lat and plaster walls

[powerelec]

any advise on how chase the lat and plaster walls and get a fixing for a plasterboard box or metal box

 

[truckster]

If possible don't chase them, you can usually feed the cable down behind the lathes. You can sometimes cut a neat hole to fix a plasterboard box if the plaster isnt too thick or screw a batten across the hole and fix a metal box to that.

 

[telectrix]

exactly what truckster says. do not chase lath and plaster, you'll destroy it's strength. treat it as a studded wall. what i try and do is cut for the box on a vertical 3x2 timber, chip it out, and fix metal box to timber.

 

[mnbs 4x4]

mk flange boxes with inch and half 6 screws . mark the box then cut the plaster out with your stanley knife then cut the middle bit of lathe with a flexible padsaw then be carefull with top and bottom lathe cutting. hope this makes sense.
There certainly is an art to working with the old lathe and plaster walls.

 

[Knobhead]

******

 

[powerelec]

the metal box is stick out by a couple of mm when i am cutting it out

 

[oxocube]

exactly what truckster says. do not chase lath and plaster, you'll destroy it's strength. treat it as a studded wall. what i try and do is cut for the box on a vertical 3x2 timber, chip it out, and fix metal box to timber.

Thats what I do, never had a problem and you need to be a bit of a chippy.

 

[Dunc]

I always prefer to cut a section out between the uprights and fit a noggin for my box. Most other methods give far too much flex when inserting/removing plugs leaving cracked decoration and plaster afterwards. Makes a bit more work for the plasterer using this method but leaves a better finish in the end.

 

[truckster]

If its a bit flexy, good ol' expanding foam, stiffens everything up!

Be careful with it tho, did one job, sprayed gallons in 'just to be on the safe side' ...blew a four foot chunk of plaster off both sides of the wall when it expanded!

 

[oldtimer]

If possible don't chase them, you can usually feed the cable down behind the lathes. You can sometimes cut a neat hole to fix a plasterboard box if the plaster isnt too thick or screw a batten across the hole and fix a metal box to that.

Yep like that word sometimes like sometims the wall falls to bits when you try to cut into in and in the flats where I stay I cannot understand why people fit un-hooded halogen spots into a lathe and plaster ceiling because as far as I am concerned Lathe is the best fire tinder in the world