I know they are not accurate but I am trying to locate the uprights in a stud wall. Now I have set the detector based on a known wall (I built it) and it accurately shows the location of the studs, now when I apply this setting to an old wall it either sounds continiously or not at all (if I adjust the settings) This particular stud wall when tapped appears to be more hollow than anything with just one part sounding solid, near the center (and not where I want to locate a fixing) the wall is approx 6 ft wide and the usual height and definitely plasterboard. Its also on the end of house. Is there some peculiar way of fixing p[lasterboard that I am not aware of that would allow for lack of studs? To the best of my knowledge the wall is original and house built 70s ish.
Help with stud detector
Apr 08, 2012
9 Replies
Dot and dab? Lazy builder? Former not likely I would have thought in a 70's build. Anything goes for the latter. B-)
Dot & dab wasn't used in the 70's so it's not that. It could be in the eggbox stylee, IE two plasterboards with eggboxes between, these were simply stood upright, fixed to floor and ceiling, then plastered, quite popular in the bone idle 70's, which IMO produced some of the worst atrocities in the history of construction, closely followed by the
1920's - 1930's with their building on top of door and window frames without either arches or lintels - how novel.what's the total width of the wall in question?
Has is it got a metal detection facility? (or failing that, have you got a strong magnet). If so, look for the screws/nails instead of the studs.
Foil backed plasterboard will fool my stud detector.
It is probably foil backed plasterboard which often stops stud detectors working.
The total length of the wall is 24 feet and none of this wall is reacting to the detector. At the opposite end to where I want to fix they have put a window in at some point so they could have redone the complete wall, although I couldnt imagine why. I have taken about 7 feet off the end of the room to create a walk-in wardrobe 7 x 15 and where I partitioned I am using as a test for the detector and it responds accurately
I am beginning to think it is foil backed, they also done an extension on the ground floor and I recently had someone out for free cavity wall and they said that unlike the rest of the house the extension has proper (and good) cavity wall insulation (jees they done something right in this house) so maybe if they replaced the plasterboard they have used foil back for better insulation. Although whoever done the DIY in this house I bet was using dot & dab in the early 1900s :-)
Yes it has the metal detection facility, tried both and its either buzzing continously or off continously. But does work on other walls ok.
Was that around in the '70s though?
David
Yes, the dry lining and ceilings we have just ripped out where foil backed plasterboard. Found a note behind some if it dated 1975.
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