Carpentry and Woodworking - Finding studs in a plaster wall

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Smitty
05-10-09, 01:05 PM
Hey guys I'm trying to hang a 40' flatscreen on a wall in my living room. i have a cheap stud finder that is pretty much useless on my thick walls. Is there a low cost stud finder good enough to penetrate plaster and lath to find my studs? Any suggestions or advice would be appreciated..

tribe_fan
05-10-09, 01:41 PM
I have the same problem. Look for an electrical outlet - sometimes you can see which side the stud is on. If not drill very fine pilot holes. (Not too deep)

The rest of the studs will be/should be on 16 inch centers. Patch the holes.
spdavid
05-10-09, 02:01 PM
There are versions of electronic stud finders designed for thicker walls.My recollection is that they sell for around 20 bucks.

Smitty
05-10-09, 04:15 PM
Thanks for the helpful suggestions!!!!
XSleeper
05-10-09, 08:25 PM
Since there are a million little nails in the lathe that hold it to the studs, an ordinary magnet works well to locate the nails. Wherever the lathe is nailed you have a stud.
Smitty
05-11-09, 03:16 PM
Since there are a million little nails in the lathe that hold it to the studs, an ordinary magnet works well to locate the nails. Wherever the lathe is nailed you have a stud.

Many thanks XSleeper, worked like a charm:)
XSleeper
05-11-09, 05:34 PM
Glad it worked... thx for the feedback.