After moving into a new home you might realize that the walls are made of plaster and not drywall.
Plaster lath walls hanging pictures.
They come in various sizes and can hold up to 100 pounds.
The picture rail is nailed to the studs giving it better holding strength and was installed toward the top of the wall.
With proper technique hanging pictures on a lath and plaster wall isn t a problem.
Even so it is possible hang numerous pictures throughout the house.
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.
I recently bought an apartment in brooklyn built in 1940.
Walls and ceilings hanging pictures in plaster over metal and plaster over concrete title says it all.
Hanging pictures on a plaster wall the most obvious approach although not actually obvious because of the different wall construction details is to use picture hangers like the brass hangers in the photo to the right.
Standard picture hanger hooks also known as j shaped metal hooks work well when hanging pictures on plaster walls.
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.
Another good fastener plaster hook are toggle bolts.
I know who d a thunk it right.
They can generally support pictures of up to 20 pounds.
If you try to hammer in a nail to hang a picture the nail might actually bend in half.
Plaster walls have a tendency to crack and crumble if you attempt to hammer a nail directly into the wall.
Here s how it works.
Make sure you leave half an inch out of the wall so you have space to hang your artwork.
Plaster hooks or hanging picture hooks are a common solution for hanging pictures on plaster wall.
Hanging things on plaster walls is easy if you have a drill and screws.
As mentioned earlier avoid using nails on plaster wall because they will likely cause the drywall to crack.
The best option mostly depends on the weight of the picture in question.
Instead use a screw because they won t break the plaster wall.