fastening into plaster and lath….best method? it has to be strong
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Find a stud?
Otherwise, toggle bolts are best because they pull from the back.
Try to hit the center of a lathe, if possible.
What is it you're trying to fasten? Cabinets? A Mirror? A Picture? How heavy is it and is it a sheer load or does it have some lateral pull?
If it has to be strong, mount only to a stud. If you are just hanging something medium-heavy - say just a big framed picture with glass - using two large picture hangers will often be okay. Never use a hammer. Drill a hole sized for the nail to just slip into using the same downward angle as the hook gizmo. If you hammer a nail against lath, you'll merely push it free of the plaster attached to it, and loosen a great big swath of wall surface - sometimes to spectacular effect ;-).
I am fond of the Toggler fasteners (picture hooks, alligator, and hollow-wall). Where I cannot use a stud. The three in parentheses above work well for medium strength applications ... much better than cheaper plastic plugs. For maximum strength uses use the appropriate size Toggler, it gets quite a grip in plaster and lath walls. The Toggler can be a pretty expensive fastener but HD has boxed sets with a variety of all four types for about $4.00 (which makes them pretty reasonable per each). I have also found the alligator fasteners in this set to do exceptionally well when fastening into brick walls ... which are often problematic.
With plaster I think you always try to find a stud no matter what, chances are there are already 2 dozen nail holes in the plaster from previous residents, and one more might just give you a new window. Even if you can fasten something light to the lathe, in the long run it's not worth it as you run a good chance of breaking off some keys in the effort.
Trouble is with lath and plaster, stud finders don't work. It's not uniform enough in mass and thickness. You pretty much have to thump it with your fingertips, and verify by drilling a small hole and probing with a wire to get the exact edge.
-- J.S.
Stud finders with a metal setting work pretty well at getting the nails where the lathe is fastened to the stud, though I will admit it is a bit of a crapshoot. However, I have patched too many plaster walls ruined by people hanging crap to advise anything else, other than old-fashioned picture moulding and hooks. As an aside, most people look at you like you're part of the Illuminati when you tell them what that moulding along the top of the wall is for and show them a hook that fits it . . .
Ah, yes. Picture mouldings. I have them throughout the house. They're the ideal way to go.
-- J.S.