Just do it.Īnd still toggle bolts hold well in metal lath and plaster. Or you can use the other suggestion and put holes in at an angle then feel around with a wire coat hanger. In metal lath this is not much of a concern. When I have done this I have not put the holes in a straight line but made some higher and others lower in order not to cause a crack along a straight line. If you use a small masonry bit and start drilling holes in the neighborhood of where you want to attach your peg board, drilling every 3/4" until you find the first stud, then you should find the next ones with only three holes, one where you expect the center of the stud to be and one an inch left and right to verify the center. Since this is an exterior wall it is probably framed with 2 X 4 or 2 X 6 studs. They support the plaster or stucco but not the floor or roof above. The systems I mentioned in earlier posts are not typically structural in nature. 4The Different Methods for Anchoring Into Lath and Plaster Walls. But there are often other ways to properly locate studs, without ripping a giant hole in the wall. Even wood lath can confuse many quality stud finders. Now nothing holds as well as screws into wood studs. If you have plaster walls with metal lath, you may find that no stud funder will really help you at all. Most of the weight is down on the toggle and plaster not out of it. The wings on the toggles hold against that and several strands of lath and resist pulling out pretty well. A quick visual inspection can also tell you whether you have lath and plaster construction or not. If it sounds hollow, then it’s likely drywall if it sounds solid, then chances are it’s plaster. To do this, tap the wall surface with your knuckle.
Plaster over metal lath holds toggle bolts pretty well from the front to the back of the plaster is an inch or more. Tap Test: A tap test is a simple way to differentiate between plaster and drywall. 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. If there are wood studs sometimes you can locate them with the thump method, at least get close enough to dry the drill or nail to get the center. For lighter items, simply screwing into the plaster with a 1 1/4 drywall screw is usually enough to get the job done. Vertical studs, wooden beams, and plaster make up the structure of older homes. The other way to hunt for wood studs is driving nails ever 3/4" until you hit the first one. Here are five ways to find a stud in a plaster wall: How To Find a Stud in a Plaster Wall. If you hit a wood stud you should sense a difference in the resistance if you use light pressure on the drill. You will know if you hit a steel support. Dry drilling a hole with the smallest masonry bit you can find. There might be a little dent where the putty shrank over the nail. Electrical boxes for outlets and light switches are supposed to be attached to studs. Wood Lath Nailed To Studs Attracts Magnet. If there is a baseboard look carefully for nails in it. And it would be hard to get a screw into some of these.īUT you may have wood studs. There are a number of ways this was done but they all involved steel supports about 3/4" wide. It is possible that you have plaster over metal lath that is attached to old fashioned metal framing systems.