Proper Stud Spacing

If you wall is too short then at the end you wont have a full 16" spacing. Not all walls are built to be multiples of 16. I believe non load bearing walls can even be done at 24" on center. If it's non load bearing i dont think it's so much an issue (though i wouldn't go wider than 24) but if you pick 15" your drywall wont be easily hung. Doing 24 or 16 allows the drywall to end in the middle of a stud (allowing for the next one to have something to start on).

From your first stud, you measure from the outer edge of the 2x4, your next stud will be placed at 15 1/4" so the middle of the stud falls at 16". The next stud would start at 31 1/4" so it's middle will fall at 32", the 47 1/4", etc. So the empty spacing would be 31 1/4" - 16 3/4" = 14 1/2.

If your wall is less than 48" you can space the studs evenly if you want, but there is really no need. You could just keep it at start, 16, 32, and say the end at 41 (or whatever).

Does this help?

When marking your plates, the most important thing is to space them so that you don't have to make extra cuts on what's going to be fastened to them. I you are going to put plywood on it, lay it out so you only have to cut the last one-not both first and last.

Feel free to put an extra one where you think you need it. Standard spacing makes it simple to use standard materials, like plywood, insulation, sheetrock, etc.

I usually fasten down the bottom plate, mark it off like I want it, then lay the top plate beside it and mark it by the bottom one.

For framing for sheetrock, I plan where the end, butt joints are going to be, and put two studs there, glued together with construction adhesive, so the fasteners don't have to go so close to the edge of the sheetrock. I also run those studs down 3/32", so the finished joint doesn't have to stand proud of the wall, causing a shadow in cross-lighting.

If you look at most tape measures, there will be special markings at the 16" intervals. If you hook the end of your tape on the outside of your first stud or the end of your bottom plate, then all the markings, 16, 32, 48, 64, etc, will be the center of where the stud lands. This makes it easy for laying out where the nails go after the plywood or sheetrock goes on. It also allows for a joining point for the next piece of sheeting because the end of each sheet will land half way on the joining stud, overlapping it by 3/4", each.

As for what to do with the short spacing if you have less than 8', it is your call. Some framers put an extra stud in and others leave it out...cheap vs. over kill.

True spacing theoretically should be 14.5" between, but due to variation in stud thickness and the usual twisting of studs, spacing blocks should be cut at 14 7/16" to be safe. You can always set the blocks loose. The main objective is to keep the stud spacing exactly 16" on center so your nails do not miss when you attach the sheeting material.

why 16" on center?

Standard building sheathing, drywall and insulation is made to stop and start on the 16" centers or in the case of insulation, fit in between. What about a wall where the 16" centers will not work out? You still use the spacing regardless., for the reasons above. Then on the right end, usually, there will be a space more narrow. Why the right end? carpenters or framers usually measure left to right when marking out the plates because they are mostly right handed and they hook the tape on the left end and pull it out to the right. This leaves any "odd" spacing on the right end.

When I frame a wall, I'll put an extra stud in on the 96" mark on either side to allow for an easier drywall mating surface. It doesn't affect the other spacing and just makes my life a bit easier. I can use bowed studs and turn them opposite where they may not be able to be used as a single.

Robson Valley said:

Try looking at your local building code before you get into the " I believe that. . . "
Start 16" (very, very common) or whatever it is, and as said, the last one is less.
Any wall done at 16" is easier to finish (wonder why the wall board is made that way, hmmmm?)

We do 16" in walls here, 12" in modern roofs because of the snow load. A roof at 16 can handle 5-10' of snow, the issue is freak winter rain and the weight that adds.

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On houses with 12" spaced rafters how do they space the wall studs?. I thought for it to be truly load bearing the rafters would have to align with the studs for weight transfer from the roof to the foundation, and to avoid deflection in between studs. With 12" spaces in rafters, and 16" spaces on studs, they'd only align every 4'. That's 3 out of every 4 rafters that will miss aligning with a stud below it (the second one of the three will be off by a good 8" from the nearest stud, landing smack in the middle between two studs) and in time there will be a decent amount of deflection develop which can cause problems from cracked Sheetrock to roof sag in places. Since the fascia board is attached to the rafter ends this can also lead to gutters holding water in places as well as the appearance of wavy soffits developing over time.