Totally get where you’re coming from—nothing like the sinking feeling of watching a “heavy-duty” anchor just rip out of crumbly plaster. Here’s what’s worked for me on a tight budget: I’ll map out where the studs are (even if it means some weird spacing), then use a French cleat or a strip of plywood anchored to the studs. That way, you can spread the load and still hang stuff wherever you want along the strip. Not always pretty, but it saves patching up a bunch of holes later. And yeah, stud finders... mine’s basically a paperweight at this point.
I’ve definitely been there with stud finders that just beep at random spots—sometimes I trust my knuckle more. The French cleat idea is solid, especially for heavier stuff. I’ve also tried toggles in a pinch, but they’re hit or miss in old plaster. Ever try those self-drilling anchors? They claim to work in plaster, but I’ve had mixed luck. Curious if you’ve found any tricks for making the plywood strip look less obvious, or do you just embrace the utilitarian vibe?
Title: Why does load distribution always trip me up?
Curious if you’ve found any tricks for making the plywood strip look less obvious, or do you just embrace the utilitarian vibe?
I usually just paint the plywood to match the wall, or sometimes I’ll slap a bit of trim on the edges if I’m feeling fancy. It’s not invisible, but it blends in enough that it doesn’t bug me. Honestly, after a while I kind of stop noticing it.
Self-drilling anchors have been a mixed bag for me too. They’re great in drywall, but plaster just eats them up or they crack the wall. I’ve had better luck pre-drilling a small hole first, then gently screwing them in. Still, nothing beats hitting a stud, but like you said, stud finders are a gamble. I’ve even tried rare earth magnets to find nails in the lath—works surprisingly well.
At the end of the day, I’d rather have something solid and a little ugly than risk stuff falling off the wall. Function over form, at least until I get around to patching and painting...
At the end of the day, I’d rather have something solid and a little ugly than risk stuff falling off the wall.
Couldn’t agree more—nothing like a shelf crashing down at 2am to make you rethink your priorities. If you want to dress up the plywood a bit, I’ve had luck with iron-on veneer edging. It’s cheap, easy, and you can stain or paint it to match. Not perfect, but it takes the “workshop chic” edge off. And yeah, rare earth magnets are my go-to for finding those sneaky studs—way more reliable than half the stud finders I’ve tried.
Honestly, I still get tripped up by load distribution too. You’d think after hanging enough shelves and cabinets it’d just click, but nope—every wall seems to have its own personality. I’ve had drywall anchors pull out even when I thought I was playing it safe. Now I pretty much overbuild everything... probably why my floating shelves could double as bunk beds.
Funny you mention veneer edging—I tried that once on some garage shelves. Looked decent until my kid decided to test the “climbing wall” potential and ripped half of it off. Lesson learned: form follows function, especially if you’ve got curious little ones around.
Rare earth magnets are a game changer, though. My old stud finder would beep at random spots and make me second guess every screw placement. The magnet’s just simple and it works—kind of wish more tools were like that, honestly.
