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Stud Finder

Lucille

Lucille

New member
No snickering, please :roflmao:

I am repapering the living room. I have a very large, ornate, heavy mirror, when I took it down to do the wallpaper project, I saw that one of the 'picturehanger' hardwares was slipping.

The mirror sits just aove the sofa and would really do some damage were it to slip off the hangers, fall and land on someone. So, this time I wanted to hammer some kind of hanging hardware directly into a stud as opposed to having picturehangers in sheetrock.

Did the tapping on the wall thing and couldn't get a clue. Went out and bought one of those electronic studfinders and it was completely inaccurate when I tested it on another wall.

Any ideas from you homeownerproject geeks, please?
 
Studfinder didn't work? You could try to find any screw or nail dimples. (Where it was attached). Try looking across the wall. (get close to the wall and look down the lenght of the wall)
Some times you can see little indents where they spackled the screw/nail holes.

Look at the baseboard moldings. I like to attach the molding to a stud. But that method doesn't always work.

Most framing jobs the Studs are 16 inches apart. Which is roughly a hammer length. If you can find one stud. you can get pretty close.

Good luck.
 
Most framing jobs the Studs are 16 inches apart. Which is roughly a hammer length. If you can find one stud. you can get pretty close.
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This is the best way. 16' on center is the industry standard. If your house isn't that old, measure from the nearest known stud, if you're not hitting it move 1/2' either way. Could it be possible you have a newer home with metal studs?
If those don't work there are some wall heavy duty hanging anchors you could buy at Home Depot/Lowes that are rated for weight.
 
What they said. And also, since it's going to be covered by something big, if I'm really not having any luck, I start drilling holes in a line 2 inches apart around where I think a stud will be until I find one. :) Probably not the best solution, but it is a solution that works. :)
 
It's already papered. don't want to drill. An older home.

I could drill on the other side of the wall, it would seem that there would be only one set of studs with sheetrock on either side?

The picutehangers I was using were rated for massive amounts of weight, but the nail was loose on one side.

Thank you for the replies.
 
Try probing with a small diameter nail or a stout straight pin. The holes are smaller and almost unnoticeable, can even be filled with a dab of paint.
 
I thought my stud finder was faulty too because it went off every time I picked it up....

Seriously though, there should be an adjustment wheel for sensitivity, so if you know where any stud is in the house wave it back and forth along the wall while turning the wheel until it starts registering without false alerts, then go to your wall where you want to hang the mirror and search. There are also great drywall anchors available in all kinds of sizes, so you may be able to just insert one in the hole you were using...
 
What I have used for hanging pictures and a heavy eagle plaque are called monkey hooks. They come in different gauges for light to heavy objects, are very easy to install and for me are very sturdy. Here's a link to a site that has them.

http://www.monkeyhook.com/
 
Monkeyhooks look interesting, but are only for up to 50 lbs, this mirror must be closer to 100. After the yardwork I just did I'll prob wait until next weekend to locate the studs, but I think I'm going to look at the wall on the other side and run a few nails in to locate them.
 
If you look at the site, they now have what are called gorilla hooks. It says they hold up to 75 lbs. Which I would think if your mirror is about 100 lbs. You'd be using 2 or more anyway?
 
lucillle said:
After the yardwork I just did I'll prob wait until next weekend to locate the studs, but I think I'm going to look at the wall on the other side and run a few nails in to locate them.
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Lucille, darling...

You're supposed to locate the studs BEFORE the yardwork. Then they can do the yardwork (sans shirts) while you enjoy the show.
 
Just a quick tip, if there is a light switch or power outlet in the wall they are normally attached to a stud. Easy way to find em lol
 
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