Carpentry and Woodworking - Stud Finding Question

Hello All;
I am not entirely sure where to put this question so I hope someone here can help.

I am trying to mount a 6-hangar coat rack by my entrance way and I would love to be able to take advantage of screwing atleast two mounting screws into the solid wood rather than the plaster for extra strength. My house was build in the 1050s so I'm guessing I have plaster rather than drywall.

I bought a stud finder and it seems to be working but I found the following information on another forum ...

In a 50 year old house, you probably have plaster and lath, and a stud finder probably won't find the studs.

So now I'm doubthing whether it gave me the correct information ...

How far apart would the studs be in a typical 1950s house ? Is the comment above correct in that I may not be able to locate the studs in my 1950s house and if so, is there another way to determine where they are ? Thanks.

Tim

Hi Tim, some stud finders will be able to detect them through the plaster, not sure about the one you have. I would expect the studs to be 16" to 24" apart, center to center, probably 16". If your home was built in the 50's I would not expect plaster and lath. Drywall was readily available and a lot less expensive.

If the coat rack will be covering a section of the wall, then a few drill holes to confirm you have located a stud will be hidden by the rack.

Use some post-its or painters tape, something that will not mark the paint and start locating the studs.

You should be able to see a pattern and identify the studs you need.

Bud