Q:
I’ve purchased a few new measuring tapes over the past year, and I have noticed that they have a new mark on them that my old tapes didn’t have. Every 19-3/16 in., there is a little black diamond. Every brand seems to have the marks, including those that have metric measurements in addition to inches and feet. Any idea what these marks are for?
Patrick Grieco, Toronto, None
A:
Andy Engel, former editor of Fine Homebuilding’s Tools & Materials department, replies: The marks on your tape are actually at every 19.2 in., and they’re intended as layout guides just as the 16-in. marks are. An 8-ft. section of wall or floor laid out on 19.2-in. centers would have five bays, as opposed to the six bays it would have using a 16-in. layout. The result is that you save one framing member every 8 ft. This is fine for non-bearing interior partitions, but increasing the layout would also reduce the allowable span for rafters and joists. So check with an engineer or architect before changing from a 16-in. layout.
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