ACS-05Fix the side bearers to suit your wall typeOn lath and plaster, find the stud behind the lath and drive a 60mm wood screw through the plaster and lath into the centre of the stud - the lath and plaster alone will crumble under any load, so never fix into it on its own. On solid brick or block, drill 8mm holes to 50mm depth, fit a wall plug, and screw in. On plasterboard over timber studs, drive a 50-60mm wood screw into the centre of each stud. On plasterboard over metal studs, use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a toggle-type hollow-wall anchor rated for the load - never a plain plastic plug or an ordinary wood screw, which strips straight through 0.5mm steel; if the fixing pulls away as weight is added, fit a timber noggin between the studs first. On dot-and-dab plasterboard, use a fixing long enough to pass through the board and the adhesive dabs into the masonry behind, typically 75-100mm - check the gap with a pilot hole first. Whichever fixing you use, hold the batten to the level line, drill pilot holes, and recheck level before tightening fully.