Domakihub How to Fit Noggins for Fixings in a Stud Wall
Add solid timber backing behind plasterboard so shelves, radiators, and heavy fittings never pull free.
Reviewed by Domakihub home & decor pros · 2026-06-23 · 5 min read
Plasterboard alone cannot hold a heavy shelf, a wall-mounted radiator, or a TV bracket — it crumbles under point loads. Noggins are short horizontal timbers fitted between studs to give a solid landing for fixings, and getting them in the right place before boarding up is always faster than cutting access holes later. The video above shows the cut-and-fix process in real time; this guide walks you through the full sequence with the measurements and fastening details your property in Greece will need.
What Is a Noggin and When Do You Need One?
A noggin (also called a dwang, blocking, or bridging piece) is a short length of the same timber section as your wall studs — typically 47 x 100 mm C16 or C24 softwood in modern builds — fixed horizontally between two adjacent studs. Its sole purpose is to give you a timber face to drive a screw into when plasterboard alone is not strong enough.
You need noggins anywhere a heavy or dynamic load will be wall-mounted: radiators, towel rails, bathroom grab-rails, kitchen wall units, TV brackets, mirror fixings, WC cisterns, boiler brackets, and curtain poles over large openings. In holiday rentals and hotels, where guests routinely overtax fixings, it pays to noggin generously during any renovation rather than retrofitting after a failure.
Do You Need a Professional or a Building Permit?
Fitting noggins inside a non-structural timber stud wall is a straightforward carpentry task with no permit requirement in Greece for standard internal partitions. However, if the wall in question is load-bearing (a structural wall carrying floor joists or roof loads), any alteration — including removing sections to insert blocking — requires an engineer's assessment and, in most cases, a building permit (oikodomiki adeia). When in doubt, tap the wall at floor and ceiling level: a structural wall typically sits directly above a beam or ground-floor slab and feels noticeably heavier and more solid than a simple partition.
Gas pipework and electrical circuits sometimes run inside stud walls. Before cutting or drilling between studs, always scan the wall with a pipe-and-cable detector. If gas is involved, a licensed gas technician (adeiouchos technitis aeriou) must be engaged — this is not a DIY task under Greek regulations.
How to Fit Noggins for Fixings — Step by Step
- 1
Mark the fixing height and locate the studs
Decide exactly where your fitting will sit and mark its centre height on the wall in pencil. Use a stud finder or a strong rare-earth magnet to locate both studs that flank the fixing zone — the noggin must span between them. Mark the stud edges clearly; a typical stud centres at 400 mm or 600 mm intervals in Greek-built timber partitions, though this varies. Double-check with a fine drill bit before committing.
- 2
Cut the noggin to length
Measure the clear internal gap between the two studs — usually 338 mm at 400 mm centres after allowing for the stud width — and cut your noggin to that exact length using a mitre saw or a sharp hand saw and a square guide. Use timber of the same section as the existing studs (commonly 47 x 100 mm). A tight fit is better than a loose one: the noggin should require light persuasion to seat fully without bowing the studs outward.
- 3
Position and skew-nail or screw from the face
Hold the noggin at the correct height. The two most reliable fixing methods are skew-nailing (driving 75 mm or 90 mm oval nails at roughly 45 degrees through the face of the noggin into each stud) and face-screwing from outside the stud using 100 mm structural screws driven through the stud face into the noggin end. The screw method is faster and stronger for retrofit work where you have access to the stud faces. Use at least two fixings per end. If you own or can hire a gas or pneumatic nailer, the video above demonstrates how dramatically this speeds up the job.
- 4
Check level and alignment with the stud faces
Before boarding, lay a short straightedge across the stud faces and the new noggin. The noggin face must sit flush — or fractionally set back — with the stud faces. If it protrudes even 1–2 mm it will create a hump in the plasterboard and the joint will crack. Tap the noggin back with a mallet if needed, or plane the face lightly. If it is too far set back, pack it forward with a thin timber shim and re-fix. Verify it is level with a spirit level; a tilted noggin will cause a wall unit or radiator bracket to rack out of plumb.
- 5
Board over, note positions, and hang your fixing
Once all noggins are in place and flush, proceed with plasterboard as planned. Before the board goes on, photograph the wall with a tape measure in shot so you have a permanent record of noggin heights and positions — invaluable when you or a future tradesperson needs to add a fixing years later. After skimming and drying, drive your fixing screws into the noggin zone with confidence: a 60 mm No.10 screw into solid timber can support far beyond what most domestic fittings ever demand.
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FAQ
- Can I add noggins after the plasterboard is already on?
- Yes, but it is substantially more work. You must cut a horizontal slot in the plasterboard at the correct height, insert and fix the noggin through that slot (often using angled screws or a nail gun from below), then patch, re-tape, and re-skim the repair. On a plastered wall the patch will almost always show slightly. It is always better to plan noggin positions before boarding — but a neat retrofit is achievable by an experienced carpenter or dry-lining specialist.
- How do I know if my wall is a non-structural partition or a load-bearing wall?
- Structural walls typically run perpendicular to the floor joists, sit directly above a ground-floor beam or foundation wall, and often have joists bearing onto them from both sides. Tap both walls: a partition sounds hollow and lightweight; a structural wall feels dense and often has noticeable mass. If the wall runs through multiple floors or carries a steel beam above, assume it is structural and consult a structural engineer (politikos michanikos) before altering it. In Greece, any structural alteration also requires a licensed engineer to submit the change to the relevant urban planning authority.
- What size timber should I use for noggins?
- Match the section of your existing studs as closely as possible. In most modern Greek timber-frame partitions this is 47 x 100 mm (2x4 inch nominal) CLS or regularised softwood graded C16 or better. For particularly heavy loads — a large flat-screen TV, a wall-hung toilet cistern, or a boiler — consider using 47 x 150 mm timber and doubling up the noggins (two pieces side by side) to create a wider landing zone for fixings.