Tips on how to locate studs in walls

[Lee Schierer]

In a recent thread there was an individual that was having difficulty locating studs in a plaster wall. I posted a suggestion that has worked for me and I'm sure there are other non-destructive ways to find studs in walls. Here are five ways I came up with for locating studs:

Tricks for finding studs:
1. Use a stud finder or metal detector to locate nails or screws hidden by plaster or dry wall. (The "Little Wizard" metal detector works well for this.)
2. Use rare earth magnets to locate nails or screws in the wall.
3. Light switches and wall outlets are usually mounted with a stud either to the left or to the right. The next stud will generally be 16" from that one.
4. Studs are usually within 16" of a room corner, window or door opening though they may be closer in some instances. Once you find one the next one is usually 16" away.
5. Remove the base trim and drilling holes to locate a stud. The next stud should be 16" from that one. The holes can be covered by new base trim.

Please post your methods

[Nick Decker]

Good tips. Another one, for use in garages like mine where the drywallers weren't real careful, is to sight along the wall. You'll often see slight indentations (or bumps) where the nail heads are.

[Ellen Benkin]

I use the tapping method where I can hear the difference between a stud and the space between studs. I am very accurate as proven when I double check with a stud finder.

[Jim Becker]

I have had a simple, battery powered "stud finder" for decades and it's what I use for this kind of job. It rarely fails to do what I need done and has felt pads on the surface so it doesn't mark the wall, either. It was inexpensive, too...

[John K Jordan]

1. Use a stud finder or metal detector to locate nails or screws hidden by plaster or dry wall. (The "Little Wizard" metal detector works well for this.)
2. Use rare earth magnets to locate nails or screws in the wall.
3. Light switches and wall outlets are usually mounted with a stud either to the left or to the right. The next stud will generally be 16" from that one.
4. Studs are usually within 16" of a room corner, window or door opening though they may be closer in some instances. Once you find one the next one is usually 16" away.
5. Remove the base trim and drilling holes to locate a stud. The next stud should be 16" from that one. The holes can be covered by new base trim.

Good list. I use those methods plus tapping. If I'm going to be patching the wall anyway I often just drill a line of small diameter holes across the wall, drill just enough to penetrate and not chance contacting an electrical cable. Fast and extremely accurate! I used this method recently to verify a stud location when drilling through new shower tile on the other side of the wall to mount a grab bar.

When building a new wall take a moment to photograph the studs after the electrical is run and before the sheet rock or paneling goes up. Print paper copies of the photos, can save a lot of time years later.

JKJ

[Van Huskey]

I have a Zircon e50, about $20 and detects studs up to 1.5" deep so useful for plaster which is often deeper than 3/4" which is the limit of some scanners. It also detects hot AC. You normally don't use the deep scan unless you need to since in standard drywall covered walls don't require more than 3/4" and the deep scan can pick up pipes or conduit. There are all sorts of free and easy ways to find studs but for $20 I think one of the decent scanning studfinders is worth having around but even if you own one knowing tricks is useful since you may not always have the studfinder handy.

[Jim Allen]

I use the Franklin Prosensor 710, a little expensive but works well, multiple LEDs shows the location of the stud.

[Tom M King]

Look where the nails are in baseboard. That 710 is the best thing ever for putting up crown molding.

[Bruce Wrenn]

Recently hung some cabinets on a wall framed with metal studs. On a couple studs, we located top screw with no problem, but bottom screw completely missed stud. At bottom, stud would be approx 1.5" to the right. Finally figured out that framer had scabbed scraps together to complete the wall, thus the offset.

[Bill Orbine]

Another method is to hold a light (such as a flashlight) close as possible to wall shining the beam across the face of wall. You'll find some screw or nail indentations or pops. There will always be at least a couple.

[Bob Michaels1]

All good responses. I'll just add most good framers will layout the ceiling joists over the studs. If studs can't be detected in the walls try the same methods on the ceiling, especially the skimming light to locate screws or nails.

[Dan Friedrichs]

+1 on the Franklin Prosensor. Has a row of LEDs that shows you the exact width of the stud.

[julian abram]

I use a Zircon stud finder until I start questioning it's accuracy, then I get out a hammer & 16 penny nail. Hammer and nail are 100% accurate every time.

[Floyd Mah]

German Shepherd dog. Honestly. My dog was walking near the wall, suddenly froze in his tracks and proceeded to investigate a slight dimple in the plaster that overlaid a fastener in the sheetrock. His ability to pick up a scent is remarkable, but I would have never guessed he could locate a screw in the wall.

Anyway, here's a trick that I've used, besides the metal detector. I have a cheap Harbor Freight metal detector that is invaluable in locating metal screws or nails hidden in the wall, but it is only good as a proximity sensor. In a situation where I was trying to remove wood trim by driving the nails into the wood (to free the trim and avoid damaging the trim more), I used the metal detector to give me an approximate location. Then I used a carbide scriber that has an attached neodymium magnet to show me the exact location of the nail. They are so powerful that they attach to the trim.

Hate stud finders. Maybe I have the wrong brand, but the HF metal detector has worked the best for me.

[Keith Outten]

Installing signs for many years has caused me to use just about every method of finding studs including my knuckle and several of the stud finders mentioned above. Each works pretty good but I have added one more and that's a metal detecting pin pointer, I have a Garrett Carrot orange model. The pin pointer will find conduit, pipe and electrical cable even if it is located off the wall surface and you can tune it to provide more accurate results. A bit pricey but worth the money for some people.