In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
torge conrad maguar wrote:

Have just been drilling into a dividing wall in a 1936 terraced house
in London, to hang up a cupboard in the bedroom.

What I'm drilling into is almost like soft sand. I guess it must be
some kind of breeze block mortar that has deteriorated? The only
thoughts I have is to pack some polyfilla around the rawlplug to fill
in the hole and get some grip. Is that a good idea? Novice
appreciates any advice on what best to do. thanks.

How many holes have you drilled, and are they *all* the same? If you've only
drilled one or two it's possible that you've just been unlucky and hit a
mortar joint. You could try moving your fixing points a couple of inches
diagonally and see whether you then get something a bit more solid.

Actually, when you say a 'dividing' wall, do you mean the party wall between
two houses or simply an internal wall between two rooms? If the latter, it
could be a stud partition covered with lath and plaster. Does the wall sound
hollow if you tap it with your knuckle? If it is this sort of wall, you'll
need to drill a lot of small test holes to find where the structural timbers
are, and then screw into those.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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