When you install fixings on your walls, the most important thing you need to know before you put those fixings on is exactly what type of wall you have. It is essential that you are aware of this because it will affect how you will drill the hole and insert the screws as well as the plugs and bolts.
If your internal walls are created through stud walls, it may be challenging for you to install your fixings. Studded walls, whether of the modern drywall type or old-fashioned lath and plaster, are not traditionally made to carry loads. Drilling holes in these walls or even randomly driving a nail through them will cause cracks in the drywall sheathing. If you’re not careful about the whole thing, not only will you end up with a weak mount, but your walls may also require a bit of repair work.
Understand your wall before gluing fixings
As mentioned above, it is a challenge to place fasteners on stud walls. Before you can do this, you must first understand the structure of your wall so that you can be sure that your installation will be strong enough and will not damage the structure of your wall.
You see, stud walls refer to either the lath and plaster wall type or the gypsum board type. The studs are the vertical elements of the frames that make up the walls. In lath and plaster walls, the laths are narrow strips of wood that are nailed horizontally to the studs. These slats are subsequently covered with a layer of plaster. With plasterboard, the battens are skipped and the sheets of plasterboard are simply cut and nailed to the studs.
The fixing challenge: locating the studs
To ensure your stud wall mount is stable, secure and will not damage the wall, it is very important that you drill the holes directly into the stud itself. But before you do this, you need to find the studs first.
The easiest way to find these studs is to tap on the wall. On plasterboard walls, the difference in sound is very easy to detect. The sound in the area directly above the studs is more solid, while the areas away from the stud produce more hollow sounds when struck.
The same cannot be said, however, of the lathe and plaster walls. The studs would be deeply hidden by both the lathe and the plaster layer, so you would have to work harder to find the studs. The technique used by builders to find studs is to drill small holes along the wall at one-inch intervals until they have found the stud. Once they have uncovered the first stud, they would measure 16 inches from this first stud and then drill another hole to locate the second stud.
Care should always be taken when drilling holes in the stud wall to install the fixings. Always make those holes in the studs. Otherwise, your fixings won’t be secure and you’ll end up damaging your wall.
