Counterbore 1" or 2"?

 

Studs are Heart Pine you will need a pilot hole.

 

Maybe hitting metal lathe?

 

Nice, stain-grade baseboards - a thing of the past.

The baseboard will have filled nail holes corresponding to where the studs are located. Old carpenters knew to mark the floor where the wall studs were centered before the walls were plastered. (Yeah, done that with sheetrock, too.) That way, they could drive their finish nails (with manual hammer, no less) into the stud, rather than into the air... The lower filled nail hole "could" be into the bottom plate - however the upper filled nail hole "should" be in the stud - otherwise, go back and find that 90 year old finish carpenter and fire his behind! And, as an aside, if the upper and lower nails in the baseboard are not lined up the guy wasn't very good - the nails should be on top of each other - just as the finish nails in vertical trim should always be horizontal to each other even though one would be a 8d (thin part of the trim) and the other (outer) would be 10d. Delicate stuff (thinner) would be stepped down. We also used to hit the point on the nails to dull them and prevent splitting the wood - (anyone remember when wood was used for trim - as opposed to compressed sawdust that we see today?)

 

The baseboard will have filled nail holes corresponding to where the studs are located......................

brilliant!
I might want to open up enough wall to see what is back there. Could well be a brick wall 'tween the 2 units. Could just be old studs are very hard. Plaster lathe is likely wood.

 

Wonder if you are hitting a wire plate to protect the wire...or rock lathe with chicken wire embedded in plaster over a gypsum sheet with key holes. Any view of the wall from the attic? Is that an outside wall with a concrete retaining wall behind it?

 

Seems to me by the vague description, that you might be making a steam room / sauna.

Covering the walls with shiplap and a bench.

So I suggest that you knock a big enough hole in this wall, that you can see and measure where the studs are.

A 4" hole approximately 8 " from the corner, should be into a void, and then you can get the data you seek.

ED

 

Bore a hole(s) in the wall surface where the board will go, where it'll be hidden, look inside the hole.

 

Hello. I was wondering about plaster walls as well. I’m going to be building a corner fireplace (over baseboard heat too) and we have plaster walls. I want to secure 2 2x4s to the walls as the anchor pieces, going through the plaster into the studs behind the plaster. It was suggested I use 1/4” - 4 1/4” lag bolts since those pieces need to be secured well. I’ve also read lag bolts into plaster isn’t a good idea so am unsure what screws would be best. Thanks!

 

Hello. I was wondering about plaster walls as well. I’m going to be building a corner fireplace (over baseboard heat too) and we have plaster walls.

You are better off starting your own thread JJ.

 

Okay thanks!