The numbers in the graphic above and the table below are based on the findings in extensive experiments performed by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Plywood and drywall come close to zero signal loss in tests. Worst Signal Loss: ConcreteĬoncrete, with and without metal reinforcement, is one of the worst building materials for wireless signals to pass through, but masonry block and bricks can also be serious barriers for Wi-Fi. If you're in any doubt at all then contact a structural engineer or RICS surveyor to get a professional opinion backed by professional indemnity insurance before you wield that sledgehammer.Are you curious why a part of your home, or even an area just outside the house, has poor Wi-Fi reception? It could be due to the material used for the wall, or other physical barriers that block or weaken Wi-Fi signals. Your buildings insurance may also be invalid if you recklessly go ahead and your house then starts to move around because you've removed part of its skeleton. Most mortgage providers will expect you to tell them before you go knocking down walls and may object. Go in the loft and look to see if there is evidence of the ceiling joists and roof being supported by the wall you're looking to remove - like the joist sitting on top of it.įinally you can drill small test holes along a horizontal line to determine the spacing of the studs and if you're careful their general dimensions (as you would to put up a shelf) make some lager inspection holes to see if there are massive timbers or just what's needed to hold the wall up.
![wifi with plaster and lath walls wifi with plaster and lath walls](https://empire-s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Lath_and_Plaster.jpg)
An historic feature in it's own right but usually done on a budget to serve a purposeĬlick to expand.The first obvious clues come from the direction of floorboards - assuming that IN GENERAL floorboards run at right angles to joists and joists tend to be supported at the ends by structural walls - those walls are likely to be holding up the structure of the floor.Īnother good idea is to see if there is an equivalent wall upstairs/downstairs directly in line - indicating load being transmitted down into a foundation. I have come across many variations of timber wall construction and a few with " X " internal partitions, many of these were later additions to an earlier built structure and the job they appeared to do was to just divide larger " hall" shaped rooms where the added wall also served as lateral and central stabilsers for the building. The laths may have a stabilising effect on the exterior section of the walls in order to aid the spreading effect, but correctly built the timber wall should not have to rely on laths for this. Lath and plaster is mainly there to separate spaces to offer privacy or insulating exterior of buildings from adverse weather conditions.Ī stud wall, and this can take many forms and variations in a timber building, is consructed to support any weight above ( if required) and/or to stop any lateral movement of a building ( if required).Ī central stud in a supporting wall with two opposite diagonals, or four arranged as an " X ", does the job perfectly well as per your photo.
![wifi with plaster and lath walls wifi with plaster and lath walls](https://img-aws.ehowcdn.com/750x400p/photos.demandstudios.com/getty/article/178/60/87568335.jpg)
Lath and plaster has nothing in common and plays no major part in " structural support" in any building, it will act as an aid to bind and stabilise a wall by default. Oh, and at last the roof is done and the scaffolding down - Happy Day! - see blog After mulling this over whilst going to sleep, finally it dawned on me: I reckon this structure is holding the external wall in place, unless someone has a different idea? There is no corresponding wall in the kitchen beneath on the right of the picture is a major internal structural wall, about 18 inches thick, largely of squared limestone, and on the left is the external wall which is about a foot thick, in limestone rubble.
![wifi with plaster and lath walls wifi with plaster and lath walls](https://s3-production.bobvila.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Installing_Lath_and_Plaster.jpg)
This is a major piece of structure and not just a simple stud wall, although at first its purpose puzzled me.
![wifi with plaster and lath walls wifi with plaster and lath walls](https://media.angieslist.com/s3fs-public/styles/widescreen_large/public/lath_plaster.jpg)
The laths are in really good condition and even the nails are still shiny, not rusted. At the top of the central stud is a metal bolt, pointing downwards, which has a square head about 1.5 inches across. Each X is about 6 feet wide and 8 feet high. Those two X frames which you can see are both made from oak beams, 4 inches by 3 inches. Our two back bedrooms are separated by a lath and plaster wall, which needed to be re-plastered as the lime plaster was all crazed and had come away from the laths - huge areas moved alarmingly, and some had been patched with modern alternatives. Don't ever assume, just because something is covered with lath and plaster, that it is not load-bearing (viz Kirsty on Location Location). I'm sure this is not unusual, but I think it is worth publishing the picture.