Do I have metal or wooden studs?

[Mar]

From looking around my basement, I can see on certain unfinished walls that I have wooden studs all around except for a 2-3 foot wide section to the left of the doorway separating my work shop from the rest of the basement. Those are the only metal studs I can see.

If I run a stud finder along the wall in the basement which separates me from my garage (or the dirt under my garage), I find wooden studs every 16 inches.

If I come upstairs and do the same test with the stud finder on the same wall (now on the other side of the actual garage), the stud finder finds nothing.

And upstairs even more, on the same wall above that in my bedroom which separates my bedroom from my neighbour's bedroom it's the same, no studs found.

On any other wall in the house I find wooden studs every 16 inches but I have a rather large painting I want to hang above my bed and this seems to be the only wall which does not have wooden studs, can this be? Does it sound right?

[project240]

Do you have a good stud finder or a $10 one? For years I used this POS stud finder and figured they were all the same.

I bought a much better one about a year ago and it's much more accurate and never lies. Open up your wall and take a look or invest in a better stud finder maybe.

What year was the house built? It's possible to have a wooden foundation and metal studs throughout the rest I guess.

If I am understanding you correctly, even though you mention it's the same wall, I assume in the basement is below your garage slab and when inside the garage, obviously above? So it's technically the same wall, just 6ft or whatever higher?

[88CRX]

Duplex or townhouse? And when was it built?

It's most likely wood studs. Might he double layer of drywall on the wall between you and your neighbor, causing the stud finder to not catch them.

Or you could have horizontal metal res bar on that wall. Again it might not pick up the studs.

[510-Trevor]

Pull off a switch or outlet coverplate . The elect box will be attached directly to a stud.

[Mar]

Yes sorry, it's a town house style with another house on either side. And yes, it is all the same wall, just higher/lower in different rooms.

Thicker gyprock makes sense, it is the separating wall for my neighbour.

House was built in 2002.

It is a $10 stud finder.

[Ntense_SpecV]

How heavy is the painting you're trying to hang? Reason I ask is that those large plastic screw type anchors have a shear rating of around 110lbs. Are you going to hit the stud where you want to hang the painting?

[Mar]

It's maybe 20 pounds but I'd rather hang it on a stud, I hate those anchors. Plus I\'d really like to know.

[Mar]

So just to clarify, I checked the one wall on only one side in 3 different locations:
- in the basement
- on the main floor
- upstairs in my bedroom

I could get an easy reading from the stud finder in the basement but not in the other 2 rooms leading me to believe they are metal. However, I went around to the other side of this wall out in my garage where there are pieces of gyprock missing. I moved some insulation and it is, in fact, wooden studs. So it seems like it's just thicker gyprock to prevent waking the neighbours but why would they put it between my kitchen and my garage? Kind of pointless.

[C_Dave45]

Your townhouse has all wooden studs. Garage or any wall adjoining your neighbouring unit will be either 5/8th's firestop or two layers of 1/2 " to obtain the fire rating. Cheap stud finder likely isn't penetrating the thicker drywall. Should be able to find the stud just by knocking on the wall.

[barmanjay]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
Your townhouse has all wooden studs. Garage or any wall adjoining your neighbouring unit will be either 5/8th's firestop or two layers of 1/2 " to obtain the fire rating. Cheap stud finder likely isn't penetrating the thicker drywall. Should be able to find the stud just by knocking on the wall.

This
:thumbsup:

[Tomaz]

Originally posted by C_Dave45
Your townhouse has all wooden studs. Garage or any wall adjoining your neighbouring unit will be either 5/8th's firestop or two layers of 1/2 " to obtain the fire rating. Cheap stud finder likely isn't penetrating the thicker drywall. Should be able to find the stud just by knocking on the wall.

Ding!

Best stud finder I have owned was a hammer. :thumbsup: