Plaster hooks12/14/2023 I can still give you some great ideas for hanging on plaster walls.įirst thing: Put away the hammer. If you don’t have picture rail or don’t want to install some, that’s just fine. If you think something is too heavy, then it’s best to mount it in a more secure way to the wall. After all, it is just a piece of wood molding. Picture rail works great for most decorations, but don’t try hanging extremely heavy items from it. This made the pictures easily movable left or right anywhere in the room, and to raise or lower them, you simply change the length of the picture wire. Pictures were hung on longer wires or cord to whatever height preferred by the homeowner and hung on small hooks that latched onto the picture rail. The height is often variable depending on local traditions and builder preference, but seeing picture rail anywhere from about 1/2” to 1’ below the ceiling is not uncommon. The picture rail is nailed to the studs, giving it better holding strength and was installed toward the top of the wall. Picture rail was installed to give you a place to hang things like mirrors, art, pictures and anything else you want to decorate your walls with without putting holes in your plaster. It has a wonderful purpose and that is to protect your walls and make your life easier. Don’t confuse this little piece of molding at the top of your wall for some kind of miniature crown molding. If you’re one of the fortunate ones, you may have picture rail in some of the rooms of your home. Plaster has lath (wood, metal mesh, or rock lath) behind it that supports it, whereas drywall has nothing behind itĪll these differences mean that the two require different fasteners and fastening methods for decorating.Drywall is usually 1/2” thick, compared to historic plaster, which can range from 3/4” to just over 1” thick.There are a few things that make the two different, especially related to attaching things to your walls. What’s the Real Difference Between Plaster and Drywall? It’s important not just to make the decorating process simpler, but to also avoid costly damage. Everything from how to find a stud in plaster walls to what type of fasteners your should use is different.Įveryone wants to decorate their walls, so learning how to hang things on plaster walls is important for every homeowner to learn. When the toggle bolt is secured, the pressure of the toggle on the opposite side of the wall will hold most any object in place.Most of the handy devices for hanging things on our walls were designed for drywall, not plaster. Once the toggle bolt is in place, use a screw driver to tighten the bolt to the wall. Push the toggle through the wall until the toggle wings spring freely open. Thread the toggle onto the screw end with the wings of the toggle folded inward, pointing toward the head of the screw. Insert the machine screw through the mounting bracket of the object to be hung. To use a toggle bolt, drill a hole large enough for the folded toggle to slip into the wall. These butterfly-like toggles thread onto long machine screws and offer the best support for securing objects to plaster walls. Option 4: For heavier items, toggle bolts are the best option. To reduce plaster damage, place a small piece of transparent tape on the wall before hammering the nail into place. The mounting nail angles through the hook and into the wall holding the hook in place with a simple lever design. These small “J” shaped metal hooks come in various sizes and can hold up to 100 pounds of weight. Option 3: Standard picture-hanging hooks work wonders in plaster walls. For best results, clean surfaces with rubbing alcohol before installing any type of adhesive hook. Available in a wide range of options, these self-adhesive hooks stick well to most surfaces and leave no residue when they are removed. Option 2: For walls lacking picture rail molding, 3M’s Command line of hooks are an easy solution. Special molding hooks are available at most local hardware stores and can be permanently mounted in place with a small screw for added security. Flat metal molding hooks and long strings or ribbons were then used to hang artwork down at eye level from the rail tops. Option 1: In days of yore, builders often installed wooden picture rail molding a few inches from the ceiling around the perimeter of the room. There are a few good options to consider when trying to hang something on a plaster wall. Depth finders help locate studs behind the plaster, but drilling through plaster and lathe into a stud is often problematic. Hanging anything onto a plaster wall is a bit of a challenge.
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