Tips on how to locate studs in walls

[Bernie Kopfer]

Have to suggest that the Shinwa Rules pin stud finder is my go to finder when the powered stud finders fail. For less than fifteen bucks at Amazon it has saved me a ton of grief. My tile installer immediately ordered two when I showed him how quickly it could be used to find the edge of a stud in difficult situations.

[Mike Kreinhop]

With standard construction what it is in Germany, I don't bother looking for studs, but I do have to look for rebar, water pipes, and electrical distribution embedded in the masonry before I start drilling. I've tried some of the detectors above, but the only tool that works consistently for me is the Bosch D-Tect 150. It is very pricey, but works well for nearly anything embedded in concrete, including plastic pipes. It also indicates the depth of the item detected, so I can decide to drill anyway or find another spot.

[Wayne Jolly]

Two questions.

1. The OP was talking about a plaster wall. Not knowing anything about plaster walls, isn't there something like chicken wire in there to give the plaster something to hold on to, and wouldn't that play havoc with a stud finder??

2. Aside from #1, has anyone tried the Walabot? My wife bought me one for fathers day and it looks pretty kool. It is an attachment for a cell phone and will actually show you where the studs are through drywall, or concrete walls. It will also show wiring, plumbing, and mice.

Wayne

[Jim Becker]

Wayne, that's a good point and question. A "finder" that has adjustable characteristics can help with that so it will differentiate between "just lath and/or wire" and a stud location.

[Bill Dufour]

OP here: The house was built in 1948. it has 1/2" button board which is a drywall with one inch holes every six inches or so. That is nailed up then about 1/2" of plaster is troweled on top some gets pushed through the holes to key it in similar to lath and plaster but no wood lath is used.
They did use hardware cloth on the internal corners of the tub area in the bathroom. No idea if they use that elsewhere since it is only in the tub area that I have pulled the drywall down.
Bill D

[Lee Schierer]

OP here: The house was built in 1948. it has 1/2" button board which is a drywall with one inch holes every six inches or so. That is nailed up then about 1/2" of plaster is troweled on top some gets pushed through the holes to key it in similar to lath and plaster but no wood lath is used.
They did use hardware cloth on the internal corners of the tub area in the bathroom. No idea if they use that elsewhere since it is only in the tub area that I have pulled the drywall down.
Bill D

My house is made with 1/2" blue board with a coat of plaster. Most of the walls are close to 3/4" thick. My stud finder has little trouble finding the studs and the little wizard finds the nails holding the blue board to the studs. Knocking on the wall with your knuckle will result in a sore knuckle more than finding a stud.

[Todd Bender]

I used to use a drill bit on occassion until I drilled a hole in a pex pipe resting against the inside of the drywall. I use a finish nail and 12oz hammer because it doesn't lie like stud finders do and it doesn't easily perforate water lines.

[Mike Ontko]

I locate studs using a combination of tapping (a crude form of echo location, I guess), looking for bumps or indentations from screws and bad drywall tape jobs, and using a battery powered stud finder as a confirmation. It also helps to have a basic understanding of interior and exterior wall framing, to have a general idea where 16" vs 24" spacing could be, and the application and locations of cripple studs, king studs, jack studs, headers, etc.

My stud finder is a cheapie Stanley, with different selections for finding studs through different thicknesses of wall coverings.

[Wade Lippman]

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

Wonderful little tool!

[Wade Lippman]

2. Aside from #1, has anyone tried the Walabot? My wife bought me one for fathers day and it looks pretty kool. It is an attachment for a cell phone and will actually show you where the studs are through drywall, or concrete walls. It will also show wiring, plumbing, and mice.

Wayne

Have you used it? I saw the ads and wanted one bad; but the reviews pretty much all say it is junk.

[Tom M King]

A round, rare earth magnet, held in your hand, and rolled around the wall will attach itself to any metal inside the wall. You don't need a very large one. They're handy for a number of different locating uses. Check out the Chimney Flashing page on my website if you're interested in my whole process on a Cypress shingle roof:

[Martin Wasner]

Hanging cabinets? Keyhole saw. Jam it in the sheetrock behind where a cabinet is going and cut until you find lumber.

Then you have the guessing game of 16oc, or was it laid out on diamonds?

Probably not the best method for hanging a picture though

[scott vroom]

Hanging cabinets? Keyhole saw. Jam it in the sheetrock behind where a cabinet is going and cut until you find lumber.

...and hope you don't find romex first.

[Jim Becker]

...and hope you don't find romex first.

Exactly my first thought... LOL Bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

[Bill Conerly]

Finding nails not same as finding studs. I told my architect brother i had a stud that's not vertical. He laughed and assured me the stud was vertical, but the sheetrock guy just shoots nails left and right. Nails are cheap, time spent aiming is expensive.