please help me install my pole!!! desperate!

Beautifulfreak started this discussion · 4/4/2011

So I have used my knukle and everywhere i knock sounds the same....I bought a stud finder......it doesn f***ing work and now i know why as I just read here that it doesn't work on plasterboard!!! I am at my wits end! Apart from sell my pole that I spent £200 on 3 months ago and STILL cannot use I have no idea what to do!!! I honestly and so frustrated it makes me cry and rage around like a f***ing lunitic!!! ANY HELP would be amazing!

5 replies

LoneStarDiva · 4/4/2011
Get a hammer and listen REALLY hard. If that still doesn't work, you could assume it's ALL solid wood behind it.... and/OR.. call out a construction worker or the nearest male neighbor. (seems men come with this ability when they're born! lol)
unicorn · 4/4/2011
BEAUTIFUL FREAK..I was exactly the same my knuckles were raw.. Everywhere I knocked sounded the same, I could hear no different around the whole room. I went up in the attic and tried to find a joist.. It was a guessing game for me.. I was determined to get that pole up, so I put it up, Its been fine.. Could you go up in to the attic and try find a joist or beam and get someone in the room below to listen where you knock from the attic?? Just a suggestion Hope you get that pole up soon. I now youve been eager to get your pole... x
unicorn · 4/4/2011
The plaster board is attached to something... what about getting a plank of wood and putting that on the ceiling as extra support. where there is a will there is a way.. You will get that pole up Are you being serious??? 3 moths you have had it for and you have not been able to use it?? That sucks big time!! 🙁
MissKitty83 · 4/5/2011
I had to do what I call the Nail Test - I found a small nail (about 3cm long) and tapped it into the ceiling where I thought there was a beam about 2 cm. If after 2 cm the nail slid freely all the way into the hole, there was no beam behind it. I moved over about an inch (2.5cm) and tried again until I found a beam. YOU WILL KNOW WHEN YOU FIND THE BEAM. I was able to hammer the nail in about 2cm before hitting something VERY solid that my little taps with the hammer on the nail would not penetrate. From there you can either leave the nail in to mark the stud, or pull it out and use a permanent marker to make a dot or X or whatever so you know where your studs are. To fill the myriad little holes you've made, squeeze a small amount of WHITE toothpaste onto your finger and smear it over and into the holes. It will dry to match the white ceiling, and no one will be the wiser. If it doesn't you can always dab a little paint over it - but at least the holes will be filled! Hope this helps! ^_^
gbugs77 · 4/5/2011
I used the nail test after i got a general idea of where beams would be. You can eyeball the corner of windows or doors as they are mounted on side beams. Light switches and plug boxes are mounted on a side beam too (to the left or right of it. Trace to the ceiling and eyeball across to get an idea of where to pound the nail. Standard US beams are 16" apart. You could also go outside and look at the beams under the edge of the roof and maybe get an idea of what direction they run and how far apart. This works even better if you can match it to a window or door in the room you're using. Happy Poling will be yours!