Historic Home TV Mounting in Santa Ana

Plaster over lath, and how a bolt reaches the stud

Many 1910s–1940s homes have plaster over wood lath; the installer finds the studs, drills slowly and protects the plaster finish. Lath hides studs from many finders, plaster chips under a fast bit, and the layer is thick, so the bolts are longer than for drywall.

What the numbers show

1. 1Plaster coat A thick coat that chips under a fast bit; tape and a slow drill protect it.
2. 2Lath strip Narrow wood strips under the plaster, with small gaps the plaster pushes into.
3. 3The stud behind The only part of the wall that holds the plate; found by probe.
4. 4Pilot hole A pilot hole drilled slowly keeps the plaster from cracking and guides the bolt.
5. 5Longer lag bolt The bolt must pass plaster and lath before it reaches deep into the stud.

Leaving original features alone

Original features such as built-ins, fireplace surrounds, tile and trim are worth keeping; owners often choose a mount position or a surface cable route that leaves them untouched. A TV beside a bookcase instead of in front of it, or a cable that follows the picture rail, costs little and changes nothing permanently.

• Built-ins: the screen goes beside them, or inside only where the cabinet is already open at the back.
• Trim and baseboards: a slim raceway is painted to match instead of cutting into the wood.
• Tile surrounds: never drilled; the mount goes on the wall above or beside.

Floral Park, French Park and homes on the register

Several Santa Ana neighborhoods are historic districts, and individual houses can be on the city's register. Indoor TV mounting does not change a house's exterior. On a home in a historic district or on the city's historic register, anything visible outside, such as a patio TV, an exterior cable or conduit, or a dish, can need city review first; the city's Planning Division confirms what applies to a specific address.

Some owners have agreements or designations that reach the inside of the house as well, so a question to the city before the visit costs nothing.

Fireplaces and old wiring behind the walls

Older houses often have a brick or tile fireplace as the wall's focal point, and wiring that was added in layers over a century. The installer asks where the outlets and any surface-run cable are, avoids drilling near them, and treats the chimney wall with the care described on the fireplace page. A new outlet or any rewiring is electrician's work.

Paint and ceilings in houses this old

In homes built before 1978, paint can contain lead, and some older textured ceilings and joint compound contain asbestos. A few mounting holes disturb very little, but cutting a wall open for hidden wiring or drilling a textured ceiling is a bigger question; owners planning that kind of work in an older home can have the material tested first.

Dust from drilling is caught at the hole with a vacuum or a dust shroud, and the area is cleaned afterward.

Historic Home TV Mounting — common questions