Lath-and-plaster walls are common in older houses (those constructed from the late 18th Century until the early 1950’s, when drywall became the common building technique.) Whether it’s an oil portrait of an early ancestor or wall-hung kitchen cabinets, securing things onto older lath-and-plaster walls can present a bit of a dilemma.

First, let’s talk about how lath-and-plaster walls were constructed. Once the house was framed (generally with studs spaced 16” on-center), the exterior sheathing and siding completed, and the doors, windows and mechanicals (plumbing, heating, electrical) installed, the plasterers would start covering the walls with wood strips called “lath.” The pieces of lath were generally 3/8” thick, about
1-1/2” wide and 48” long, with a gap of 3/8” between them. A thick layer of gypsum-based coarse plaster (gray or brown colored) was troweled onto the lath until it oozed through, forming “keys” that held the plaster to the lath. A thin layer of white finish plaster was applied after the coarse layer had cured. (Read more….)