Double drywall anchor issues
#1
Member
Thread Starter

Just moved into a house built in 1925. Was trying to hang 65" TV on the wall with "snaptoggle" anchors and to my surprise after drilling over 2 inches there was still no empty space in the wall... Looking into the hole it looks like there's either double drywall or drywall on top of plaster wall. I think then they remodelled it they just added drywall on top (you can actually see that door jabs are way too deep...
Anyway regular anchors that open behind drywall would not work
I'm also not sure about location of the studs, using magnet I seem to find nails in them but they are 22" apart (which doesn't match any standard)...
What kind of fasteners would work in this double drywall/plaster?
Anyway regular anchors that open behind drywall would not work

I'm also not sure about location of the studs, using magnet I seem to find nails in them but they are 22" apart (which doesn't match any standard)...
What kind of fasteners would work in this double drywall/plaster?
#2
What kind of fasteners would work in this double drywall/plaster?
You need to invest in a good stud finder!
#3
A house built in 1925 would have had wood lath and plaster walls so it's entirely possible that the old plaster was laminated over with drywall. Because plaster lath houses didn't use material in multiples of 4' sometimes they weren't to fussy about stud placement.
#4
Member
Thread Starter
I will try WALLDOG Screw/anchor. It's rated to 50 lb so maybe having 4 of them will hold the TV and bracket... I don't see any other options.
@Marq1. Yeah read above. It's plaster plus drywall plus wood lattice. Unless you know stud finder that has x-ray built in
@Marq1. Yeah read above. It's plaster plus drywall plus wood lattice. Unless you know stud finder that has x-ray built in

#5
Unless you know stud finder that has x-ray built in
Do a little search on this site, I recall someone buying some type of device, I think it worked with smart phone, that was supposed to have some very deep search capability but dont recall the results!
Was a couple of months ago!
#8
Actually, Marksr, wood lath were 48" long and that was standard by 1925. But as in present construction sometimes studs were out of sync in order to accommodate plumbing or vents or the like. I would trust a good screw into the meat of wood lath to hold a lot. Problem is where is the meat? A screw too near the edge will split and one in the key will hold nothing. So, still, go for a stud. A sure way to find studs is to drill small holes every inch or so until you hit something solid. You can tell by feel when you hit a stud. A masonry bit is best for plaster as a regular but will be ruined in the plaster and a masonry bit does not drill well into wood so you know when you hit the stud but masonry bits do not drill through wood lath well either.
Here is what I do. Cut a piece of straight, heavy clothes hanger wire about 7" long. Shorter is good if you know it is long enough to go through the drywall, plaster and lath. Smash one end of said wire once with a hammer against a sidewalk or something anvil like if you have it like a sledge hammer or something. Then use a pair of nippers or side cutters and cut that smashed end to a point, one cut on each side. This bit cuts very well and when it gets dull after a hole or two just cut a bit more off and it is sharp again. I should not be telling this secret but I am getting to the age where I need to impart some of my knowledge before it is gone forever.
Once you find the first stud the next should (usually) be 16" left and right.
Here is what I do. Cut a piece of straight, heavy clothes hanger wire about 7" long. Shorter is good if you know it is long enough to go through the drywall, plaster and lath. Smash one end of said wire once with a hammer against a sidewalk or something anvil like if you have it like a sledge hammer or something. Then use a pair of nippers or side cutters and cut that smashed end to a point, one cut on each side. This bit cuts very well and when it gets dull after a hole or two just cut a bit more off and it is sharp again. I should not be telling this secret but I am getting to the age where I need to impart some of my knowledge before it is gone forever.
Once you find the first stud the next should (usually) be 16" left and right.
marksr voted this post useful.
#9
Member
Thread Starter
Guys I fixed it! All I had to do is drill further. Once it passed plaster and wooden lattice there was empty void. I was able to get togglers thru. Only thing is that I needed longer 10-24 machine screws (2.5") for toggler. 4 of those is more than enough to hold 50 lb TV and 16 lb bracket...
#10
It sure is nice once in while to get a report on the results of something someone queried about. I suppose a time or two I have not reported the end result. I apologize. I will do better in the future.