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I've been a very long time lurker on this forum and decided to jump in and post my first question!

I'm a total newbie with DIY and live in a condo. I've been trying to mount my 55" tv that weighs around 45lbs to the drywall without studs. I purchased Toggler SnapToggle bolts but to my surprise, I noticed some sort of backing behind the drywall - possibly plywood?

I haven't seen anything before where there is some sort of backing behind the drywall. I've pretty much wasted my time drilling 8 holes using my 1/2" drill bit as there is not enough clearance for me to use the SnapToggle bolts. I can't get the anchor to pivot behind all of this drywall and plywood.

I'm not sure how the plywood is attached to the wall as I don't see any bolts so I'm not sure how to properly mount my tv. Also, is it possible to "re-use" the 8 holes I already drilled? My wall is shared between my living room and bathroom.

I've also attached some images showing the drywall and backing.

Appreciate it! enter image description here

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    Is this a newer home and an obvious place where someone might want to mount a TV? Are you aware that drywall is basically paper and crumbly chalk, and has no real strength of any kind? Perhaps the plywood is there to provide a surface capable of holding the weight of a TV...
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Oct 14, 2020 at 1:42
  • No the condo is 10 years old. This is the first time seeing a backing behind the drywall. Can I just use screws into the plywood or use some toggle bolts?
    – WizWarrior
    Oct 14, 2020 at 3:13
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    TV mount units for screens that big are designed to fasten to the studs and the mounting holes span a wide enough area to reach the studs. Could you please explain your mounting strategy and why you cannot hit the studs (which are most assuredly back there...)
    – Jimmy Fix-it
    Oct 14, 2020 at 3:24
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    I'd say there's a 99% chance that's OSB, not plywood. It should still be strong enough to support your TV mount, but, yeah, what @JimmyFix-it said, why aren't you looking for studs?
    – FreeMan
    Oct 14, 2020 at 16:39
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    Additionally, if your condo is only 10 years old, it's just about guaranteed to have studs every 16". Take a shirt to the dry cleaners and have them hang it. Take the metal hanger they give you, clip it open right by the hook, straighten it enough to get one end through a hole into the wall and slowly twirl it around. If it stops hard, that's a stud. If it stops, but there's some give it's probably a wire. If it stops with a "tink" it's a metal stud.
    – FreeMan
    Oct 14, 2020 at 17:35

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Not terribly common, but common enough. There are a couple or more reasons for this configuration. My main understanding is that attached Condos are between Commercial and Residential construction, but not purely one.

The plywood could be satisfying a Durability Requirement from the Commercial side, while the Fire Resistance of both is satisfied by the Drywall. It could also be a poor attempt at blocking for wrongly hung drywall. Though lame, it's literally light-years beyond the entirety of "expert" and "professional" drywall installers.

Concerning your Snap Toggles, I'd nip the plastic head off the end and use the legs to splay them right. Or, a straightened paper clip could coax the toggle to toggle correctly. BUT, pictures 1 and 3 look like you're drilled into studs and your Snap Toggles would only ever work in just picture 2's openness.

If all of that fails, then I think your best bet is the good old Hollow Wall Anchor pictured below. It's a bit weaker than a Wing Toggle but can work perfectly well in all of your pictures' situations. Here's a video to explain that you need LONGS instead of shorts and how they operate. How To Use Hollow Wall Anchors https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNFv65-QTPI

Hollow Wall Anchor

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