How To Hang A Picture On Plaster And Lath Walls

Plaster walls have a tendency to crack and crumble if you attempt to hammer a nail directly into the wall.

How to hang a picture on plaster and lath walls.

I live in a 1930s house with plaster walls. Screws and screws with masonry anchors for heavy items are your best choice for hanging things on plaster walls without picture rail. It is not as easy to hang a picture on a wall made from plaster as it is to hang a picture on a wall made from drywall. Hanging heavy objects on the wall can be tricky and with all the options available out there downright confusing.

As mentioned earlier the wall stud is where the wooden lath attaches to the wooden frame behind the plaster. Generally speaking it s best to hang heavy pictures on a wall stud. Hanging things on plaster walls is easy if you have a drill and screws. Even so it is possible hang numerous pictures throughout the house.

Even more so if you live in an old house with plaster and lath walls. All you need to do is pre drill a hole slightly narrower than your screws then use the drill to drive a screw into the hole. Adhesive picture hooks are the best way to prevent damage when hanging a picture but pre drilling the hole will usually prevent cracks and chips from forming as well. After moving into a new home you might realize that the walls are made of plaster and not drywall.

Therefore it s the strongest part of the wall and the ideal place to hang pictures from. If the pictures are small and equipped with a wire on the back use a small picture hook and nail. You may not notice the damage but as plaster comes loose from the lath it will eventually begin to sag and soon fall off the wall if the sagging continues unchecked. If you can hang your heavy object in line with a stud and screw a long screw directly into the stud that s always the best option.

If you try to hammer in a nail to hang a picture the nail might actually bend in half.