Do all stud finders suck?

[MOfj40]

Get a rare earth magnet and run it along the wall. It'll find the drywall screws every time. I've got a cheap crafstman stud finder I use if I can afford to be wrong, but in obvious areas where I don't want to patch holes I'll used the magnet to verify the stud finder.

 

[Cookiemonster]

Electronic stud finders suck.


Use your knuckles they are faster and more accurate. Knock the wall until you hear it change from a low hollow to a high thud sound. Use a finish nail and tap it in left to right until you find the edges of the stud. Measure down 16" double check with knuckle & repeat.

Hang your cabinets.

Don't forget to get your money back on the stud finder.

 

[Plowboy]

Electronic stud finders suck.


Use your knuckles they are faster and more accurate. Knock the wall until you hear it change from a low hollow to a high thud sound. Use a finish nail and tap it in left to right until you find the edges of the stud. Measure down 16" double check with knuckle & repeat.

Hang your cabinets.

Don't forget to get your money back on the stud finder.

I do just about the same thing, except I drag my $4 engine stethascope out of the tool box and listen as I tap on the wall will a small rubber mallet. Used through drywall, plaster, plywood, particleboard, and sidings. Can pinpoint the edge of a stud by the sound difference

 

[D'Animal]

I also use a Boy Scout compass to find the nails. but then again I did grow up a ways from the paved roads.

Electronic stud finders suck.


Use your knuckles they are faster and more accurate. Knock the wall until you hear it change from a low hollow to a high thud sound. Use a finish nail and tap it in left to right until you find the edges of the stud. Measure down 16" double check with knuckle & repeat.

Hang your cabinets.

 

[Cookiemonster]

I also use a Boy Scout compass to find the nails. but then again I did grow up a ways from the paved roads.

Stanley's version. I've spent my fair share on one of these when I was growing up. Most often nothing more than a PITA.

 

[D'Animal]

Yep, but better than knocking on plaster walls with the handle of a 24oz framing hamer and guessing.

 

[e9999]

methink some of ya are stud-challenged....

 

[randyr]

x2 on test holes

I also prefer to tap the wall with a knuckle and listen for the change in sound...if it sounds hollow, it probably is. Also, most studs are spaced 16" on center (24" if your house was built by a cheap SOB, like mine was). So, if you find one, you should easily be able to find the rest. Also, electrical fixtures (outlets, switches, etc...) are fastened to studs, you just have to figure out which side of the fixture the stud is on.

My crappy little Zircon works well on interior walls only...walls with no insulation in them. Insulation confuses the heck out of it.

***Warning*** the crappy little Zircon cannot tell the difference between a stud and a PVC vent pipe (fortunatly, it was above all of the sinks and plumbing fixtures)

 

[cody c]

i ususally use a lite shining across the wall to try and find a dimple from a screw head, then tap the wall with a hammer to try and hear for it, or measure from one i can find if its hard to find one where i want, then use a very thin flatblade screwdriver topush through the wall to make sure.

 

[cruiser88]

They all suck. Some have a 'metal' finding option, and you can use that to find the nails sometimes. Foil-backed drywall makes the job particularly difficult on any setting, as does thick texture or tape joints. It's always a crap shoot.

-Spike

x2

 

[72FJ40LandCruiser]

They always start beeping anytime they're near me.