Finding stud in wall

I have a muskie replica that I would like to mount on a wall. I need to find a stud to hang it on. I have 2 stud finders, a Stanley and a Circon. Both have new batteries. I used both of them, marked where they indicated the stud, and drilled small holes to confirm. Negative on both! Wtf. So then I repaired both holes. Now I’m questioning whether I should continue drilling holes in my wall if these things aren’t accurate.

There is an outlet lower on this wall and I have to assume they place these on a stud. Do they usually mount the outlet to the left or right of the stud? I’d really like to put this replica on the wall but I’m very hesitant to keep making holes in the wall.

Thanks

I would locate a stud that is next to an electric outlet and then pull in 16″ or 24″ increments from there

You can also look @ the base board. Find the filled nail holes and work from there.

It’s 50-50 which side of the outlet the stud is on. Drill a small hole 1″ to the side of the outlet. If you hit the stud great, but if you don’t you know it’s on the other side without making another hole. Then like EPG said the measure in 16″ or 24″ increments depending on the spacing of your studs.

Pat K wrote:

It’s 50-50 which side of the outlet the stud is on. Drill a small hole 1″ to the side of the outlet. If you hit the stud great, but if you don’t you know it’s on the other side without making another hole. Then like EPG said the measure in 16″ or 24″ increments depending on the spacing of your studs.

Alright, so I went in my unfinished utility/laundry room and the outlet is mounted to the right of the stud in there. Is it safe to say that the outlets are mounted like this in the entire house? Also, the studs are 16 inches apart and they are 1.5 inches wide.

take the outlet cover off, then you will see what side the fasteners and wire are on

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Pat K wrote:</div>
It’s 50-50 which side of the outlet the stud is on. Drill a small hole 1″ to the side of the outlet. If you hit the stud great, but if you don’t you know it’s on the other side without making another hole. Then like EPG said the measure in 16″ or 24″ increments depending on the spacing of your studs.

Alright, so I went in my unfinished utility/laundry room and the outlet is mounted to the right of the stud in there. Is it safe to say that the outlets are mounted like this in the entire house? Also, the studs are 16 inches apart and they are 1.5 inches wide.

No, how much do you trust your ears? I always tap the wall with my knuckles (after marking where the stud finder claims to be one), you can hear a difference in the sound, hard to explain but sounds less ‘hollow’ as you are near a stud. Helps eliminate those false readings once accustomed to what you are listening too.

My be worth a shot to take the cover plate off that outlet in question, depending on how well they cut around the outlet you may be able to see the stud on one side or the other and the. Pull your 16″ centers from that.

Also helps if you calibrate the stud finder first. This is accomplished by holding it to your chest and making sure it beeps. . . . . .

The outlets are not on the same side of the studs throughout the house. They’ll be on the side that gives them the right location in that room or avoids interfering with something else in the wall. If there is only one set of wires coming into and going out of the box they are most likely on the side of the stud.

poomunk wrote:

My be worth a shot to take the cover plate off that outlet in question, depending on how well they cut around the outlet you may be able to see the stud on one side or the other and the. Pull your 16″ centers from that.

I like this idea. I’m going to try it. Thanks poomunk.

Denny O wrote:

You canshould also be able to look @ the base board. Find the filled nail holes and work from there.

Im stuck on your stud finders not working. My circom works and its very old. I would think the newer ones are even better?

Just tap down the wall with your knuckle you can hear where a stud is, is pretty easy. Then double check with the stud finder.
If neither of them are working I think it may be a operator error

I think you get what you pay for with stud finders. I lost a Zircon that worked well, replaced it with a Harbor Freight one that has led me astray more than once. I get a lot of false readings, I make sure to check the same spot at at least three different heights on the wall before I drill (which is probably a good practice anyway, but didn’t have to do that with the Zircon) Will be buying a higher-quality one soon.

Another hot tip, unless you had a really good drywaller, if you look hard enough you can usually see where the screw was mudded over. I don’t use this as my first indicator, but if my stud finder is giving me inconsistent readings I’ll look for these tell-tale spots to know if I’m in the area of a stud. If your house is like mine – built fast during the early 2000s housing boom – they’re not hard to see. I feel like I’m always finding screw-pops or can see poorly sanded mud spots when the light hits the wall a certain way. correctly..

Nobody has mentioned a magnet yet. If you have a somewhat powerful magnet, you can carefully, so as not to make marks on the wall, feel around until you find a drywall screw. The magnet sticks then all you have to do is plumb up or down and place your fastener

If you drill holes straight across in a line an inch apart you are bound to find a stud. I mean the Muskie should cover up the holes anyway.

suzuki wrote:

Im stuck on your stud finders not working. My circom works and its very old. I would think the newer ones are even better?

Mine is about 3 years old. Its about a $20 one from Menards. The Stanley one is about a month old and worth about $25. In theory, they SHOULD be accurate but they always aren’t.

Bearcat89 wrote:

If neither of them are working I think it may be a operator error

Certainly could be the problem too. I can’t deny that. I’m just not very good at this sort of thing.

Update: it has been found. I took off the outlet cover and was able to find it to the right of the outlet. Then I simply used a straight edge and went up from there to the desired height. Sure enough, on this wall, the stud is to the right of the outlet and in my unfinished utility room its to the left.

House was built in 2012.

Thanks for the help everyone.

Have you tried pointing the stud finders at yourself? You might not understand if you don’t have kids.

tswoboda wrote:

Have you tried pointing the stud finders at yourself? You might not understand if you don’t have kids.

This was the very first thing that popped to mind.

Classic dad joke

gim wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>poomunk wrote:</div>
My be worth a shot to take the cover plate off that outlet in question, depending on how well they cut around the outlet you may be able to see the stud on one side or the other and the. Pull your 16″ centers from that.

I like this idea. I’m going to try it. Thanks poomunk.

Bingo. When you have the plate off you can see how the box is installed.

Depends what kind of wall it is. Yes, a standard built stick frame home should be 16oc and be fairly easy to find studs yet I have been fooled by them as well with odd readings and such. That’s when I take a tiny drill bit and punch through every inch or so and see what I can find.

However for instance my home is a manufactured home (where they build individual wall sections in a factory, flat-pack them on a truck, and crane them into place), along with the cavity insulation it has 2inches of polystyrene insulation covering the entire outside. (This includes the walls between the house and garage.) The first time I attempted to hang shelves on that section of wall in the garage I found frustration, curses, and a LOT of holes in the wall. I have 3 stud-finders each one was giving different readings. One was even reading the interior studs 3 inches away. I learned that day what I had on that section was drywall/styrene/sheathing/studs/drywall and every 4 feet on the exterior behind the drywall was 2x strapping.

My point is, you likely need to figure out what you’re dealing with in order to know how to continue.

tswoboda wrote:

Have you tried pointing the stud finders at yourself? You might not understand if you don’t have kids.

What do you mean “if you don’t have kids?” – My two boys will go into my toolbox and grab it for the SOLE purpose of making that joke to whoever is in the room (because they see me make that Joke to my eye-rolling wife every time I use it)!

My Dad jokes have served them well! This razor-sharp wit and impeccable timing will no doubt be passed to the next generation.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>tswoboda wrote:</div>
Have you tried pointing the stud finders at yourself? You might not understand if you don’t have kids.

What do you mean “if you don’t have kids?” – My two boys will go into my toolbox and grab it for the SOLE purpose of making that joke to whoever is in the room (because they see me make that Joke to my eye-rolling wife every time I use it)!

My Dad jokes have served them well! This razor-sharp wit and impeccable timing will no doubt be passed to the next generation.

You’ve taught them well, Sensei.

A little late to the party, but here’s a great tip I learned in our previous 1960’s era house. Walls were lath and plaster so finding a stud using traditional stud finders is very difficult. Buy a small rare earth magnet (neodymium). You can slowly run this along the wall until you find a nail, then move vertically from there and check that there are more nails in a vertical line. That is your stud. The neodymium magnets will stick to those nails even through plaster.

$3 on Amazon and you’ll have the best stud finder money can buy, and it never needs batteries. You can also tie a string to it and use it to retrieve keys that fall through the ice. I keep my little magnet stuck inside the bed of my truck so it’s always there.

“I know it’s a classic Dad joke….but I still like it”

Use a magnet to find the drywall screws.

I don’t know if I still have it but the first stud finder I had was from Stanley. It is a plastic think with a pointer in it that had a magnet on the side you put on the wall. Slide it around until the pointer stuck straight away from the wall which would be the drywall wall nail or screw. Worked great.

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Believe it not, there are stud finder apps available. I have one on my iPhone and it works most of the time. Not sure how they work, but they do.

This is the one I use the most.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Franklin-Sensors-ProSensor-710-FS71002B/303242907

HRG

Just keep looking till you find one,nail holes are small and easy to fill.

Joe Jarl wrote:

Believe it not, there are stud finder apps available. I have one on my iPhone and it works most of the time. Not sure how they work, but they do.

Most of the time they work every time!!! Is exactly opposite of what he is shooting for I’d assume by his post ? Stud finder, I phone, gpr, its only looking for solids between hollows, that’s why you get what you pay for. The free apps are typically the most disappointing