How to find metal in the wall

Can you find metal in the wall with a magnet and how?

It is possible to find screws, rivets, wires etc. in the wall by simply using a magnet. To do this, you just need the right magnet to "push" across the surface of the wall until it is attracted to the metal on the other side.

When you have your hands full with a renovation project for yourself or a client, it can be nice to have professional tools. But the cost of a stud finder can be daunting.
Fortunately, it doesn't have to be expensive or difficult - you just need a magnet as a stud finder. It is both cheaper and more reliable. Because it not only finds metal in the wall, but can also remove it, because you can lift the metal to an opening in the wall, where you can take it out.

How to find rivets in a wall with magnets

When trying to tear down a wall or perhaps simply need to hang or mount something on the wall, it is important to locate metal in the area where you will be drilling or tearing down the wall. Because it can also be power cables that are in the way, and you should preferably neither drill nor cut them! But the rivets in the wall can also have an important function, because they might hold parts of the wall together and therefore act as a kind of support that you don't have to remove.

And here you take your hook magnet and run it slowly across the wall to find out if there is any metal that is magnetic.

4 simple steps:

• Buy a magnet in a suitable size (we recommend min. Ø40 mm.),
• Find a starting position on the wall and slowly drag the magnet horizontally along the wall to locate metal and copper,
• Wait for the magnet to be attracted to something in the wall (or on the other side of the wall if it is a hollow wall), and
• Mark the spot where the magnet "reacted" with attraction.

Here are some suggestions for magnets for the purpose - a pro tip is to choose a magnet with a closed hook, as it is easier to control. But we are advocates of using magnets for many things, so if you can use a magnet for something else afterwards that requires an open hook, then you simply choose an alm. magnetic hook (or buy extra loose hook for the magnet).