Mounting a TV on plaster walls
Plenty of houses in Ashland, Catlettsburg, Russell and Greenup were built with plaster walls instead of drywall. They can hold a TV just fine, but not the way the instructions in the box assume.
Updated
Is your wall plaster or drywall?
- Push in a thumbtack. It slides into drywall easily. On plaster it stops hard, or barely goes in.
- Knock on it. Drywall sounds hollow between the studs. Plaster sounds solid and dull.
- Think about the house’s age. Homes built before about 1950 usually have plaster, unless a room has been redone since.
- Look for fine cracks. Thin, spidery cracks, especially above doors, are common in plaster.
Why the anchors in the box don’t hold
Plastic and drywall anchors are made to grip a thin sheet of drywall. Plaster is harder and thicker, and it crumbles around a loose hole. Behind it are wood strips called lath, with a gap before the stud. An anchor can feel tight and still pull out once a 50-pound TV hangs on it.
How a TV gets mounted safely on plaster
- Find the studs. On thick plaster, a strong magnet that finds the nails in the lath is often more reliable than an electronic stud finder.
- Tape and pre-drill. Painter’s tape and a sharp bit, with the hammer setting off, keep the plaster from cracking around the hole.
- Use lag bolts long enough. They need to pass through the plaster and lath and still bite well into the stud, about 1½ inches.
- If the studs aren’t where you want the TV, fasten a board across two studs first, or use a mount with a wide wall plate.
- Check the mount’s weight rating against your TV, and give the mounted TV a firm tug before letting go.
When to call someone
- The TV is over about 65 inches, or goes above a fireplace.
- The plaster bulges or feels loose when you press on it. That means it has come away from the lath and needs fixing first.
- You want the cords covered neatly.
Running wires or adding an outlet inside the wall is electrical work, which Kentucky requires a licensed electrician for. A paintable cord cover on the wall hides the wires without it.