Home Improvement Tools Archive

Our Guide on How to Choose A Stud Finder and How to Use It

When you want to fix something on the wall or hang something like heavy mirrors, wall-mounting a new LCD, bracing big and heavy wooden furniture, or erecting shelves on the wall you might only consider the aesthetics of the wall or the room. But when you do that there is a fair chance that it might fall down because of the heavyweight. You can’t expect the plaster or wallboard to support a heavyweight for a long time. For this, you must fix it directly on a stud inside the wall.

A stud finder or stud sensor or stud detector is a small device that helps us to spot framing studs located behind the outer surface of any walls, usually drywalls. Even though there are a variety of stud sensors available nowadays which can be found at studfindertool.com, most of them can be generally categorized as two:

  1. Electric stud finders.
  2. Magnetic stud detectors.

Some basic instructions while using a stud finder.

  • Check the batteries before hand

To get a good and accurate reading on display, make sure that the batteries are not weak. Many times people struggle with inaccuracies in finding a stud because the batteries aren’t good.

  • Clear the walls of any obstructions

Before you use a stud finder, make time to remove any pictures, mirrors, shelves or furniture if any, from the wall. They can all create errors or inaccuracies in the readings of the stud finder.

  • Hold it Flat Against the Wall

A stud