How to Find Wall Studs in a Lath & Plaster Wall

Supporting wall studs are spaced 16 inches apart, from center to center.

Before drywall was used for interior walls, they were made of lath and plaster. Slats of wood were nailed a fraction of an inch apart horizontally to the supporting wall studs. The resulting "lath" was filled in and covered with plaster. To find the studs in these walls, find the nails in the studs. Once you find one, it is easy to find the others. Standard construction practices place wall studs 16 inches apart, as measured from center to center, measured at the surface of the stud that is flush with the wall.

Things You'll Need

• Magnetic stud finder
• Electronic stud finder

Instructions

1. Use a magnetic stud finder. Slide it over the surface of the wall. A lever with a magnet on the bottom of it will stand upright when it encounters a nail in a stud.

2. Look for an electrical outlet. They are often fastened to a stud. Try to determine which side of the box the stud is on by looking for a slight bulge in the plaster on one side of the outlet or the other.

3. Employ an electronic stud finder. This is a small device that you pass over the surface of the wall. It beeps when it detects a stud.

4. Examine the baseboard woodwork. If you look closely, you may notice the small nail heads of the nails used to fasten the baseboards to the wall studs.

References

• Repair Home: A Quick Guide to Finding Wall Studs
• Home Improvements Depot: 10 Ways to Find Wall Studs