oliviac22•1mo agoTop Commenter

Just realized why my corner beads kept popping on old plaster walls

I overheard a guy at the supply house say he always uses 1 1/4 inch screws instead of 1 inch when securing beads over old lath. Tried it on a job in a 1950s bungalow last week and it made a huge difference, no more movement. Anyone have a different fix for this?

2 comments

2 Comments

spencer_bell1mo agoMost Upvoted

The old lath just swallows up a standard screw. That extra quarter inch of bite is the difference between hitting solid wood and just hanging on by the threads. I've also had good luck pre-drilling a slightly smaller hole through the plaster and lath before driving the screw. It stops the plaster from cracking out around the bead. Either way, you're right, that little bit of extra length fixes most of the movement.

thomasm411mo ago

My old house taught me to always hit two laths, not just one.