![mounting tv to lath and plaster wall mounting tv to lath and plaster wall](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/41/df/7f/41df7f6b3b3fca30c64a81e3c1224ade.jpg)
Maybe what you have is framing beside the flue then metal lath bridging the space over the tile or steel flue. If this were mine and I was set on mounting the TV to that wall I would cut a strip of plaster out across the area where I wanted to mount it and see exactly what I had. The last hole that you could not get through could be just because you have worn out your hole saw. If the wood is a stud or even OSB or other sheating they you can screw to that if it works out space wise. If you drill with a masonry bit and drill slowly you can tell when you hit wood. You can do some more drilling with a small masonry bit in line with the exposed wood and see if you hit wood or something harder above and or below your saw holes.
![mounting tv to lath and plaster wall mounting tv to lath and plaster wall](https://www.peterbarry.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/404091_70616d7848.jpg)
You might have found the transition between flue and framed wall. It could be OSB or plywood or dimension lumber. There is wood framing on either side of the flue and it is sheated with something. Could it be that the fireplace was added? If so then this is what I guess. In the middle of the three closeups of the holes the wood looks like OSB.
![mounting tv to lath and plaster wall mounting tv to lath and plaster wall](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b4/6c/54/b46c54084f2a3ec83844a9199a7146d1.jpg)
If the pictures are oriented correctly and if the lath is oriented correctly then the lath is installed horizontally which is correct. That said, I find it strange that there's an AC outlet in the mantle in the first place given the possibility of heat. I guess my other alternative is to move the AC outlet but I know less about moving outlets than I do about chimneys. We actually have the TV sitting on the mantle now but because the AC outlet is right in the middle, we can't center the TV and plug it in at the same time. I don't know if it's a terra-cotta flue but here is a picture of the chimney from outside:Īs for the wires, the previous owner (we recently moved in) installed an electrical outlet right into the top of the mantle. And like I said, the stud detector magnet sticks to the entire wall above the mantle. The square area is what appears to be metal all around. A few feet up on left, you can see where the metal starts. The right side of picture is the brick of the hearth leading up to top of mantle. The picture is taken from the position of me lying on my back on the fireplace floor photographing up.