#Find stud in lath and plaster wall how to
#Find stud in lath and plaster wall install

You can usually tell when you hit the lath because the screw will grab better. I prefer if the screw hits the wood lath behind the plaster for a little extra holding power to make sure things stay hung. For lighter items, simply screwing into the plaster with a 1 1/4” drywall screw is usually enough to get the job done. Screws (and screws with masonry anchors for heavy items) are your best choice for hanging things on plaster walls without picture rail. You may not notice the damage, but as plaster comes loose from the lath, it will eventually begin to sag and soon fall off the wall if the sagging continues unchecked. Hammering nails into plaster is a quick way to knock plaster loose from the lath that is supporting it. I can still give you some great ideas for hanging on plaster walls.įirst thing: Put away the hammer.

#Find stud in lath and plaster wall install

If you don’t have picture rail or don’t want to install some, that’s just fine. If you think something is too heavy, then it’s best to mount it in a more secure way to the wall. After all, it is just a piece of wood molding. Picture rail works great for most decorations, but don’t try hanging extremely heavy items from it.

This made the pictures easily movable left or right anywhere in the room, and to raise or lower them, you simply change the length of the picture wire. Pictures were hung on longer wires or cord to whatever height preferred by the homeowner and hung on small hooks that latched onto the picture rail.

The height is often variable depending on local traditions and builder preference, but seeing picture rail anywhere from about 1/2” to 1’ below the ceiling is not uncommon. The picture rail is nailed to the studs, giving it better holding strength and was installed toward the top of the wall. Picture rail was installed to give you a place to hang things like mirrors, art, pictures and anything else you want to decorate your walls with without putting holes in your plaster. It has a wonderful purpose and that is to protect your walls and make your life easier. Don’t confuse this little piece of molding at the top of your wall for some kind of miniature crown molding. If you’re one of the fortunate ones, you may have picture rail in some of the rooms of your home.

Plaster has lath (wood, metal mesh, or rock lath) behind it that supports it, whereas drywall has nothing behind itĪll these differences mean that the two require different fasteners and fastening methods for decorating.

Drywall is usually 1/2” thick, compared to historic plaster, which can range from 3/4” to just over 1” thick.

There are a few things that make the two different, especially related to attaching things to your walls. What’s the Real Difference Between Plaster and Drywall? It’s important not just to make the decorating process simpler, but to also avoid costly damage.

#Find stud in lath and plaster wall how to

Everything from how to find a stud in plaster walls to what type of fasteners your should use is different.Įveryone wants to decorate their walls, so learning how to hang things on plaster walls is important for every homeowner to learn. Most of the handy devices for hanging things on our walls were designed for drywall, not plaster.