Drilled through tile but into cavity. Rawlplug or not?

[JohnWrightUK]

Hi,

I've just moved into my first house and am keen to acquire (at a sensible rate and without taking unnecessary risks!) some DIY skills. Nothing major but things like putting a bathroom cabinet up...

...so I'm putting up a bathroom cabinet up and have marked where I want the four holes to be. I've put masking tape over them and triple checked the cabinet would be level. I've drilled one hole so far (using a ceramic/tile drill bit) but not to the required width. I was told using a smaller bit and then opening that hole up with a larger bit would make it easier. Anyway, I got through the tile and very shortly after hit thin air. At this point I realise that I can't put the rawlplug in as it has to go past the back of the tile and would then probably just fall through the hole and into the abyss.

My question is what rawlplug can I use or have I got to locate a piece of, err, stud wall? Not sure if that is the correct term but I think that there's lath-plaster behind there so there would be some vertical wood to screw into. If that's the case, how do I find where they are? I've tapped all along the wall and can't hear any difference in the sound.

Any help appreciated. I'd rather not have to get someone in because I feel like that would be a defeat.

If I have to move the cabinet then I hope I can cover that hole I've just drilled!

Thanks,

John

:edit: By the way, I hope this is in the right forum?

 

[Richard C]

So do you have a lath & plaster or plasterboard & studwork wall? How old is your property?

Any of these will fix to plasterboard but not all will be suitable for lath;
http://www.plasplugs.co.uk/fixings_hollow.html

The problem you have is the weight of what you intend hanging off the wall & weather or not it will support it. A bathroom cabinet can be heavy depending on the size & what you intend putting into it. If you just hang the cabinet off the face of a stud or lath wall, unfortunately, it may end up on the floor. Where weight is a factor, fixings should go through into whatever timber support or studwork you can locate behind it, depending on the type of wall you have.

 

[JohnWrightUK]

It's a 1930/40s semi. The bathroom has just been renovated by the previous occupier so, based on that, would it be fair to assume that it's plasterboard behind the tiles?

The bathroom cabinet is 30x50x12 and will only hold a few toiletries. Certainly not planning on keeping bullion/heavy pirate gold in there.

This:

http://www.plasplugs.co.uk/fixings-cavity-anchor.html

Looks like it could be the right one. The straight non-expanding neck has to be longer than the width of tile else I risk cracking the tile, right?

Thanks for the help.