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can ATOT recommend a stud finder for me?

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Oh my jesus, a full page and nobody answered the sexy man's sexy question:

Stud's are generally located 16 inches apart (sometimes 24" if you're lucky. hawt) and usually start from one end of the wall. The trick is to find out which end. If you start at the wrong end then you'll miss and create a hole where there shouldn't be one and you've got yourself a worthless hole and a bloody mess.
 
lxskllr said:
That's always bothered me. It's some of the original dishonest advertising. Why not call it a 65'x8'? That's the size before finishing, right?
Click to expand...

well, 2x4 is the size it comes out of the sawmill. Drying and shrinkage varies greatly across wood species. I can go buy actual 2x4's around here and lay them up for drying myself.
 
You need a better quality stud finder. The cheap ones won't read through lath and plaster.
Even old houses were generally framed 16" O.C. But the layout might have been for the exterior siding, so the interior will be shifted 4" off layout.
Be careful with old plaster, it can be very fragile, often contains asbestos, and generally has a coat or two of lead based paint on it.
 
Loki, your magnetic stud finder is only going to read spots where their are nails, and with plaster walls, the nails are likely too far back under the plaster to trigger it.

Your best bet is to simply pick a spot for your hanger, then carefully drill a hole at this point, angled down 25-30 degrees. Try to go only slightly past the thickness of the plaster, then use a screw (same size as your drill bit) and screw it in.
Chances are very good you'll hit lath (wood), thereby giving you a solid hold.

Even if you don't hit wood (not very likely), a quality screw that doesn't crack your plaster will hold a tremendous amount of weight (20-30#) due to the angle of the screw.

Hope this helps.
 
funny thread, so I have had a few cocktails by now ...

Just drill a few pilot holes with a very small bit. They are easy to patch later.

... the alcohol made me say that.😳
 
yes the size of 2x4 not actually being 2x4 has always bothered me, especially when trying to design something in CAD software and I need to take into account that not all 2x4's are actually the same size. Depends on the mill, and standard that they used. I've learned to only use CAD plans as a guideline and still measure as I build.

Also I've found that any reflective surface tends to find a stud right away. I need to look directly into it. Mirrors work well.
 
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