Problem locating wall studs in outside wall

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Rikkitic

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#1602404 1-Aug-2016 17:58

How thick is the wall? Maybe you could stick a powerful magnet inside next to a stud you have found and use a compass outside to pinpoint it. Or tape an earphone or small speaker to the wall and play a loud tone and see if you can locate it outside with a stethoscope or equivalent.

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SATTV

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#1602430 1-Aug-2016 18:38

BlueShift:

SATTV:

I carry a couple of ex HDD magnets in my wallet, they are great as studfinders.

Doesn't that wipe all your mag-stripes?

No, never had a problem.

I know enough to be dangerous

neb

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#1603128 2-Aug-2016 17:50

Fred99:
1.5mm drill bit is my goto option, very easy to fill the holes with a ready to use filler - or just forget about them if you can drill the holes at the level where they'll be behind the shelf. I'd have said a 1mm drill bit, but they don't fit in the chuck of the drill I usually use and they also tend to snap very easily - I'd need to have a few spares handy.

That's exactly what I ended up doing, 1.5mm drill in a dremel, which gives more control and less chance of snapping. I've had the same problem with 1mm drills :-). Once I'd found the first stud I could just use the measurements from the nail spacing in the fibrolite to find the rest. Having said that, the next owners who see the results of my initial probing are going to make the same cowboy comments that I've been making about the previous owners...

StGabriel

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#1603842 3-Aug-2016 20:39

Another idea would be to possibly use infra red thermography... The thermal camera actually make an excellent studfinder if you can get a good shot at the right time of day. Have used one to find the mess of studs under a laundry window to try and punch through a dryer vent (which i never did end up doing). One problem may be cost though if you dont have access to an imager or sufficient training/knowledge to set correct parameters.

chevrolux

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#1603845 3-Aug-2016 20:49

Why not just measure?.... Stud's should be 600mm centers. so start at one edge and work your way in - take 10mm off the first measurement to account for GIB.

After that, use the "percussive" finder (great term btw!!) to check. After that, use a tiny little drill bit (2-3mm or so) and check it actually goes in to wood. Obviously just drill along the line where the shelf will be so you don't see the holes.

nickb800

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#1603853 3-Aug-2016 21:07

Can you access the top plate of the wall from the ceiling? You might be able to find the heads of nails that connect the top plate the studs, and measure the distance to a common point of reference e.g wall or pipe

neb

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#1603903 3-Aug-2016 22:17

StGabriel:
Another idea would be to possibly use infra red thermography... The thermal camera actually make an excellent studfinder if you can get a good shot at the right time of day.

Now that's something I hadn't considered. I've got a thermal imager, but the real problem will be finding a day with enough sun to warm that wall of the house. It's solved now in any case, but it'll be interesting to see in the future whether it can find studs in other outside walls.

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StGabriel

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#1604553 4-Aug-2016 19:41

neb:
StGabriel:

Another idea would be to possibly use infra red thermography... The thermal camera actually make an excellent studfinder if you can get a good shot at the right time of day.

Now that's something I hadn't considered. I've got a thermal imager, but the real problem will be finding a day with enough sun to warm that wall of the house. It's solved now in any case, but it'll be interesting to see in the future whether it can find studs in other outside walls.

No need to wait for warm day, only need temperature differential. Cold outside, warm inside should work as well as warm outside, cold inside.

gregmcc

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#1604612 4-Aug-2016 21:00

Talk about an overuse of technology for a simple job.

Banging on the wall and noting the sound difference and the amount of flex in the wall has been a reliable method I have used for many years, once found a tape measure and a pencil to measure and mark, then an eraser to remove the pencil mark.

sometimes depending on how good (or how bad) the plastering work was you can actually see where the gib nails are, and the studs.

geoffwnz

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#1604849 5-Aug-2016 10:00

chevrolux:

Why not just measure?.... Stud's should be 600mm centers. so start at one edge and work your way in - take 10mm off the first measurement to account for GIB.

The key word in that sentence is "should". My place the gaps are no greater than 600mm, but could be anything from 400 to 600 depending on who knows why.

MotorDrive Rallying

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#1604887 5-Aug-2016 10:53

As the studs got smaller and room heights went up again the answer seems to have been throw more wood in the wall. My builder neighbor sometimes does framing on his front lawn and some walls would not have much room for flex.

MikeB4

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#1604921 5-Aug-2016 11:10

Don't do what my father in law did. I arrived at his place once and found him trying to install a range hood. I noticed a lot, I mean A LOT of drill holes in wall, when I asked him about it he told me he is having trouble finding studs so was drilling holes until he found them.

aucklander

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#1618503 27-Aug-2016 21:43

neb:
StGabriel:

Another idea would be to possibly use infra red thermography... The thermal camera actually make an excellent studfinder if you can get a good shot at the right time of day.

Now that's something I hadn't considered. I've got a thermal imager, but the real problem will be finding a day with enough sun to warm that wall of the house. It's solved now in any case, but it'll be interesting to see in the future whether it can find studs in other outside walls.

warm day / cold day would no make a difference I would say, here is a thermal photography done at night, around 8 - 9 p.m. on a cold day (winter), the difference comes from the temperature difference between the inside and the outside of the house. Obviously, the studs act as a bridge for the heat ( you loose heat through the studs) - they are shown to be warmer than the cladding. The readings of -25C and -30C are not accurate, the device might have not been properly calibrated, but the science is the same.

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Lastman

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#1618512 27-Aug-2016 22:21

If you look on the outside of a weatherboard or simple cladded house on a coldish morning you can see the outline of the studs.

If its insulated the cavities will have moisture on their exterior and the studs will be dry. On an unlined shed it will be the opposite way around ie condensation will initiate on the coldest surface.

webwat

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#1619926 30-Aug-2016 21:25

richms: Ive had problems with the metal bracing straps in walls screwing up the studfinder. And also foil backed Gib makes the whole wall show as stud.

The Zircon syncs so that it can adjust to the thickness of the wall, and foil backing on the gib might effectively just make the timber invisible. I often get this on walls that have multiple layers of lining. Bash the wall until you can hear the stud, but you might still have to make some test holes every 50mm and then 20mm either side of that once you find something. A nail might be effective and keep in mind that you won't get it perfectly centred, but ok as long as not too close to edge of the timber.

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