Mounting a TV on plaster and lath

Houses built before drywall became common — including many older homes in downtown Opelika, around Auburn's older neighborhoods and in nearby small towns — often have plaster over wood lath. Plaster is hard, heavy and wonderful to live with, but it behaves very differently from drywall when you drill into it.

Finding the studs

Plaster is thick and uneven, so electronic stud finders often give false readings. Better methods:

• Look for baseboard nails and outlet boxes — they're usually attached to studs.
• Use a strong magnet to find the nails holding the lath in vertical lines.
• Drill a small test hole low on the wall where it's easy to patch.

Avoiding cracks

Plaster cracks when it's hammered, vibrated or split by a screw. To prevent that:

• Score or pre-drill with a sharp bit at low speed — never hammer-drill plaster.
• Put painter's tape over the spot before drilling.
• Use bolts long enough to get through the plaster, the lath and well into the stud (plaster and lath together can be an inch thick).

Why plaster anchors alone aren't enough

Plaster holds pictures, but it can crumble from behind under the steady pull of a TV. The bracket must go into studs. If the studs don't line up, a horizontal mounting board fixed into two studs gives the bracket something solid anywhere along its width.

Hiding wires in plaster walls

It's possible but slower: cutting plaster is dustier and the openings need careful edges. Old walls may also have horizontal blocking or knob-and-tube remnants. Often a painted cord cover is the smarter choice in a historic room.

We'll tell you what we find before drilling, and if your wall turns out to be something we didn't expect, the price change (if any) is agreed before we start.