Fit a guitar wall hanger to a lath and plaster wall

Fit a guitar wall hanger to a lath and plaster wall, finding solid timber behind the plaster for a secure, crack-free fixing.

GH-01Gather your tools and check the hangerLay a dust sheet under the work area and check the guitar hanger's fixing centres and maximum weight rating on the packaging. Fetch a drill with both a wood bit and a masonry bit, a pencil, a spirit level and a tape measure. Most single-guitar hangers hold 3-5kg, so a simple screw-and-fixing job is normally enough for one instrument.

1 each · Guitar wall hanger

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1 each · Dust sheet

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1 set · Drill bit set (wood & masonry)

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1 each · Spirit level

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1 each · Tape measure

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GH-02Mark the positionHold the hanger against the wall at a comfortable height, typically around 1500mm from the floor, and check it clears light switches or furniture below. Mark the screw hole positions with a pencil and check they're level with a spirit level. Stick a small piece of masking tape over each mark - drilling straight into bare lath and plaster often causes it to spider-crack, and the tape holds the surface together.

1 roll · Masking tape

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GH-03Work out what's behind the plasterRun a stud detector or magnet along the wall at your marked height. Lath and plaster walls are built on timber studs, usually spaced 400-600mm apart but often irregular in older houses, with thin timber laths nailed across them - the laths alone are too thin to hold a screw, so you need the solid stud behind. This wall type is almost always timber; metal studs only turn up where a wall has later been part-rebuilt in plasterboard, so if a test hole brings out fine steel swarf instead of timber dust, treat that section as a metal stud and use a metal-stud fixing, never a wood screw or plastic plug.

1 each · Stud detector or magnet

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GH-04Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere behind a wall, and a detector can miss cables that are deep, boxed in metal, or outside the usual safe zones - treat every hole as if something could be there until you prove otherwise. Find your stopcock, usually under the kitchen sink, and check it turns before you start. If you have any doubt about what's behind this wall, isolate the circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and be ready to shut off the water at the stopcock if you hit a pipe.

GH-05Drill a pilot hole and read what comes outDrill a small pilot hole, about 3mm, through the masking tape and into the wall at one marked point. Go slowly and stop as soon as you feel the drill break through the plaster skin. Check the dust on the bit: pale timber dust means you've hit the stud, while grey plaster dust with no timber means you're in the hollow gap between laths.

1 each · 3mm drill bit

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GH-06Fit the right fixing for what you foundIf you hit solid timber, drill a pilot hole about 2mm narrower than your screw and drive a 40mm wood screw into the centre of the stud, at least 30mm into the timber. If you're in the hollow gap between laths, don't use a plastic wall plug - the old plaster is too fragile and will crumble - fit a long spring toggle or hollow-wall fixing rated for at least double the guitar's weight, which spreads the load across the laths on the far side. Other wall types differ: solid brick or block needs a masonry plug and screw sized to the plug, drilled about 5mm deeper than the plug length; dot-and-dab plasterboard needs a screw long enough to pass through the plaster and adhesive dabs into the masonry behind, typically 60-75mm; plasterboard on timber studs takes an ordinary wood screw into the stud centre; plasterboard on metal studs needs a self-drilling or toggle-type metal-stud fixing, since an ordinary wood screw or plastic plug will strip straight through 0.5mm steel.

2 pack · Wood screws 40mm

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2 each · Spring toggle fixing (for hollow lath and plaster)

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2 pack · Masonry plug and screw (if solid brick/block)

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2 each · Self-drilling metal-stud fixing (if metal stud found)

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GH-07Screw the bracket to the wallScrew the hanger bracket to the wall through your chosen fixings, tightening evenly by hand so you don't overtighten and crack the old plaster. Check the bracket is level and give it a firm hand-pull test before loading it. If the fixing shifts or the plaster crumbles around it, stop and refit using a bigger toggle fixing.

1 each · Screwdriver

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GH-08Hang the guitar and test the fittingHang the guitar by its headstock or body, depending on the hanger design, and let it settle. Give it a light downward and outward tug to mimic normal use, and check the fixing and surrounding plaster for any movement or fresh cracks.

GH-09Tidy up and finishVacuum up all drilling dust from the floor and skirting. Fill any small cracks around the fixing with a dab of multi-purpose filler, leave to dry, then lightly sand flush. Touch up with matching paint once the filler is fully dry.

1 small tub · Multi-purpose filler

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1 sheet · Fine sandpaper

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