need help with ceiling mounts

[Flash]

we cannot for the life of us find a joist with the 3 stud finders we have tried. I have to hang a light tonight from my ceiling. the light weighs a good 50lbs...
can anyone give me a suggestion? are there ceiling anchors? I have 2 points to hang, 30" apart. it's a 48" light... I just don't want it to tare down my ceiling.

[Cal_stir]

How old is the house?
Is it a plaster ceiling maybe?
There could be lath behind the plaster which would explain why the stud finder won't work, if so, it would be hard not to hit wood but I would use butterfly anchors in case.

[Flash]

house is 3 years old... we punched a few screw holes and hit nothing....

[gregzz4]

Ya, what year was your home built ?

I'll assume you looked for joists running in both directions ? Ie; north-south and east-west

We have a popcorn ceiling and I had to use a sheet of paper to get the stud finder to work correctly

I don't recommend using anchors in any thickness of drywall for your light. The drywall won't stand up to it long-term
Best info I could find was a rating of up to only 10lbs in 3/4" drywall

[muck]

Trust me... You will want to find the joists for a light that heavy.

[gregzz4]

Is there a ceiling fixture you could take apart to find where the joists are ?

[Flash]

nothing in the area such as a light... and we tired paper, cardboard and still got nothing... I went and picked up a $60 stud finder maybe this one will work... and yes I tried all directions. my basement is 16" centers and they joists run north to south...If I had the option to cut out a small peiece I would... but i'd never get that fixed and the other half is already wanting to murder me!

[Mandosh]

Depending on how thick the drywall is and how much the light weighs, you could go with toggle bolts. I think the tension rating on a 3/8 bolt in 1/2" drywall is somewhere around 50-60lbs.

[ensquire]

Old drywaller here, and I would find the joists or you will eventually have a fixture in your tank. is it a painted ceiling or textured?

[Mandosh]

Old drywaller here, and I would find the joists or you will eventually have a fixture in your tank. is it a painted ceiling or textured?

I never said it was a good option...

[monocus]

put the stud finder against the ceiling -then turn it on and move it.another way is to put the sensor on metal and hunt for the screws.also try deep scan mode.your joists will be at 16 " centers.if you still dont have any luck,put a tiny drill bit in a drill and drill into the ceiling at 3/4" spacing.any resistance will be your joist and you can patch the tiny holes with a dab of dap caulking

[Flash]

tried that, didn't work. going a different route!!!

[gregzz4]

Wish you luck

When I mounted my 35lb 48" ATI, I had to use a 52+" piece of 1/4x1-1/4 flatbar as the tank was not sitting perfectly under the joists
I put 4 - 3" screws into the joists to hold the bar
I am very happy with how solid it is

[whytey]

The best way to handle this is to find a light in the ceiling that is existing close to the area, the light fixture will be attached to one side of the joist. If it is a 2 storey they will be 16" apart. If it is an attic or roof they will be 24" apart.

Glen

[gregzz4]

The best way to handle this is to find a light in the ceiling that is existing close to the area, the light fixture will be attached to one side of the joist. If it is a 2 storey they will be 16" apart. If it is an attic or roof they will be 24" apart.

Glen

Been there, tried that
Nice try though Glen :smile:

They have no ceiling light fixtures in the room

Is there a ceiling fixture you could take apart to find where the joists are ?

nothing in the area such as a light... and we tired paper, cardboard and still got nothing... I went and picked up a $60 stud finder maybe this one will work... and yes I tried all directions. my basement is 16" centers and they joists run north to south...If I had the option to cut out a small peiece I would... but i'd never get that fixed and the other half is already wanting to murder me!

[gregzz4]

So ....
Any luck with the new stud finder ?
I mean besides it going off when you turn it on, you big studd you :razz:

[monocus]

try shining a bright flashlight across the ceiling while it's dark if you have a smooth ceiling-you should be able to see the taping joints.drywall is laid across the joists.it sometimes works with a textured ceiling as well

[gregzz4]

try shining a bright flashlight across the ceiling while it's dark if you have a smooth ceiling-you should be able to see the taping joints.drywall is laid across the joists.it sometimes works with a textured ceiling as well
Especially when guys like Bill lay the tape :rofl:

Oh, come on, that was funny :smile:

[monocus]

i will finish my ceiling;i will finish my ceiling;iwill.............

[Ross]

Is the ceiling insulated?

[Flash]

Don't know if it's insulated, out of 6 stud finders nothing worked...I'm going to run airline cable from one end of the wall to the other into a wall stud and hang the light off that.... it's the only way...

[Ross]

Are you sure certain that the joist are running in the direction that you are scanning and not the other direction?

A method that I have used in the past is fairly simply and requires a metal coat hanger.
But this only works in uninsulated roofs and homes without knob and tube wiring.

Take and flatten a metal coat hanger into a straight line.

Bend a pair of 90° bends into it to form a Z shape.
(The middle section should be about 2" long and the forks to be 12" or so.)

Insert one end into a small hole (or push the wire really hard to produce a small hole.

Rotate the wire in the hole so that the small section of the Z is vertical in the hole.
The end will be reseting parallel to the roof.
Rotate the wire around untill it stops.

That is the edge of a joist.
Use a push pin or tape to mark the angle of the coat hanger.

Rotate the coat hanger around the other way to confirm this wasn't an anomaly.

Gently retract the wire from the hole.
Use the wire to determine where the end was based on the angles marked out previously.

Good luck

[Leon71]

did you say the basement is 16" centers? Most new housing uses 19.2" centers for the engineered joists. At least any of the new housing I have been in.

+1 on Ross's idea. Leon

[subman]

I'm assuming your hanging the light you got from me...I used anchors on one side like these: http://www.homedepot.com/buy/tools-hardware/hardware-fasteners/buildex/e-z-ancor-toggle-lock-100-heavy-duty-self-drilling-drywall-anchor-25-pack-42212.html

Worked for the 3 plus years I had .........still using them

[Flash]

yes Jason trying to hang it! lol!

[gregzz4]

What did you end up doing ?