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Images of Wall and Outlet

I used a stud finder to find (what I thought were) my studs. I did a knock test and it really sounded like that's where the studs were, so I drilled in, measured 16" to what I thought were the next studs, and after mounting the tv it almost immediately rips out from the wall on one side.

I think one side may be in studs, but I'm not positive. I had no luck doing a magnet test, so I tried taking off my outlet cover to see what side it is attached to studs, but I couldn't tell and am clueless.

For reference, this is a pre-war building. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas. Would I be okay finding studs on one side and using dry wall anchors on the other. Is there a good way to tell that I am truly screwed into studs? Thanks!

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  • While we're at it, can you say if your wall is drywall/gypsum board/plasterboard, or is it lath-and-plaster?
    – AdamO
    Commented Aug 30 at 15:38

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Assuming you are US based: I find the old-fashioned way of finding studs to be completely lacking. The stupid stud finder tools are no better, only usable for dad jokes. Old plaster walls are so tough, and with the lath behind them, knocking seems no more sonorous over a stud as opposed to the middle of the stud bay. Nowadays more and more walls run insulation, even interiorly, further dampening any sound based effect.

My method of finding studs:

  1. You already have an electrical outlet, the job's almost done. The outlet is attached to a stud either to the right or the left of it. You might be able to remove the cover plate and see it. Once you find one stud, others are 16" apart spanning the whole wall. (Caution, there are other framing spans, but 16" is the most common. (I can't see it from your pictures).

  2. Get a little drill bit. Make a few small drill holes to the left and the the right of where you expect a stud to be. You can feel the resistance once you hit the stud, whereas drilling into black plasterboard bottoms out after 3/4" and the bit drives straight through. You can choose a spot near the baseboard, or a spot that's easier to patch later.

  3. Rare earth magnets. Drywall is screwed every six inches over studs. You can hover a rare earth magnet over the wall and it will hang onto drywall screws telling you where the studs are. Caution, if there's a butt joint over a stud, the screws will not be directly over the top but alternating left and right, so interpolate the middle to find the stud.

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    Note that if what you have is plaster and lath, for many purposes sinking a screw into the lath is almost as good as sinking it into the stud. It can't carry as much weight, but it can carry more than plasterboard would, and doesn't usually require anchors.
    – keshlam
    Commented Aug 30 at 14:59
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    Finding studs gets really hard when you have plasterboard over plaster-and-lath.
    – keshlam
    Commented Aug 30 at 15:23
  • I've found that hammering in a small finishing nail (4d) works fine in modern day 1/2" or 5/8" drywall for locating the stud. For me it's much easier to feel the resistance of the stud compared to the air space in the cavity between studs when the nail breaks through the drywall,
    – SteveSh
    Commented Aug 30 at 17:26
  • @keshlam I wouldn't trust a TV screwed into lath though!
    – AdamO
    Commented Sep 3 at 18:44
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16 inch on centre is common, but not always.

One drill hole might have hit the stud at the edge and just miss the next one.

Studs that old might 1.75 or near full 2 inches face size. A small/tiny(1/16 or smaller) drill bit can help find the edges and behind the TV won't matter.

Hitting one stud well and drywall anchors might be okay, but for TVs/expensive stuff, using two or more studs is recommended.

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