If you own an old house with plaster and lath walls you may have discovered how utterly useless a stud finder can be.
Best stud finder for plaster walls.
Our selection as the best stud finder for plaster walls isn t technically a stud finder it s a metal detector.
For wall surfaces that are thick or uneven like you find with lathe and plaster or textured walls you ll need a more powerful scanner than for standard dry wall sheet rock.
Even though the surface looks smooth the underlying structure can be extremely varied.
This tends to confuse electric stud finders which work by finding changes in wall density.
Most smaller items can be hung pretty securely anywhere on the wall by screwing into the wood lath but for heavy things that weight more than 10 15 lbs like large mirrors and tvs you ll need to learn how to find studs in a plaster wall.
However the stud finder tools vary in type preciseness and additional options like.
Hanging a shelf or a picture making an outlet requires exact knowledge of the studs beams and wiring location.
How to use a stud finder.
Trying to accurately find studs inside a plaster wall is hard.
Franklin sensors prosensor t6.
For an accurate and quick stud finder we recommend the franklin sensors 710 precision stud finder.
Here we review professional grade stud finders scanners including franklin prosensor 710 zircon multiscanner i520 and black decker bdl190s bullseye.
It can detect more than one stud at once and the deep scan mode allows you to detect studs in thicker walls.
Best stud finder for plaster walls zircon metalliscanner m40.
How we selected products to test.
Getting the best stud finder for plaster walls might save considerable time and expense if there are repairs or routine household tasks planned.
Compare the best stud finders.
Important features to consider.
The other finalists we tested.
Most smaller items can be hung pretty securely anywhere on the wall by screwing into the wood lath but for heavy things that weight more than 10 15 lbs like large mirrors and tvs you ll need to learn how to find studs in a plaster wall.
Magnetic stud finders often won t penetrate far enough and electronic models are iffy at best.
The challenge with lath and plaster is the variety of ways it s made.
Best magnetic stud finder.
Do electronic stud finders work with lath and plaster walls.
Ch hanson 03040 it is a magnetic stud detector that weighs 2oz.
This stud finder comes equipped with 4 scanning modes that are capable of detecting studs nails pipes and electrical wiring.
If you own an old house with plaster and lath walls you may have discovered how utterly useless a stud finder can be.