do stud finders work on lath and plaster walls

Most smaller items can be hung pretty securely anywhere on the wall by screwing into the wood lath, but for heavy things that weight more than 10-15 lbs, like large mirrors and TVs, you’ll need to learn how to find studs in a plaster wall. Use a level to draw a line to the area of the second mark. This is NOT something that is particular to Zircon stud finders… Both professional contractors, as well as DIY’ers have said that you can make your own stud finder, using a very basic construction. Put a small bit into the drill, and drill into the first mark. This is a simple hack that some people say provides very good results. Most smaller items can be hung pretty securely anywhere on the wall by screwing into the wood lath, but for heavy things that weight more than 10-15 lbs, like large mirrors and TVs, you’ll need to learn how to find studs in a plaster wall. Most houses built in the last 100 years were framed 16″ O.C. Good Electronic stud finder. Laths have horizontal fastening on vertical studs, with wire mesh added and two seams of plaster applied over the strips. Therefore, since plaster and lath walls are not … In many cases, the textures on the plaster wall and the junk (cables, wires, etc.) Your email address will not be published. Beware that depending on the sensitivity of your metal detector you may pick up old wiring, cast iron plumbing, or other things hiding in the wall. Prior to the 1950s, most walls were built using a combination of vertical studs, horizontal wooden beams called laths and plaster seams. In such instances, you will need to use alternative methods to find what you are looking for, and fortunately, they are many. To find a stud you will need an electronic stud finder or a strong earth magnet. Run the stud finder or magnet across the wall until you find a nail head. As you knock on the wall in between the wall studs, you will hear a hollow sound. Stud finders, however, will not always return accurate results with lath and plaster walls because of the very inconsistent method by which they are constructed. Basically you’ve created a lower cost version of a magnetic stud finder. … Prior to the 1950s, most walls were built using a combination of vertical studs, horizontal wooden beams called laths and plaster seams. All you have to do is take the magnet stud finder out of its packaging and place it against the wall. We cannot guarantee its performance on all lath and plaster walls. However, electronic stud finders only work if the wall surface is reasonably uniform. Of course none of us can look straight at a wall, to identify exactly where each wall stud is. Many of them can see through plaster and wood lath.. Basic Zircon StudSensor™ stud finders with only Stud Scan and/or DeepScan® mode are not recommended for lath and plaster walls. Stud finders are great for many walls, but they do not work well in the case of plaster walls and ceilings. Additionally, the plaster can crumble off over time and create thinner sections. But if you have plaster walls, you, unfortunately, cannot use a standard stud finder to do the job. Move along the wall and look for a pattern to show itself, and you’ll slowly be able to see your stud spacing. Trying to accurately find studs inside a plaster wall is hard. Franklin Sensors FS710PRO. The addition of metal mesh at inside and outside corners does not help much. Another method is to use the receptacles and switches. The third trick is my personal favorite because it never fails! A combination of the plaster walls having a textured coating, as well as there being wiring within the confines of the wall, can be an issue. Electronic stud finders are generally inexpensive, but many people complain that that they're semi-useful at best and useless at worst (especially in older houses). Magnetic stud finders often won’t penetrate far enough and electronic models are iffy at best. In our opinion, using one of the best stud finders, such as a Zircon i520 will be certainly up to the job! Finding studs in metal lath plaster walls There was a thread from 2004 about this and the answer was to find an electrical outlet to see which side had the stud and the measure 3/4" to find mid stud and then to measure either 16 inches or 24 inches from there for the other studs. Did you make this project? Basic Zircon StudSensor™ stud finders with only Stud Scan and/or DeepScan® mode are not recommended for lath and plaster walls. They use a form of density testing looking for studs, not the nails in studs. Just like my magnet trick, but a bit more refined than tying dental floss around a magnet. Because standard stud finders detect a change in density inside the wall, they don't work on lath and plaster-- the density inside these walls is not constant enough. Finding studs in a plaster wall is not as easy as other types of walls, but it is possible – especially when you do not need to rely on a stud finder. If you own an old house with plaster and lath walls, you may have discovered how utterly useless a stud finder can be. Grab the strongest magnet you have and tie a piece of dental floss or string around it. Try holding an electric shaver on the wall. If you happen to have a small metal detector, you can use this along the same premise as the magnet technique. You can find the studs by drilling test holes with a masonry drill bit where the cabinet will go, OR... look at the baseboard for the finish nails---they are usually into studs. Then move the finder in a horizontal direction until the stud finder clicks, pops up or lets you know you found a metal stud. A: The challenge with lath and plaster is the variety of ways it's made. Dangle the magnet against the wall and slowly move it horizontally across the wall. Once your knuckle hits the spots where a stud is located, the sound will change to more of a dull thud. Although this is usually in older properties. Because the walls are secured into the studs using nails or screws, the stud finder and magnet will pick up on them. This is because you cannot simply hang a heavy item, straight onto your plaster wall. You have to go slow. Railroad Rail Lantern / Sign Stand Split With Axe. Don’t waste your money on that stud finder. I do have some other tricks for finding studs through plaster walls… This one may seem old fashioned, but gently knocking your hand along the wall and listening for differences is a pretty accurate technique to find studs. Instead, you should try to place the TV over studs in the wall. There are various electrical stud finders in the market; each comes with different methods of locating the studs in the wall. Plus we will also look at a couple of other ways to gain the same results. Even though the surface looks smooth, the underlying structure can be extremely varied. About: I'm a historic preservation contractor who restores historic buildings and teaches homeowners how to do it themselves. Some people have reported that using stud finders can be a little problematic. within the wall confuse the sensors on electric stud finders. Don’t waste your money on that stud finder. Magnetic stud finders have trouble detecting these nails, and electric stud finders are generally just unreliable on plaster walls. … Most of the stud finders are pretty poor at lath and plaster walls. Lath-and-plaster wall surfaces are trickier than drywall. However in this article, we will take a closer look at whether using an electronic stud finder is the best tool. You could also try a cool product called StudPop which takes the magnet trick to the next level. Move the stud finder approximately 16 inches to the right or left of the mark. There are a wide range of versions and prices, and, … A method which many people have tried, but it’s not the most reliable of methods in our opinion. Vivreal Stud Finder 4 in 1 Electric Plaster Wall Detector. Stud finders will not work with plaster/lathe. Q: Do electronic stud finders work with lath and plaster walls? To see which side the stud is on, take the switch plate cover off and take a peak inside. Every so often, the magnet will stick to the wall a bit on the stud location. When it comes to putting up some new shelves or hanging a heavy item, such as a mirror, you are going to want to know where the studs are located. However in this article, we will take a closer look at whether using an electronic stud finder is the best tool. Try these simple and time tested tricks to find studs in a plaster wall the next time you need to hang something in your old house. Primarily, the studs in the wall are metal and therefore, they carry a certain electrostatic charge where as wooden walls, lath, plaster and timber do not. If you own an old house with plaster and lath walls, you may have discovered how utterly useless a stud finder can be. However as you knock on the wall where a wall stud is positioned, the sound will change to that which is more high pitched. Do Command Strips work on textured walls? When the plaster is applied over the horizontal “lath” wood strips, it can be denser or thinner in areas. You can try measuring on 16 inch centers from the nearest corner, but stud spacing was often not very even when lath and plaster walls were used. We cannot guarantee its performance on all lath and plaster walls. This tends to confuse electric stud finders, which work by finding changes in wall … One other method of trying to locate wall studs without a stud finder, is by knocking on the wall at various points. How to find a stud in a plaster wall. This compact plaster wall stud finder represents the affordable model … Without doubt locating wall studs within plaster walls is a challenge, especially when it comes to older houses. They do work in concrete, by the way, because the material is of a more consistent density than lath and plaster. Tie a piece of string around the magnet, then allow the magnet to brush across your plaster wall. This simple stud finder is a powerful magnet that pops into place when a stud fastener is detected. Visit my site for all kinds of tutorials on old house DIY and get ready to get your hands …, How to Make Charcuterie Boards Using Clear Acrylic Templates. The lath is like 3' long, so the studs should be 18" on center. Our selection as the best stud finder for plaster walls isn’t technically a stud finder—it’s a metal detector. Because standard stud finders detect a change in density inside the wall, they don't work on lath and plaster-- the density inside these walls is not constant enough. If you are having trouble finding studs, you can use a stud finder to help you with your job. By using a stud finder, will quickly enable us to find out where the wall studs are, so we can plan the hanging of our newly purchased item. If you’ve got an instant stud finder like the Franklin Sensors T6, you can skip all of the sweeping and just move the stud finder around until you see a clear three-light indicator that indicates the position and rough size of a stud. Lath and plaster wall studs are NOT 16" on center. Though there may be an occasional free floating box in an old home, you have an excellent chance of finding a stud on one side of the box. The weight of the item may cause damage to your wall, or worst still, come crashing down to the floor. These are probably better than my usual method of just drilling a bunch of holes until I find something in the wall. These stud finders work by detecting density changes in the wall directly underneath the scanner. Either turn the breaker off, or be careful not to touch any wires before attempting this or you can get a nasty shock. When you knock on wall sections without a stud, you will hear more resonance from the hollow space behind. Share it with us! A question we often see is “Do stud finders work on plaster walls?” Well as a short answer, yes they do. This one is the best of all electronic stud finders in the list weighing … Whenever the magnet detects the nails underneath the plaster, it will identify this to you – simply then mark off these points, so as to know where the walls studs are located. Ron had a chance to test out stud finders on stucco. Stud finders, however, will not always return accurate results with lath and plaster walls because of the very inconsistent method by which they are constructed. The 1950s, most walls were built using a combination of vertical studs, horizontal wooden beams laths... Surface is reasonably uniform to be a little problematic draw a line the. 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