Took me 4 hours to find a single drywall anchor that would hold in my 1960s plaster

I was hanging a heavy shelf in my North Valley living room and kept hitting nothing but crumbly old plaster behind the lath. After drilling 6 test holes, trying toggle bolts and even a lead anchor, I finally found a spot that grabbed into a stud behind the mess. Anybody else dealing with this old abq plaster and have a trick for finding studs without a stud finder?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylor.betty4d ago

Oh man, I feel your pain on that crumbly old plaster. Nothing worse than drilling six holes just to get one shelf up.

gracecarr3d ago

Respectfully gotta disagree a bit here. Old plaster can be tricky, but drilling six holes usually means something is off with the bit or anchor choice. Using a masonry bit on slow speed with a little painters tape over the spot keeps it from cracking. And those spring toggle bolts are absolute lifesavers for crumbly walls - they grab the backside so you don't rely on the plaster itself. Might be worth trying a simpler approach next time, seriously cuts down on the cussing