Is there such a thing as a good Stud Finder?

[fhagan]

I have had 3 different varieties of stud finders. All three are crap !! I was wondering if anyone has one that they would brag on. I would love to have a GOOD one !
Thanks

[Thom2]

Is there such a thing as a good Stud Finder?

yes there is ....

but I married her

good luck

[crokett]

I don't know... they all always point at me!

[mschrank]

These guys...funnier than a rubber crutch, huh?

I don't know if any of 'em work that great in all situations. I've never had much luck with them on plaster, but the cheapie "Zircon Deepscan" I have works fine on drywall.



A couple of tips:
-It's a safe bet that there is one next to an electrical box (outlet/switch).
-Find one stud and foolishly assume the rest are on 16" centers.

[MilDoc]

... the cheapie "Zircon Deepscan" I have works fine on drywall.

Couldn't agree more. I've had 4 and the Zircon is accurate.

[JimD]

I have a cheap one that is a lot better than nothing. I missed a stud in one situation entirely but when I opened the wall up the stud was twisted pretty bad so it was not sitting up against the drywall. I have to find an empty space for calibrating it but I generally can find most of the studs. I agree with looking for studs on the side of electrical outlets. That should help you find an open space for calibration and then the studfinder can locate the exact stud position.

Jim

[just4funsies]

A ball-peen hammer makes a great stud finder... Give your wall a whack. If you don't knock a hole in it, you've found a stud! If, on the other hand, you DO knock a hole, you can fish a wire in there to either side until you hit a stud. Then, just measure over from the edge of the hole you made.

(Hint: You may want to have a small quantity of spackle on hand if you're going to think I'm serious, and use this method.)

[Stormbringer]

If, on the other hand, you DO knock a hole, you can fish a wire in there to either side until you hit a stud. Then, just measure over from the edge of the hole you made.

I've used this method several times unfortunately...mostly out of frustration. I would recommend cutting up a wire hanger instead. Much sturdier. NO MORE WIRE HANGERS!!! (A few will get it)

Greg

[Rayclav]

Tapping on the wall has enabled me to find the studs for many years. Why bother with an expensive stud finder?

Another method is to buy a Rare Earth magnet from Lee Valley Tools and that will find the nails in a hurry.

Ray

[TheRic]

I have used several, I have found out that patience in letting it set / calibrate first is the key. My brother (who builds house) can find a stud from tapping on the walls. Never had any luck with that. When it comes to tapping for a stud I might as well use the ball-peen hammer that just4funsies mentioned.

On old houses do NOT trust 16" on center. That is the last thing you should expect. Have seen many strange things. Including 8' on center with one cross piece in the middle.

[scorrpio]

Plaster is tough to work with, cause studs are under lath, and fasteners are deep. Zircon finder works more or less ok, but you need multiple passes to confirm a reading. There are finders that feel the wall with ultrasound, but those are in a whole different price range. Cheap ones look for metal, and plaster makes it tough.

Drywall is easy. Shine a very bright light at an angle on it, and you will see where nails/screws are, unless the wall was done by a true virtuoso.

[mcommushroom]

I use my knuckle more than my studfinder. But the detectivework is essential. Probably obvious to most, but if you look at where the nail holes are on your baseboard molding they SHOULD be in the studs.

The studfinder I have is a B&D and, maybe not suprisingly, is not great.

[430752]

Zircon agreed

I bought one of the fancier Zircon finders and it works pretty well. Actually, it works great with normal drywall, still pretty good with double sheets of drywall, and acceptable for plaster. The zircon I got has the stud finder, deep dtud finder, metal finder and AC finder. Ithink $35 at the BORG.

With plaster, I use the deep stud finder first a couple of passes to see what it brings up, then the regular stud finder a couple of passes to see what it brings up. Using both I get a pretty accurate reading.

curt j.

[billwmeyer]

I have the same Zircon that Curt J has and I agree. It is not 100%, but most of my house is sheetrock over plaster and lathe walls. It will normally find a stud, and you can work from there.

I agree with not always trusting 16" centers, as I have found a few situations that were mind boggling. One area I found in my kitchen just didn't make sense, and after about 25 nail holes in the drywall, I went upstairs into the attic to see what was going on. I found out that there used to be a Chimney at that spot and the studs were put in strange places. Working on my daughters house, I found a spot that seemed like no studs existed. I finally figured out that what I was working on used to be an outside wall, and the area I was working was a large window at one time. They didn't fill in the area with studs, just drywalled over the opening.

Anyway, if you buy the $35 Zircon, I think you will be happier than with the others.
Bill

[DaveW]

My $0.02 - make sure you know where plumbing etc pipes are - it sucks to drill a pilot hole only to have black ABS plastic chunks shooting back out at you.

DAMHIKT!