Mounting things to plaster question.

[Chris142]

The walls in my house are plaster I Think anyway. It's like weak cement that turns to powder if drilled.

When I hang light weight things I use those plastic inserts you put a screw in and that holds ok.

I need to hang something heavier.
How do I do that correctly?

 

[JHZR2]

Plaster on wood lathe? On gypsum under structure? Something else?

I’d start with toggle. Lots, or the plastic equivalent that expand out on the back of the wall… though depending upon how the plaster fingers go, they may not reach properly.

 

[Lubener]

I would use a zip toggle (also called snap toggles). Unlike the spring loaded toggles, you can remove the bolt on these for wall painting and not lose the metal piece behind the wall.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10...e-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183831

 

[facility1]

or use a good stud finder and use a construction screw to mount your stuff on. as mentioned, or a 3/16 toggle bolt will work too, nutting it so the head and part if the screw sticks out and a washer against the wall.

 

[Nick1994]

If you’ve got plaster and lath, you can use a good strong little magnet and move it around the wall and find the little nails that hold up the lath so you can find a stud.

Stud finders don’t work too good in my 1950 house, so I use the magnet method.

 

[barbersurgeon]

Do you have picture board trim at the top of the wall?

 

[Chris142]

Do you have picture board trim at the top of the wall?

No

I would use a zip toggle (also called snap toggles). Unlike the spring loaded toggles, you can remove the bolt on these for wall painting and not lose the metal piece behind the wall.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/TOGGLER-10...e-Bolt-Drywall-Anchor-Screws-Included/3183831

Those pull right through and leave huge holes.

Plaster on wood lathe? On gypsum under structure? Something else?

I don't know what these are. As I said It looks like cement when drilled. It's about 1.25 inches thick. There is nothing on the back side and I do not know how it was put on originally as it makes no sense to me how it stayed without just slathering out.

 

[BigCahuna]

I have a old house also. The walls are plaster, which was smeared onto lath, which is nailed to the 2x4's underneath. If your attaching say a smoke detector, those small plastic plugs will work. Just make a hole big enough for the anchor. Anything heavier, I try to go thru the plaster and at least hit a furring strip. It would be best to hit the stud if you have a stud finder. The plaster is probably 3/8's to a half inch thick. And the furring strip might be 1/4 inch thick on average. So your need a screw long enough the go thru that, plus another 1 inch into the stud. How many you use depends on how heavy the thing your trying to hang is.,,,

 

[Chris142]

If you’ve got plaster and lath, you can use a good strong little magnet and move it around the wall and find the little nails that hold up the lath so you can find a stud.

Stud finders don’t work too good in my 1950 house, so I use the magnet method.

I will try the magnet trick since the stud finder was a strike out. I'm wondering if whatever material it is has gone bad somehow. It's like wet sand after it's dried out.

No strength at all.

My metal detector did not work as it beeped constantly.

It's for a rack in our only food pantry and it came crashing down yesterday.

I got it back up temporarily but want to secure it better

 

[Chris142]

Reading up on lath and plaster it's not that . There is no wood support behind it.

 

[wavinwayne]

There are studs in the wall, right? I would attach horizontal 1/2"-3/4" thick backing plates to the wall studs, and screw the pantry rack to the backing plates. It might not be pretty but should work.

 

[JohnnyG]

I've begun using these on drywall. They will hold 159 pounds each in 5/8" drywall/wallboard. Just be sure to order the correct length for the wall thickness you are dealing with. These work exceptionally well on Closet Made storage systems.

https://anchorco.com/products/toggl...MIxM7GreXfjgMVcZ1aBR2ChSZ8EAQYBiABEgLuC_D_BwE