Plaster Hanging -- Old Home -- Heavy Mirror (Home Depot, stone, repair)

[esa321]

We need a recommendation for someone to help us hang a heavy mirror in our (new to us) old home.
We tried hanging a clothing bar in the closet and the plaster crumbled. We're afraid to try to hang anything anywhere else.

Do you have any recommendations for someone who specializes in plaster? Or suggestions about how to hang on plaster walls.

[Clifford63]

Originally Posted by esa321

We need a recommendation for someone to help us hang a heavy mirror in our (new to us) old home.
We tried hanging a clothing bar in the closet and the plaster crumbled. We're afraid to try to hang anything anywhere else.

Do you have any recommendations for someone who specializes in plaster? Or suggestions about how to hang on plaster walls.

Find a stud, drill a hole and then use a screw and heavy duty wall hanger. They are rated for specific weights. Should be no problem and pretty much the same as hanging heavy stuff on sheetrock ( you still need to find the stud). Stud finders do work through plaster lathe walls.

[golfgal]

Before you use any nails or screws in the plaster walls put a couple layers of scotch tape where you will put the nail. That will help keep the plaster from cracking or crumbling. Wall anchors don't work in plaster walls or in studs. Usually the plaster is too think for the anchor to spread out like it does in drywall. For hanging the heavy mirror-how heavy is it? See if you can find the 3 hole picture hangers-they can be found at Home Depot, Ace Hardware for sure. Find one rated that for the weight of the mirror and use 2 of those to hang the mirror. I have a heavy mirror and that is what I have done in both plaster walls and dry wall with no problems.

[rubytue]

Always predrill your hole with plaster. Hammering or screwing straight in will crack the plaster. Tape may help, by predrilling will prevent it

[South Jersey Styx]

Have you tried concrete nails or screws? They're designed to hold in concrete, brick, and stone blocks. Might work on your plaster walls. Let us know if it works!

[Cosmic]

Plaster actually has a backing of wooden lath behind it. There is a small gap between each lath. Each lath is like 2 inches wide. If you screw into the lath and not in the gap between them, it will support a heavy load like a mirror.

If you try it and don't appear to hit nothing solid, move up or down about an inch, should then hit solid wood. Use something like a drywall screw. Large taper wood screws can split the lath.

The fact the plaster crumbles can be pretty common in older houses, especially in a closet. It gets lots of temperature extremes, ages more, might not have gotten the same attention for application on day one.

Simple fix is go ahead and hang the mirror, finding a good solid place. Any spalling of plaster, then patch around the screws while in place after test trying the mirror. Or ignore the crumbled plaster and plan on a repair in that spot if you remove the mirror in future or move.

Plaster does age and have a working life, at some point it gets replaced or covered over with drywall in most older houses.