I've purchased an older home from an era when they used rock lath and plaster for the walls. I had never heard of this kind of construction, though I've done plenty of electrical wiring in older homes with regular lath and plaster. My question regards putting up shelving and coat hooks in my children's closets so they can reach their things. What is the best way to anchor to this material? I've tried locating the studs with the most sensitive stud-finder I could buy at our local hardware store but had no luck. I know about toggle bolts, but is this my only option? And how thick, generally, did they make these walls with the rock lath and the plaster together?
Drywall – How to anchor coat hooks and shelving in a rock-lath & plaster wall
drywalldrywall-anchorlath-and-plasterplastershelving
Related Topic
- Walls – up with this wall, and what is the right way to hang something on it
- Is there a sandable compound I can use for a final skim coat over StructoLite plaster
- What metal is along the top of a plaster wall in a 1930s house
- Drywall – Hanging heavy things on old walls. Running out of options. What would you do
- Drywall – How to anchor to a 1″ thick hollow wall with a very shallow cavity
- Walls – Securing French cleats to drywall over lath and plaster with structural screws
- What’s the best way to hang frames and shelves on plaster walls
Best Answer
You can find studs in other ways, and then you can measure 16" centers.
Drill a series of 1/16" holes at one inch intervals in a hidden area, such as behind a vent louver.
Measure 16" centers from the corner of a room that's at the outside corner of the building. (This may not hit center, but should get you close. You have a 50% chance of getting the layout from the correct end of the building.)
Ideally you'll mount to studs. I wouldn't hesitate to use togglers or expanding anchors where needed, though. That wall system was tough, and it isn't as fragile as wood lath in terms of disintegration.
My first home had it (or an evolution of it), and I liked it for its strength and durability. It would probably hold twice what modern drywall does. My walls were typically 3/4" to 13/16" thick (3/8" gypsum panel with 3/8" plaster).