My attempt to build a floating shelf ended with a hole in the drywall

I was so sure I had the studs marked right, but when I drilled the last bracket, it just went straight through into nothing. My partner walked in, looked at the dust on the floor and the bracket hanging loose, and just said, 'Babe, I think your stud finder needs new batteries.' I spent the next hour patching a fist-sized hole. Anyone have a better method for finding studs in an old plaster wall?

3 comments

3 Comments

noah_singh8122d ago

Oh man, "hole in the drywall" is a phrase that gives me flashbacks. I've been there with the false confidence from a stud finder. For old plaster, I've had way better luck just tapping the wall and listening for the solid sound, then using a tiny finish nail to poke and confirm before drilling anything big. That dust on the floor is the worst part, it gets everywhere.

derekhenderson22d ago

Bro you're making this sound like brain surgery. It's just a wall. Drill a small test hole first and if you miss, spackle it. Takes like five minutes to fix. People act like drywall dust is toxic waste but it sweeps up easy.

webb.linda17d ago

Tapping and listening for a solid sound is such a guessing game though. My stud finder has never let me down once I learned how to calibrate it right on the wall first. That tiny finish nail trick just makes another hole to fix anyway. And drywall dust is no big deal, just put down a drop cloth and run a shop vac after.