holes by spraying silicone caulk into them. Let the putty dry for 2-3 hours and then use a wooden stick to apply some matching grout over the putty.

Tips and Warnings

Two people with two stud hunters will have a better chance and less frustrated than one person hunting alone.

Never start drilling holes in the tile at random. You will be tempted, but you will also regret it.