Keep this in mind, and if there are light fixtures, switches, and outlets on a wall, you can make an educated guess as to where the wires might be. And pay attention to where the kitchen and bathrooms are. Water-supply and waste pipes for the second floor are often found in walls on the first floor, below sinks, tubs, or showers. Pro tip: If your basement is unfinished, you can go down there to see on the ceiling where exactly the pipes go up.
Stud finders have their jobs cut out for them, given the many variables in wall materials and construction. While you may get definitive results in one case, you may be left scratching your head in another. Take everything with a grain of salt, and use the stud finder in conjunction with the placement of electrical and plumbing fixtures to figure things out. Be careful about assumptions, err on the side of caution, and take your time. Many of our recommended and tested models are currently out of stock due to ongoing supply chain issues.
We checked availability, and these stud finders with similar features from brands that have performed well in our testing, are currently available if you need one quickly. It can also detect live AC wiring, metal objects, plastic pipes that are filled with water, and even rebar in concrete.
When we encountered one, the LEDs over it lit up to show its full width. The T13 even proved wide enough to show doubled-up studs around door frames and windows. Two strong neodymium magnets will cause the StudBuddy to snap to ferrous fasteners or studs when we got within about three-quarters of an inch of them. Sliding it up or down quickly confirmed additional hits, and the location and direction of studs.
The StudBuddy may also locate other ferrous metals in the wall, like ductwork or electrical boxes—so scanning to confirm stud orientation is important. An alert in the form of an LED arrow pointed toward the studs, and we found that traveling over the stud and then back until the DW picked up the center was nearly percent accurate.
The device also detects AC wiring—it was reliable through a half inch of drywall but only intermittent under the three-quarter-inch variety. Additionally, it can locate other metallic and non-metallic objects in walls. In our testing, the K3 was very reliable detecting studs, indicating center by projecting a red arrow on the wall. In deep scan mode we picked up everything we have in our test wall, including studs, black pipe, copper pipe, polyethylene pipe, and NM-B electrical wire.
When we passed over live electrical wires, the screen turned red and displayed an icon indicating the wires were live. In dedicated metal scan mode, we found it easy to differentiate between metal plumbing pipes and wood studs. If metal studs were present, it was a little trickier, but using the signal strength indicator helped sort out things that were close—the stud—versus things farther inside the wall, like pipes.
While not perfect, it is much better than not detecting an object—it reliably steered us away from potential hazards.
It was designed to locate the edges of wood or metal studs. Just press the button and glide the S50 slowly along the wall, keeping an eye on the indicator.
Another trick depends on the fact that electricians are usually right-handed, so electrical boxes tend to be mounted to the right of a stud. And that brings me to another good approach, which is to remove the cover of an outlet and probe around to see if you can tell which side the stud is on.
Then measure your 16 inches from that point. After years of using electronic stud finders, and finding the Franklin and Zircon through recommendations, we focused our testing for this guide on the magnet-based stud finders from our initial search. The Stud Thud makes a noise when it finds metal, and the magnet of the Johnson Stud Finder Plus sits on a little hinge so that it pivots like a dowsing rod. Our previous pick, the Magic Stud Finder Plus, was unique in that it came with three detachable magnets, allowing you to mark multiple studs on the wall at once.
At some point in the middle of , it went out of stock at all retailers. We tried repeatedly to get in touch with the company but never received any response. As of early , the item is still not available, and we are no longer comfortable recommending it. An interesting spin on the magnetic stud finder is the Shinwa , as well as the newer Shinwa Each Shinwa tool has a cylindrical shape, like a pen, and combines magnetic detection with a needle probe. The needle has a built-in depth gauge, so it also tells you how thick your wall is.
The tool has a positive review from Make Magazine , and the Amazon feedback is glowing too. Putting little holes in your wall adds another inconvenience, but the Make review includes a photo of the puncture, and it is quite small. We dismissed the idea of making your own magnetic stud finder, as described in this Instructable. Although this approach seems to be an easy and cheap option for crafty types, in reality the cost puts it in the same realm as off-the-shelf magnetic models.
If you have magnets sitting around, this technique might work fine. Lastly, it requires a calibration process that works only if you activate it at a spot that does not have a stud. What this means in functional terms is that you must scan the wall multiple times, starting from a different spot each time. We also looked at the Zircon StudSensor e It scans only one point and requires the same cumbersome calibration as the Ryobi.
Overall, we found that the Zircon tool worked well, and in our tests it consistently found studs. But because it finds only the stud edges, we needed to make little pencil marks as we confirmed our findings from both sides of the stud.
We tested the wire-detection feature by scanning a wall with one finished side and placing a live wire on the other side. The results were strange: During one session, the Zircon picked up the wire location every time, but in another round a day later, we got nothing but false positives.
Those readings were enough to make us extremely wary of any others that we obtained elsewhere in the house. These tools are capable of deep scans that can locate rebar in concrete at a depth of up to 6 inches.
They can also pick up live electrical wires and differentiate between ferrous and nonferrous metal, meaning they can isolate copper pipes. Another wall-detection tool that is worth a mention is the General Tools CL You can use this two-part system to locate wires and pipes in a wall but not studs. One piece, the transmitter, sends a frequency through a wire or pipe, while the other piece scans the wall like an electronic stud finder and visually displays the location of the frequency.
The receiver can pick up the signal from a distance of more than 6 feet. The field is tiny but extremely precise, so much so that the sensor can detect changes in the field as it moves through air or lumber.
When you slide the sensor over a surface, the field moves with it. Blueboard looks just like drywall, except that it is blue. It is designed to better accept a thin plaster skim coat, which is a popular technique in New England.
If you consider purchasing magnets, definitely note their size, particularly if you have small children. The Buckyball saga, recounted here in Gizmodo, is enough to make any parent terrified of magnets. The target magnets in the Magic Stud Finder Plus are big enough to be very difficult to swallow. No problem. This magnetic stud finder is super-portable and designed to detect either metal studs or the metal fasteners in the studs, making it among the best options for those who need to locate studs without worrying about batteries running down.
On the test wall, the CH Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder stuck by itself to the drywall when it was placed over the location of a metal fastener.
I moved the tiny stud finder around in large swooping circles on a standard wall and eventually felt a magnetic pull. It took maybe seconds. While some magnetic stud finders feature only one magnet, this one includes two, one at each end. The C. Hanson also includes a built-in bubble level, which makes the next step—mounting something on the wall—that much easier.
Those who are new to the world of electronic and magnetic stud finders are in for a treat. Consider a few questions before picking one out. Electronic stud finders can often detect a stud through ceramic tiles, especially if the tool comes with Deep mode. Standard wall framing is 16 inches apart, on-center OC , meaning the center of one stud will be exactly 16 inches from the center of the next.
Alternate spacing is That depends on the individual tool. Some beep when they detect a stud nearby while others beep when they detect the center of a stud. Most, but not all. Some outlets come with boxes that are designed to fit in a hole cut through the drywall. A stud finder that detects both studs and live wires can tell the user if this type of outlet box is in use. Testing the stud finders was both fun and educational for me. The testing reinforced my opinion that stud finders speed up the task at hand and offer an accurate way to pinpoint studs quickly and easily.
Disclosure: BobVila. You agree that BobVila. All rights reserved. Expert advice from Bob Vila, the most trusted name in home improvement, home remodeling, home repair, and DIY. Check Latest Price. More From Bob Vila. Michelle Ullman. Michelle Ullman has written hundreds of articles on home decor since She's a self-taught decor expert who contributes to several publications.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process. Our Top Picks. Best Overall:. The extra width of the device means you will have a more accurate sense of stud locations. Best Multipurpose:. With a stud sensor and laser level in one, you can easily hang or mount all manner of heavy items securely and accurately. Best Budget:. Capable of detecting both wood and metal studs, the sensor will flash and beep once it has picked up the edge of a stud.
Best for Metals:. Detect both ferrous magnetic and nonferrous metals behind most types of nonmetal walls, floors, and ceilings.
Best Magnetic:. This stud finder uses powerful rare earth magnets to find metal studs and fasteners without any need for power. It's a multi-mode sensor capable of detecting wood studs, metal support objects, and live AC wiring at the same time. Best for Live Wiring:. It includes five different scanning modes for woods, metals, AC wires, and deeply embedded objects. In This Article Expand. Our Picks. What to Look For. Why Trust The Spruce.
What We Don't Like Doesn't detect live wires. What Our Testers Say "My husband and I used this model during the installation of a closet organizer. What We Like Built-in laser level Easy to use. The 9 Best Cordless Drills of What We Like Scans up to 1. What We Don't Like Can take several passes to detect studs. What We Like Penetrates even lathe and plaster walls Scans up to 4 inches deep Detects both magnetic and nonmagnetic metals Easy to use. The 8 Best Hammers of What Our Testers Say "While it might not be fancy, it does accurately locate screws.
What We Like Scans up to 4. What We Don't Like Somewhat expensive. The 8 Best Screwdriver Sets of
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