Steven Campbell wrote:

"Ian_m" wrote

Ian White wrote:
Can anyone recommend a nail and screw detector that won't be fooled by
foil-backed plasterboard? I'm hoping to find the heads of the steel
fixing screws, which protrude a board's thickness forward of the foil.

Any recommendations based on *practical experience*, please?


Just use some strong neodymium magnets (I used 4 off 1/2" x 1/8" from Ebay
or http://www.powermagnetstore.com/, a rod magnet might have been better)
they stick on the screws. I removed the kitchen/study ceiling, cleanly
this way, last weekend. Use the magnets to find the screws, expose the
heads using a screwdriver (or other appropriate tool), remove 1/2 the
screws per plasterboard sheet, score along 1/2 of sheet and pull down.
Sheet breaks cleanly in half, minimum mess and easily handled.

Brilliant tip. Cheers

Yes - brilliant!

I need to fix shelf brackets to the wooden studs underneath, but had
forgotten to mark the centres on the floor before the plasterers came.
However, I do know that the studs are accurately vertical, and the
plasterboard screws are accurately on the centre-lines.

All right then... old pair of headphones... crunch... small ceramic
magnet... scan delicately across wall... magnet sticks to wall over
screw head, exactly as advertised... mark... scan up and down... mark...
mark... good vertical line. Next stud, etc.

Excellent - thanks, Ian!


--
Ian White