What could be behind my wall?
#1
10-14-14, 08:46 PM
What could be behind my wall?
I recently purchased my first home (a 1994, concrete-block single-story home, 2350 sq. ft. with a pool). The walls seem to be a bit funky - when some drywall in the garage was removed for some work I was having done, I noticed that the spacing of the studs seemed to be all over the place.
Yesterday, I tried to put a simple towel ring on the wall in the bathroom, using the two drywall anchors that came with it. When I pre-drilled the first hole, I hit metal. The house does have metal studs (mostly 24" OC, it seems), so not a bad thing! But I wanted to be sure it was a stud.
I grabbed my stud finder and was surprised when the light went off not only where I had drilled the hole, but for a width of about 5.5", all the way up and down the wall.
This is an interior wall that abuts the back of the house. On the other side of the wall is a walk-in closet. It doesn't make sense that it would be duct work, and the house does not have metal pipes (the aforementioned work I had done was to replace the polybutelene plumbing with PEX).
Here's a photo of the wall and the hole I drilled, for reference:
Is it possible there are multiple studs there, for some reason? If not, what else could this be of that size in this location?
Thank you in advance for your insight!
Yesterday, I tried to put a simple towel ring on the wall in the bathroom, using the two drywall anchors that came with it. When I pre-drilled the first hole, I hit metal. The house does have metal studs (mostly 24" OC, it seems), so not a bad thing! But I wanted to be sure it was a stud.
I grabbed my stud finder and was surprised when the light went off not only where I had drilled the hole, but for a width of about 5.5", all the way up and down the wall.
This is an interior wall that abuts the back of the house. On the other side of the wall is a walk-in closet. It doesn't make sense that it would be duct work, and the house does not have metal pipes (the aforementioned work I had done was to replace the polybutelene plumbing with PEX).
Here's a photo of the wall and the hole I drilled, for reference:
Is it possible there are multiple studs there, for some reason? If not, what else could this be of that size in this location?
Thank you in advance for your insight!
#2
10-15-14, 03:45 AM
Welcome to the forums!
Short of opening up the wall everything is pretty much a guess. An extra stud can be installed for various reasons. How thick is the wall? Does another wall intersect at that point?
Short of opening up the wall everything is pretty much a guess. An extra stud can be installed for various reasons. How thick is the wall? Does another wall intersect at that point?
#3
10-15-14, 08:15 AM
Forum Topic Moderator
Dry wall easy to fix if you really need to find whats back there cut a 2 foot by 4 inch square out and look, Neater you make cut easier to repair. Might even be able to reuse cutout piece.
#4
10-15-14, 09:33 AM
Group Moderator
Stud finders can sometimes not give a consistent reading and can sometimes contradict themselves. You can shine a flashlight and look at the wall area at a very shallow angle. Sometimes you can see the screw locations where the sheetrock is attached to the studs. You can also try tapping to listen for the more solid sound where a stud is located though I often find it more difficult with metal studs. You can also inert a wire (clothes hanger) through the hole you've already drilled and feel around to try and find studs nearby.
#5
10-15-14, 11:08 AM
Thank you everyone for the responses! I am leaning toward cutting out a piece of drywall from the backside of the wall (which is in a closet) to investigate. What's the best way to cut it - a drywall saw or a reciprocating saw? Assuming I don't make a total mess of it, why wouldn't I be able to re-use the cut piece when I patch it?
To answer the other questions, There are no intersecting walls where the hole is. The back wall of the house is the one you see on the right in the picture. A walk-in closet (that also extends to the back wall) is behind the wall where the hole is.
Thanks again!
To answer the other questions, There are no intersecting walls where the hole is. The back wall of the house is the one you see on the right in the picture. A walk-in closet (that also extends to the back wall) is behind the wall where the hole is.
Thanks again!
#6
10-15-14, 12:34 PM
Most any saw will work but you need to be mindful of how deep the saw is going so you don't cut anything you shouldn't. I'd probably score the cut with a utility knife and then use a jab saw.
#7
10-15-14, 01:38 PM
Forum Topic Moderator
Try to cut over 2 studs so you have a place to screw patch in. Score it with a utility knife. Use a stright edge to get a straight cut. If neat enough possible to use old piece.
#10
10-15-14, 05:46 PM
Pulpo, I am trying to determine if it is in fact a stud or if it's something else in the wall that I shouldn't be drilling into. If I knew it was a stud, I would just hang it and be done with it.
Because it seems to be so wide (about 5.5") and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for there to be multiple studs side-by-side here, I am worried that it could be something else.
Thank you everyone for your input!
Because it seems to be so wide (about 5.5") and there doesn't seem to be any logical reason for there to be multiple studs side-by-side here, I am worried that it could be something else.
Thank you everyone for your input!
#12
10-15-14, 09:27 PM
If I was going to assume it's just a stud, how would I attach the towel ring to it? I've only ever dealt with wood screws. A sheet metal screw? Do I need to pre-drill?
#13
10-16-14, 02:24 AM
If you are sure that it's a metal stud, I would use a zip screw (self tapping). I don't know what they call them where you are. In Florida, they had no idea what I was saying.
