HANGING & WALL MOUNTING

Fit a picture hanging rail system to a lath and plaster wall

Fit a picture hanging rail along a lath and plaster wall, finding solid fixings behind the old plaster before you drill.

PR-01Gather your tools and protect the roomLay a dust sheet along the wall and clear furniture out of the way. Lath and plaster crumbles more than modern plasterboard, so expect some mess and have a vacuum handy. Check the rail sections, brackets and hooks are all present before you start.
2 each · Picture hanging rail (per 2m length)
1 pack · Rail bracket clips (pack of 10)
6 each · Sliding picture hooks with cord
1 each · Dust sheet
1 each · Stud detector
PR-02Mark a level line for the railMeasure down from the ceiling or cornice — most picture rails sit 300mm to 450mm below it, or roughly 2100mm to 2300mm above the floor. Use a spirit level to draw a faint pencil line the full length of the wall. Check the line against the ceiling line too, since old ceilings are rarely perfectly level.
1 each · Spirit level (600mm)
1 each · Tape measure
1 each · Pencil
PR-03Work out what's behind the lath and plasterLath and plaster is usually nailed to timber studs, with the plaster keyed through gaps between the laths. Run a stud detector or magnet along your pencil line to pick up old nail heads, and tap gently — a dull thud means solid stud, a hollow knock means gap. Older houses often have patches of modern plasterboard where a chimney breast was removed or a socket added; on those patches, drill a 3mm pilot hole and check the dust — pale, curly dust means timber, fine grey metallic dust means a metal stud. Mark every stud and every repair patch with a small pencil cross before you go any further.
1 each · Stud detector
1 each · Small magnet
PR-04Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere behind lath and plaster, not just in the usual safe zones — old wiring often ignores modern conventions. Sweep the whole line with your detector, but still treat every mark as if something could be there until you've drilled a shallow test hole and proved otherwise. Find your stopcock now, usually under the kitchen sink, and check it turns freely so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and don't cut into anything that could carry water without turning the stopcock off first.
PR-05Fix bracket points into timber studsAt each stud mark, drill a pilot hole through the plaster and lath first, then into the centre of the stud — this stops the old plaster cracking when the screw bites. Use a 2.5mm pilot bit and drill to a depth of about 30mm, then drive a 40mm No.8 wood screw through the bracket into the stud. Never rely on a hollow-wall toggle alone here — the laths behind lath and plaster are too thin and gappy to trust with the weight of a loaded rail.
8 each · Wood screws 40mm No.8
1 each · Drill with 2.5mm pilot bit
PR-06Fix into masonry where the lath is on solid wallOn solid external or party walls, lath and plaster is often fixed to timber grounds nailed straight into brick or block. If a bracket point lands where there's no useable stud, drill through to the masonry using a 5mm masonry bit, going 45mm deep to allow for the plaster thickness. Insert a 40mm brown wall plug and drive a 40mm screw through the bracket into the plug.
1 each · Masonry drill bit 5mm
4 each · Wall plugs (brown, 40mm)
4 each · Wood screws 40mm No.8
PR-07Fix any bracket that lands on a repaired plasterboard patchIf a bracket point falls on a modern plasterboard repair, treat it differently depending on what's behind it. On plasterboard over a timber stud, use a normal wood screw straight into the stud centre. On plasterboard over a metal stud, use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or toggle made for metal frames — never a plastic wall plug or ordinary wood screw, both strip straight through 0.5mm steel. If the patch sits between studs with nothing solid behind it, use a hollow-wall toggle rated for the rail's load. A metal stud alone won't hold anything heavy or anything that pulls away from the wall, so if you're planning to hang something substantial from this rail later, fix that bracket through to a stud or noggin instead.
2 each · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings
2 each · Hollow-wall toggle fixings (plasterboard rated)
PR-08Fit the rail brackets and clip on the railScrew each bracket to its marked fixing point, checking each one is tight before moving to the next. Clip the rail sections into the brackets, working along the wall, and check the whole run with a spirit level as you go. Join sections with the manufacturer's connector clips so there's no visible gap.
2 each · Rail connector clips
PR-09Hang the picturesHook the sliding picture hooks over the rail and adjust the cord length so each frame sits at the height you want. Slide the hooks along the rail rather than lifting them off, to avoid scratching the finish. Check frames hang level using your spirit level or by eye from a few steps back.
6 each · Sliding picture hooks with cord
PR-10Tidy up and check your fixingsVacuum up plaster dust and any lath debris from the floor and skirting. Fill any small cracks around the fixing points with a fine surface filler and let it dry before touching up with paint. Give the rail a firm tug at each bracket to check nothing has worked loose.
1 tub · Fine surface filler
1 each · Filling knife

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