Blocking (construction)

In construction blocking refers to pieces of wood or other material that run between wall studs in order to provide support and attachment sites for mounted hardware such as cabinets, shelving, or bathroom towel bars.

Construction

Traditionally 2x4 or 2x6 boards are cut to size and nailed between studs. Since studs are usually spaced 16 or 24 inches apart scrap pieces of dimensional lumber can often be used. For maximum utility rows of blocking should be set at a predetermined height and installed flush with the interior plane of the wall. Individual boards should be secured with at least one nail or screw through each stud.

Purpose

Properly installed blocking is easier to find and use for attaching wall hardware than studs alone. Once drywall, or any other material, covers the wall it can be difficult to find 2x4 studs for attachment, and the position of nails and screws must be adjusted to stud location. Thus, if blocking is installed at a uniform and predetermined height, attachment sites can be found without using a stud finder, and the blocking can be utilized anywhere along a wall at that height. This is particularly useful for installing upper cabinets in kitchens or bathrooms as they tend to be fairly heavy and finding appropriate studs for installation can be difficult.