How to hang a heavy mirror on plaster and lath wall?
by Ann
+4
As much as I love my older house, plaster and lathe walls do make it difficult to hang heavy items. I can use Command hooks for lighter framed items, but I would like to hang a 30 pound mirror over my fireplace and would love some advice from anyone who has accomplished something like this successfully on the type of walls I have. Thank you!
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You have to use wall anchors which you tap into a drilled hole and the back of them open up as you screw into them. These flatten against the back of the wall so the item holds up. For something this heavy I recommend going into Studs/2x4’s to make sure it stays. This is what we did when mounting our tv above the fireplace. Large and plaster is very tricky. Using both of these methods we have not had anything come off of the wall yet!
Great information, Lisa! May I ask how you determined where the studs were in your wall?
Definitely wall anchors into the studs otherwise anything else will pull the plaster.
HI Ann! I have included some videos and information links for you. I hope it helps you out! Best wishes!!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=How+to+hang+a+heavy+mirror+on+plaster+and+lathe+wall%3f&qpvt=How+to+hang+a+heavy+mirror+on+plaster+and+lathe+wall%3f&FORM=VDRE
https://www.instructables.com/id/Hanging-Heavy-Mirror-on-Plaster-Walls/
https://www.wikihow.com/Hang-Pictures-on-Plaster-Walls
Hi, Ann,
If your home was constructed before 1945, your walls may be so thick that discerning the stud locations is difficult with a stud finder. If so, by rapping your knuckles against the wall, horizontally, you should notice a difference in sound. This will indicate stud location. Sometimes they can also be located just to each side of wall outlets.