Screws and screws with masonry anchors for heavy items are your best choice for hanging things on plaster walls without picture rail.
How do you hang shelves on plaster walls.
Some older plaster walls have a thin strip of wood that runs around the perimeter of a room usually between 1 inch 2 5 cm to 1 foot 30 cm below the edge of the ceiling.
Shelves that are expected to hold any.
Use a stud finder to locate the studs within the walls.
Determine where you want your shelves and how wide they will be.
Use a picture rail if you have one.
There are many different kinds of stud finders so.
Check the instructions on the back of your package of screws and anchors to determine how big the drill bit should be.
How to hang shelves on plaster walls step 1.
Place one of the brackets against the wall at the first shelf location.
Determine the height.
For an average set of wall anchors you will usually need 1 3 16 drill bit.
For lighter items simply screwing into the plaster with a 1 1 4 drywall screw is usually enough to get the job done.
Plaster walls with available studs locate the vertical studs in the wall where the shelving will be located by sliding an electronic stud sensor over that.
Place a carpenters level alongside the bracket.
Then locate your screws and use your drill to secure them into the wood from the bottom of the brackets.
Hang and secure your shelf once your mounting brackets are secured into the wall grab your piece of wood and make sure it s central to the brackets.
Drill a pilot hole.