How to find studs around a window?

[Noyade]

Hi Community.

I'm putting a homemade boxed shelf in a bathroom.

I would love to strike studs for screws and bought a Zircon stud finder from Bunnings yesterday, but it's not been particularly successful.

However, it did manage to find the stud under the window, directly below that small piece of blue masking tape. Apart from that stud the Zircon seems to think the entire wall is a stud. I found the 'finger tapping' method unhelpful.

But building wise - should there be studs directly on either side of the window - or not?

Cheers!

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Noyade,

Yes, I would expect to find studs on either side of the window. It sounds like the stud finder isn't calibrated properly. This can happen if the calibration step is done over a stud and not just plaster. Try calibrating again but over another patch of wall or another wall entirely where you'll be less likely to encounter a stud or noggin.

I'll add this guide for the benefit of others coming across this discussion: How to use a stud finder.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Noyade]

Thanks, I thought so to.

One of the problems with the house is the previous owner had put gyprock over fibro making it hard for stud finders and I think a lot of their revisions were sub-standard. I believe they 'renovated' this bathroom.

I played with the stud-finder most of the afternoon and test drilled various spots.

My conclusions are below. There is only one middle stud below the window, remembering the wall is only 1.8 metres wide. Crazy.

So, two screws into the central stud and two screws angled sharply into the the lower window frame.

Got there in the end.

Just to illustrate. Only the circled drill hole struck wood. I thought either of the other holes would have struck the descending stud.

But no.