Locating studs in the wall

[Planeiron]

There are of course stud locators, you can percuss the wall or even put a small bradawl hole in to test. Maybe this is a well known technique but I have used strong magnets on several occasions to locate screws that fasten the dry wall to the studs. You could just find one and then measure across to the next stud or put a magnet on each stud. Well, that's it.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

Ahh useful. I need to find the joists in the living room ceiling, I have a combined metal/cable/stud detector but it is not reliable. I imagine the plasterboard is fixed with galvanised steel clouts, so was wondering if a magnet might do the trick. I'll give it a try.

 

[Cabinetman]

Yes, that’s a good idea I wish I’d known about last week! The wall had two layers on it and this made my stud locator useless.
Now, where did I pack all my magnets?

 

[marineboy]

I’ve used this method with neodymium magnets suspended on a thin length of cotton. It works well even on my Victorian lath and plaster walls with inch thick plaster.

 

[Planeiron]

Yes strong neodymium magnets are what I used. I stack the magnets and move them in small circular motions to find the first screw. After that the rest are usually easy to find at regular intervals.

I guess the string gives a bit more sensitivity by letting the magnet move more.