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Update: My method for finding studs went from a total joke to a real system
For years I just tapped on the wall and guessed, which led to a funny mess in a Phoenix condo where I put three wrong holes right next to a motion sensor. I finally bought a basic Zircon stud finder about four months ago after that job. Now I mark the edges with a pencil every single time, and my sensor mounts are straight on the first try. What's your go-to trick for getting a solid mount in old plaster walls?
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willow40729d ago
Magnet trick works but it actually finds the nails or screws holding the lath to the stud, not the lath itself. That metal mesh on old plaster is usually steel or something similar and a magnet will stick all over it, not just at the studs. You have to sweep slow and feel for where the pull gets noticeably stronger, that's the fastener. I've done it on a few 1920s houses and yeah it takes a bit, but you mark those spots and you're golden. Way more reliable than a stud finder on that stuff.
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Old plaster can hide metal lath that throws off a basic stud finder. A strong magnet finds the nails holding the lath to the studs. It's a slower method but it never lies.
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phoenix1981mo ago
Wait you're telling me the plaster walls have actual metal inside them? That's wild, I always thought it was just like, thick crumbly stuff. @ross.felix that magnet trick is genius but man, finding studs that way sounds like a full afternoon project. My arm would get tired just waving a magnet around. It does make sense though, if the stud finder is getting confused by a whole sheet of metal. Guess I'm buying a magnet before my next picture hanging disaster.
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