what kind of wall do i have?

liverlipsyyz · 10-26-2012, 09:28 AM

my house is 80 to 100 years old. i'm not sure what the interior walls are but they are definitely not drywall. my problem is every time i try to drill or even put a small nail in to hang a picture the wall crumbles. i can never get a good hole. even if i get a decent hole within a milimiter or two deeper in to the hole the whole back of the wall seems to crumble apart. is this plaster? i can't even get a plug in properly. perhaps i can only drill or hang stuff where i can find a stud? thanks for any help!

joecaption · 10-26-2012, 09:32 AM

A house that old will surely have plaster.
I use a hammer drill with a masonery bit.
Try drilling through a piece of blue painters tape over the spot next time to see if it helps.

**oh'mike** · 10-26-2012, 09:36 AM

Most likely you have wood lathe and plaster---

Thin wood strips about an inch and a half wide---then a coat of 'scratch plaster' that oozes through the gaps in the wood lath making a 'key; of plaster ---

then a thin top coat of finish plaster.

When a lathe and plaster wall gets really old--the 'keys' get brittle and fall off-----which will cause the plaster to come loose when you bang on the springy wood lathe----

Pre drill a small hole if you need to drive a nail into the plaster.

ToolSeeker · 10-26-2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecaption

A house that old will surely have plaster.
I use a hammer drill with a masonery bit.
Try drilling through a piece of blue painters tape over the spot next time to see if it helps.

Joe if the problem is the wall crumbling when he tries to drill a hole wouldn't a hammer drill make it worse. And yes to the masonry bit and tape. The only thing I would add is go slow let the drill and bit do the work, don't try to force it because when it breaks thru the back it can break off the plaster keys when those thin pieces of lathe flex or being 100 years old break.

liverlipsyyz · 10-26-2012, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oh'mike

Most likely you have wood lathe and plaster---

Thin wood strips about an inch and a half wide---then a coat of 'scratch plaster' that oozes through the gaps in the wood lath making a 'key; of plaster ---

then a thin top coat of finish plaster.

When a lathe and plaster wall gets really old--the 'keys' get brittle and fall off-----which will cause the plaster to come loose when you bang on the springy wood lathe----

Pre drill a small hole if you need to drive a nail into the plaster.

thanks! but there are still studs, right? do these kind of walls make it more difficult to find studs with a stud finder?

joecaption · 10-26-2012, 10:32 AM

Near impossible to find the studs.
The stud finder sinces density wether it's a stud or the lath it goes off.
You could try a magnetic one, it may be able to find the nails in the lath.

**oh'mike** · 10-26-2012, 10:38 AM

**oh'mike** · 10-26-2012, 10:39 AM

------Keys------

liverlipsyyz · 10-26-2012, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by joecaption

Near impossible to find the studs.
The stud finder sinces density wether it's a stud or the lath it goes off.
You could try a magnetic one, it may be able to find the nails in the lath.

wow. so what do you suggest? i need to put up some floating shelves. should i just try to use some plugs instead of finding the studs? if so, will regular plugs be fine or do i need some sort of special plug? thanks!

**oh'mike** · 10-26-2012, 08:31 PM

To find the studs in a plaster and lath wall---use a magnet----the hundreds of nails used to hold the lath make for easy hunting----I saw someone use his cell phone case to locate the nails--it had a strong magnet on the flap.

**oh'mike** · 10-26-2012, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by liverlipsyyz

wow. so what do you suggest? i need to put up some floating shelves. should i just try to use some plugs instead of finding the studs? if so, will regular plugs be fine or do i need some sort of special plug? thanks!

Expanding 'Molly Bolts" work well----