Stud finder?

[John Smith]

Hi,

I was watching ITV's all night news last night and an advert came on for one of those laser levels. It was a US ad but selling the product over here and, gasp, you got a free stud finder with it.

Now, isn't a stud finder of no use over here in the UK? In fact, what exactly is it? I mean, in old UK houses you drill into the wall and on new houses you usually have a gap behind plasterboard which involves all sorts of tricks if you wish to hang something heavy.

I can understand a device to spot electrical cables, pipes, etc but, um, what is a stud finder and is it any use in the UK?

Thanks,

John.

[Harvey Van Sickle]

On 14 Oct 2004, John Smith wrote

If it's a plasterboard wall, the gaps you mention are the spaces between the studs, and it's more secure to hang a heavy object (or shelf supports, say) from a stud or studs than by using hollow wall plugs.

Not a hugely important thing, but that's what I imagine one would use it for.

[Set Square]

It helps to locate wooden structural members behind plasterboard. This might be the framing inside (often upstairs) stud partitions between rooms - or ceiling joists.

I agree that if you have block walls lined with plasterboard, held on by dabs, a stud finder won't help - but it will still help with ceiling joists, and you might have hollow internal walls where it is useful.