Loading…
26
Just realized my trick for finding studs behind plaster in old Pittsburgh homes has saved me dozens of trips back to the truck
I used to drill a bunch of small holes hoping to hit wood, then patch them all. About 8 months ago I started using two strong magnets to find the nails in the lath, and the magnets slide right to the stud every time. Last Tuesday I found 4 studs in a row in a house built in 1921 without making a single wrong hole. The homeowner even asked what I was doing and said it was the cleanest mount job she had seen. It takes maybe 30 extra seconds but beats taping and sanding any day. Curious what other folks out there do for plaster walls, do you stick with magnets or break out the stud finder anyway?
2 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In2 Comments
margaret_jackson735d ago
Those two strong magnets are the way to go, that nail trick works on lath and plaster every time once you get a feel for it. I keep a couple of the little rare earth ones in my pouch and they beat any $40 stud finder on old walls, half those gizmos just light up on the keys and wire mesh anyway. Only tip I'd add is drag them slow and mark both sides of the stud so you know where center is before you drill.
9
nancy5245d ago
Did you ever think about what those magnets are actually grabbing onto? On lath and plaster the nails holding the wood strips to the studs are what pull the magnet, so the reading runs a bit off center from the stud itself. With nails it reads fine, but that's why some folks get fooled on old houses where the lath was nailed crooked or doubled up in spots. You still end up close enough for hanging a shelf or a picture, just worth knowing the magnet is following metal, not wood.
1