Locating stud walls

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by Marie_j, Apr 4, 2013.

  1. Marie_j

    Marie_j Member

    I am trying to hang some heavy items on stud walls.  Is there a good way to find out where the wooden battens are?  Are plasterboard raw plugs strong enough to support heavy items?
    Thanks for looking
    marie x
     
  2. Depends - how heavy is heavy?

    And, would the item location just happen to fall where the studs are anyways?

    There are strongish fixings for p'board walls, but rawlplugs - no. Use these instead.

    BUT, if you can use a stud, then do so - no question.

    How to find them? Use a small but powerful magnet - I've seen this on pootube, a guy using button-sized molybdenum magnets. He just slide them around the wall until he felt them being drawn to something. Focussed in, and - plop - they stick to where the screw/nail heads are.

    I've just tried this with a powerful frdge magnet - not the stupid wee ones with a picture of Brighton Pier on them. It located a nail - and stuck to the wall - in seconds.

    Stud if you can, or else
     
  3. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    depends on what you mean by plasterboard plugs and how heavy. generally if you are looking for the studs they are going to be 400mm distance from each other,
    if i need to find studs i would start at one end and drill a small 3mm hole through the plaster board until i find a stud, then from the centre of this stud i would measure accross 400mm and drill through there to find the next stud,if that was 400 mm i would concieve that the wall was built with the 400mm centres,then you have your studs, (just measure and drill where required.).
     
  4. Marie_j

    Marie_j Member

    Thanks I have just tried a couple of super magnets and found they stuck to the wall.  Would they also stick where electric cables are?  I assume this method would also work for locating ceiling beams?  By rawplu fixings I meant plasterboard hollow wall fixings.  I have just looked and noticed they only hold regular duty weight.  I will look for a heavy duty version.
     
  5. No, magnets won't be attracted to leccy wire - that's non-ferrous metal - copper. It's yer basic O-level physics, that...

    (Listen - being patronised is part and parcel of coming on here)

    You can confirm you've found a stud by moving the magent up and down vertically - it should find furtrher nails every few inches or so, but none to the immediate sides.

    Older studwork is commonly 600mm (2') apart, I think - so try again at both 400mm and 600mm distances.

    There are lots of p'board, dry-wall fixings available. The ones I linked to are the ones I'd recommend over any others of that size. 'Spring-toggle' types are hellish, as are the 'push through and they unfold' types. The ones I linked to - if fitted porperly (neat, tight hole) remain in place and spread the load better.

    What is it you are fixing to the wall?

    And will magnets work on ceilings too? They should.
     
  6. surfermick

    surfermick New Member

    yes, agree, 400mm-600mm,  if built to standards. i like the heavy magnet idea.
     
  7. Mr. Handyandy

    Mr. Handyandy Screwfix Select

    10-1 you'll find a stud behind each vertical crack in the plaster

    Mr. HandyAndy - Really
     
  8. Marie_j

    Marie_j Member

    I failed my physics o level and get nervous drilling anywhere where I think there may be electric cable.  The house is Victorian with an extesion completed during the last few years.  The seemed to have also plaster boarded over solid walls and boxed in cables etc.  I am trying to hang a heavy bathroom cabinet. Everything i have read online advises against any wall fixtures for the cabinet as it is too heavy for plasterboard.  I think i have got the hang of finding the stud walls and the magnets are now attached to the ceiling.  I will look at fixing some descrete batten between the stud battens.
     
  9. Cracking idea - if you can fit a batten to span the studs, you should be secure.

    They are right about p'board fixings not being adequate; the problem with a cabinet is not just the weight, but the fact that it'll have constant movement. P'board just falls apart if agitated - it's basically just chalk with a paper layer each side.

    Whatever is going to be hidden behind the fitted cabinet is fair game, so feel free to cut into the p'board and remove sections if it helps to gains access for fitting a 'noggin' behind! If you cut - using a craft knife - down the sides of the studs, you'll be able to attach an extra piece of timber to the side of the stud afterwards so's you have something to refit the p'board on to.

    If the cabinet has a recess at the back - so's the back panel is set in a bit - then you may be able to surface-mount a batten and screw it to that.
     
  10. Marie_j

    Marie_j Member

    Thanks for that brilliant fast response.
     
  11. jeznotts

    jeznotts Member

    hello
    remember though no matter how heavy duty a fixing is, it's only as strong as the material it is fxed to.
     

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