How do you locate ceiling joists to put a drying rack up without disturbing the people in the flat above?
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Buy a Stud detector £10 max at local DIY store
IF THEY ARE MADE OF MEDAL YOU CAN USE A MAGNET, IF WOOD YOU CAN BUY A STUD FINDER AT ANY HARDWARE STORE.
Shine a flashlight across the ceiling, this will show all the joints. This also works on the walls for finding the studs to hang pictures. Depending on the light in the house you may need to shut the blinds.
1-buy a stud detector.
2-ceiling joists usually run the shortest span of a room, so on the long wall make small holes using a bradawl/small screw driver every 30mm until you find a solid joist, then measure 16" or 400mm and you should find the next joist around here.
3- do the job when the people above are out.
a stud finder would be the quietest... otherwise use your fingers or a small hammer to test the sound that will tell you where the joists are. hitting on a joist or stud makes a more solid sound... If you look closely you might also be able to tell where the joists are by the screws, if any show through the texturing or something...
What ever you use, just pop a note through their door apologising for any noise before hand, I did and had no complaints, especially as i tried to keep it with in reasonable times.
stud finder, 20 bucks a Home depot
air hook,free,no need for joists..
go to b and q they have a gismo there run by batterys hold it flat on the ceiling run it across the ceiling and every wooden joist that is there the gismo will bleep do it a few times and you will find the way the joists run and exactly where they are.
The pendant light fitting is usually attached to one and the joists in modern houses are usually about 13 inch centres so you should be able to work out where they are. If the ceiling is plastered (i.e not wallpapered or artexed) you can quite often see the outline of nail heads so this might help locate the joists too
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