Watch out for old houses with plaster walls in the historic district

I was running a line in a 1920s house on Maple Street last week and hit a metal lath behind the plaster. The homeowner, Mr. Jenkins, just shrugged and said 'the last guy had trouble there too.' It took me an extra two hours to fish the cable properly. Anyone else have a trick for dealing with that specific kind of wall?

3 comments

3 Comments

holly_williams2mo ago

Ugh, I always use a strong magnet to find the studs before I drill.

the_ruby21d ago

Last time I used a magnet on my old house, @holly_williams, I found three different screws that were just sitting there loose behind the drywall from some old shelf nobody removed. Ended up pulling a whole section of plaster down because I got too confident with the magnet and drilled right next to one of those screws. The landlord was not thrilled about that little adventure. Now I just knock on the wall like a weirdo and hope for the best, or I just accept that my shelves might end up a little crooked. Honestly, strong magnets just give me a false sense of power over my walls.

harper_murphy2mo ago

Wait, he KNEW there was a problem spot and just let you walk into it? That's wild lol. I'd be so mad about those two lost hours. A magnet is smart, but honestly sometimes you just have to accept the old house curse and pack extra coffee.