Quick Tip: DIY Stud Finder On The Cheap
When I say cheap and mean the best kind of cheap, FREE. If you are reading this, it is probably pretty safe for me to assume that you own a computer. If you have the same luck that I have with hard drives, it is also very likely you have a couple dead or retired ones around the house.
Inside these hard drives are a couple very powerful neodymium magnets aka rare earth magnets. With these magnets you will be able to detect metal studs from behind drywall and other materials. You can also use these magnets to detect wood studs by locating the screws used to attach the drywall to the studs. Where ever you find a screw, you find a stud. Depending on the strength of the magnet, you could find buried electrical boxes from behind cabinets. You could even find the studs behind solid plaster walls, by locating the nails used to attach the lath.
So get those old hard drives out, and crack them open. The hardest part will be removing the glued on magnets from the hard drive, other then that, it is just a matter of removing a few screws.
If you are lucky enough not to have a hard drive crash on you, don't worry, you can easily find these magnets in stores and online. With magnets, size matters. The bigger the magnet, the stronger it is. Neodymium magnets also use a grading system to measure how strong they are, the higher the N-number the stronger the magnet. Currently an N52 is the strongest magnet you can get. You can get these magnets CHEAP. On eBay for example, you can get a 1" cube N50 magnet for under $12 and has a holding strength of over 100 lbs.
Neodymium Magnets
