I'm currently living in a 1970s apartment and I'm trying to mount some shelves and possibly a TV in my living room. When I use my electronic stud finder, it shows that there are studs spaced 12 inches apart. However, when I use a magnet to locate the studs, it only sticks to those spaced 24 inches apart. I'm puzzled by the extra stud signals from the electronic finder that the magnet doesn't catch. The walls have gypsum board drywall, so I'm curious if that could be affecting the results somehow.
3 Answers
I think your magnet might just be picking up on the drywall screws rather than the studs themselves. It's possible the builders only anchored the screws into the edges and maybe one stud in the center for support, rather than every 12 inches like the stud finder indicates.
If it's a shared wall, it's common to see staggered studs for better soundproofing. The additional ones you see might be set a bit further back, just connected to the wall on the other side, which helps reduce noise transmission between apartments.
It's likely that you're dealing with a party wall, which could mean that the adjacent apartment's studs are affecting the readings. In your case, the screws in your drywall might only be securing the wall to your side every 24 inches, while the studs from the other apartment could be set back a bit, leading to those extra detections from the electronic finder.