Mount a soundbar bracket on a lath and plaster wall — HomeGraft

Find what's really behind your lath and plaster, choose the right fixing, and mount your soundbar bracket safely and securely.

AB-01Gather your tools and check the bracket's fixing pointsRead the soundbar bracket's instructions and note the hole spacing and the weight it needs to hold. Lay out a spirit level, tape measure, pencil, a cable and pipe detector, and a dust sheet before you start. Most soundbar brackets use two or four fixing points around 150-300mm apart, so check yours before marking anything on the wall.

1 each · Spirit level

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1 each · Tape measure

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1 each · Pencil

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1 each · Dust sheet

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1 each · Cable, pipe and stud detector

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AB-02Work out exactly what's behind the plasterLath and plaster is lime plaster pressed onto thin timber laths nailed to timber studs or battens roughly 400-600mm apart - the laths themselves are too thin and brittle to hold any weight. Drill a 3mm pilot hole at your marked point: timber dust means you've hit a lath, batten or stud; a sudden gap with no dust means you're between laths; fine grey swarf means metal, which is unusual behind lath and plaster but can happen in a part-modernised wall. Tap along the wall too - a dense, solid sound everywhere suggests solid brick or block under a thin skim, not true lath and plaster. If the wall sounds hollow with a slight bounce and no lime plaster crumbles away, you may actually have dot-and-dab or stud plasterboard instead, so treat it as that wall type from here on.

1 each · 3mm pilot drill bit

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AB-03Mark and level the fixing pointsHold the bracket against the wall at the height you want, and use a spirit level to get it dead level. Mark each fixing hole through the bracket with a pencil. Check the marks against what you found in the last step - if one lands between laths with no timber behind it, shift the bracket slightly so at least two fixings land on solid timber or masonry.

AB-04Check for cables and pipes before you drillCables and pipes can run almost anywhere in a wall, not just in the safe zones near sockets and switches. Run your detector over every fixing point, but treat it as a guide only - detectors miss cables that are deep, in metal conduit, behind old lime plaster, or outside the safe zones. Before you drill, find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut off the water fast if you hit a pipe. If you have any doubt at all, isolate the relevant circuit at the consumer unit before drilling, and only relax once you've drilled a short way and hit nothing but plaster and timber.

AB-05Drill and fit the right fixing for your wallFor true lath and plaster where your pilot hole hit solid timber, use a wood screw at least 40mm long straight into the centre of the lath, batten or stud. If your pilot hole found only lime plaster and lath with a void behind, use a spring or snap toggle rated for double the combined weight of the bracket and soundbar, and fit no more than two per bracket. If you found solid brick or block under a thin skim, drill a 6mm hole 45mm deep, fit a red wall plug and a 50-60mm masonry screw. On plasterboard over timber studs, use a wood screw into the stud centre; on plasterboard over metal studs, use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing or a hollow-wall toggle made for metal frames, never a plastic plug or wood screw, which strips straight through 0.5mm steel; and on dot-and-dab plasterboard, use a fixing 75-90mm long to reach through the board, air gap and adhesive dabs into the masonry behind.

1 pack · Spring/snap toggle fixings (pack)

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1 pack · 40mm wood screws (pack)

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1 each · 6mm masonry drill bit

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1 pack · Red wall plugs (pack)

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1 pack · 50-60mm masonry screws (pack)

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1 pack · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings (pack)

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1 pack · 75-90mm hollow-wall anchors for dot-and-dab (pack)

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AB-06Patch any cracked or crumbled plaster straight awayLath and plaster is brittle, and drilling can knock a small chunk loose around the hole. If this happens, push a little quick-set filler into the gap around the fixing before it takes any load, and let it go off fully before tightening anything further. Sand it smooth once dry so the bracket sits flush against the wall.

1 each · Quick-set filler (small tub)

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1 sheet · Fine sandpaper

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AB-07Fit and level the bracketScrew the bracket to the wall through your marked and fixed points, tightening evenly so it doesn't tip as it pulls in. Check it's still level once fixed - old plaster isn't always flat, so a small shim behind one corner may be needed. Give it a firm push and pull test before hanging anything from it.

AB-08Attach the soundbar and tidy upClip or screw the soundbar onto the bracket following its own instructions, and route the cable neatly down the wall or through trunking. Vacuum up plaster and timber dust from the floor and skirting, then wipe the wall down with a dry cloth. Bag up any offcuts and dust sheet debris and put them straight in the bin.

1 length · Cable trunking (optional)

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