How to Find Studs in Any Wall

[admin]

Whether you are mounting a TV, speaker, or on-wall shelf, it's always best to anchor into a stud. Drywall anchors can work well, but you never truly know the quality of drywall. In this article, we provide differ different methods for findings studs, plus a number of extra tips. No single method will work for every situation, but using a combination of these methods should ensure that you always locate a stud, that is, as long as there's actually a stud in the wall.

Read How to Find Studs in Any Wall

 

[ImcLoud]

Good article, another way is to use a finish nail, remove the molding and use a long finish nail to pop in every few inches until you find the stud, if there is basebaord heat it will be mounted 3/4-1" above the floor grade you can pop the nails through in that space....

When I do a wall mount tv, I mark the wall where I want the center of the tv, then I mark the near by studs, then remove the sheetrock in that area, say 32"s x 11 or 16 x 11 depending if my center fell between 2 studs evenly or close to a single stud...
After cutting my nice rectangle hole I can see the edges of my studs, I install a 2x12 between the 2 studs at the height my tv mount will bolt up, it sits inside the wall flush with the sheetrock {or sit it in the wall a 1/2" and put the piece of sheet rock back over it}, I paint it the color of the wall, alex caulk it all in nice and neat and while Im in there install the tv box.. now the tv mount has a solid surface to mount to, so if a drunk friend trips and falls on the way to the bathroom on new years eve when she grabs the tv to catch herself from falling she doesn't rip it off the wall sending it smashing it to the floor.. Its a little work but well work it...

When I built my house, we marked where all the wall hungs would be and framed them in under the plaster , so every spot I thought I would hang a tv I added a few 2x6's just in case, I also hid the wires back there just in case, to date I have 3 untouched inside the walls but have used all the others....

Anyway, nice article. I no longer fret about finding studs since I got my deep wall scanner dtect 150, it works really well, electric wires trick it sometimes but for the most part it is awesome, finds water pipes in cement walls, studs, rebar, electrical, ect... But something much cheaper than that would be this camera {my son has one it works well}http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004ZWFOEQ/ref=biss_dp_t_asn and a set of fish stix Amazon.com: fisch sticks: Industrial & Scientific drill a hole big enough for the cam, tape it to a fish stic and send it in, take a look around..

 

[jinjuku]

I always pull an electrical outlet cover or light switch and see which side the stud is on.

 

[j_garcia]

J/K

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

here's a solid advice: Don't remove AC socket covers and sticking screwdriver near it while on under influence of adult only beverages

 

[slipperybidness]

Sometimes (especially in cheap apartment buildings), you can actually see the spots where the drywall is nailed to the studs.

It usually takes a trained eye, but once you see them and know what you are looking for, it can be easy.

 

[j_garcia]

Sometimes (especially in cheap apartment buildings), you can actually see the spots where the drywall is nailed to the studs.

It usually takes a trained eye, but once you see them and know what you are looking for, it can be easy.

Older the place is, the more likely that is too.

 

[Alex2507]

It usually takes a trained eye ...

The way it goes is that a lack of taping talent leads to funding being cut from the tapers and thrown at wall texture as a means of hiding joints. Then people having seen a whole mess of this start to like the look produced by no talent @ssclowns, bean counters and bad ideas.

On commercial jobs the sparkies are using brackets that span two studs. The box can be anywhere in between so the 'either side of the outlet' trick may not work.

Wood framed residential leaves me using a finish nail to locate the edge or edges of the stud so I know where the middle is. That's where you want your screw going. I've been known to use these #10 coarse thread screws usually referred to as gyp to gyp/cowboys/laminating screws in just the drywall alone for lighter or less permanent stuff.

 

[utopianemo]

On commercial jobs the sparkies are using brackets that span two studs. The box can be anywhere in between so the 'either side of the outlet' trick may not work.

Wood framed residential leaves me using a finish nail to locate the edge or edges of the stud so I know where the middle is. That's where you want your screw going. I've been known to use these #10 coarse thread screws usually referred to as gyp to gyp/cowboys/laminating screws in just the drywall alone for lighter or less permanent stuff.

Finding the middle of the stud is crucial! There is sometimes a little slop in stud finders and sending a screw just too far to one side can result in puncturing a romex cable. If you're lucky, it will blow a circuit immediately. If you're unlucky and just happen to nick the romex, it will just sit there arcing ever-so-slightly....not enough to trip the breaker but enough to slowly eat away at the insulated jacket. 2 months later the house burns down.

As for finding studs, another handy tool to have is a cow magnet. they're pill-shaped neodymium magnets about the size of a big kid's finger. Tie a string to it and pass it slowly along the walls. It finds screws easily.

 

[Shike]

It's worth noting that some studfinders are better than others. For the average joe there's basic units like Zircon that are decent for finding center of studs (displayed on screen), metal, and hot AC. Not as great for ceiling installation, and for those a higher quality commercial unit may be needed.

Do yourself a favor and avoid the cheap-o ~$20 units.

 

[lsiberian]

I always just look in the mirror

 

[crossedover]

If you know that you have 5/8 or 3/4 using correct toggle anchors with all modern displays is no issue. I wouldn't with my pioneer 151, but any lcd display yes. I've anchored 80" this way with zero flex. If you live in a area that has standards, locating one stud is all that is needed. As for metal as mentioned I'd be happy with drywall only knowing the material.

 

[Rickster71]

Finding the middle of the stud is crucial! There is sometimes a little slop in stud finders and sending a screw just too far to one side can result in puncturing a romex cable. If you're lucky, it will blow a circuit immediately. If you're unlucky and just happen to nick the romex, it will just sit there arcing ever-so-slightly....not enough to trip the breaker but enough to slowly eat away at the insulated jacket. 2 months later the house burns down.

If the screw hits the Romex, it means the screw is too long.

 

[lsiberian]

If the screw hits the Romex, it means the screw is too long.

I know my mind is in the gutter, but wow.

 

[utopianemo]

If the screw hits the Romex, it means the screw is too long.

Yes and no; Smaller, shorter screws might be fine for a typical LED panel, but I've got a 64" plasma on my wall that tops out at about 75lbs. You better believe I used some heavy-duty lag screws of sufficient length for that mount! The other thing is you can't guarantee the electrician has put his cabling back at the appropriate depth(I should know, I am one).

AFCI breakers(arc-fault circuit interrupt) were created and now required in many areas in the home specifically because this issue was causing house fires.

 

[Rickster71]

Yes and no; Smaller, shorter screws might be fine for a typical LED panel, but I've got a 64" plasma on my wall that tops out at about 75lbs. You better believe I used some heavy-duty lag screws of sufficient length for that mount! The other thing is you can't guarantee the electrician has put his cabling back at the appropriate depth(I should know, I am one).

That's true , no guarantees.
People that don't follow the NEC and don't install wire at the correct depth, are the exact reason to use no more than an 1 5/8" lag.
75lbs / 4 = 18.75 That's a piece of cake for a 1/4" or 3/8" lag
In a commercial environment the mount will be between studs and mounted on plywood or a 2x10 anyway.

I've yet to use a Zircon stud finder that didn't find the exact edges of a stud.

AFCI breakers(arc-fault circuit interrupt) were created and now required in many areas in the home specifically because this issue was causing house fires.

Many states don't require them because of all the nuisance trips.
The insurance company tail wagging the NEC dog.

 

[Swerd]

I've yet to use a Zircon stud finder that didn't find the exact edges of a stud.

Same for me.

I make pencil marks where the stud's edges are, and then look 16" to the left and right for the next studs. They are always exactly where I expect to see them (unless I'm near a corner). When I drill where the stud's center should be, I always see wood coming out in the drill bit threads.

 

[Alex2507]

drill bit threads.

They're called flutes.

I guess I've never seen a Zircon that worked. Usually they're at the bottom of some box with a dead battery and then when you put a new battery in them, nobody knows how to use them.

 

[Rickster71]

They're called flutes.

I guess I've never seen a Zircon that worked. Usually they're at the bottom of some box with a dead battery and then when you put a new battery in them, nobody knows how to use them.

The plain stud finders work great. The thing is, they have to be calibrated against the wall over an empty bay.
The other type, that does pipe, wire and re-bar are not so good.
I'll have to read the directions or something crazy like that.

 

[Swerd]

I guess I've never seen a Zircon that worked. Usually they're at the bottom of some box with a dead battery and then when you put a new battery in them, nobody knows how to use them.

I've used a cheap one for years. It does only one thing, lights up green when its over the edge of a stud. Looks like this:

I can't believe Amazon sells stud finders that cost over $100 . Do they work with Blue Tooth or require Windows 8?

Zircon MetalliScanner MT6 Professional Metal Detector - Lumber And Drywall Metal Detecting Wands - Amazon.com

They're called flutes.

Flutes are those things you put up to your lips – and you blow on them.