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Unable to Locate Ceiling Joists!
I recently bought an $80 pressure mount pole from Amazon, not really thinking much on it. I’ve literally just began my interest in pole a week ago and I made an impulse buy so I have no idea what I’m getting into installation-wise. I’ve got the pole almost completely assembled, except adjusting the dome all the way up to the ceiling with pressure. The reason behind that is because I have absolutely no idea where a ceiling joist would be! I have sheetrock, popcorn ceilings and my house is extremely old. It’s been around since the 1920’s but it was remodeled by an uncle back in 1993. Unfortunately my uncle passed on 2 years ago so I can’t ask him about the joists. Since it’s an older home I’m extremely concerned of punching a hole through my ceiling… A stud-finder keeps giving me random readings, then none at all on the same place, so naturally I’m very confused. It’s killing me that I can’t use my pole yet!! Any tips?
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7 Replies
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Congrats on your new pole! I’m not sure what brand you bought, but be very wary of some of the inexpensive poles sold on Amazon. Some are not made very well and are actually dangerous to use for pole tricks. For example, Peek-A-Boo poles should not be used for tricks. I can’t say much about brands because I don’t have experience with any poles except X-Pole, and although they’re quite pricey (between approx $200 and $800 USD depending on the finish, and whether you want a stage pole, or a pole that does spinny), they’re extremely well-made and safe. X-Pole customer service is exceptional, too. I’ve heard Lil Mynx and Lupit are good brands as well.
I had the same issue with joists and the stud finder (which was completely useless!). I actually didn’t get my pole right under a joist and I didn’t realize it at first. It eventually started to push my ceiling up and it left a crack. I went out to my local hardware store and bought a rare earth magnet and used it to locate the nails in the joists. The magnet was super cheap, but mapping out the joists was time consuming, and I had to map out a bunch of them around the area I wanted to install the pole so I knew what direction they were going in and how far apart they were spaced.
Also, using a level can help you get the pole straight. Watching the X-Pole installation vid will give you some good tips, too.
Best of luck! 🙂
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Honestly, I have no idea what brand the pole is! I guess that’s not a good sign! I’ll give you the link to where I bought it (if this site will let me do links)!
Good advice about the level! I will definitely try that! And I suppose I’ll just have to do your method with locating the joists with a strong magnet and map it out because at the moment I have no other options!!
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Can you send the pole back? It would be better to pay the 200-300$ for an xpole or lil mynx or lupit, those are professional brands whose poles are safe for tricks.
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Honestly don’t worry about the pole you bought…looks like the first model of the xpole but a knock off. I still have poles that screw together like that from xpole and they work just fine. I have actually read good things about these cheaper knockoff poles. But as with any pole always check it before jumping on. It’s the peek a boo or any “toy” like pole that are very light weight you should avoid!
About the ceiling, if you can, go into the attic, then you can see the direction of the joist’s. I usually just knock with my hand to find the studs, then check confirm with the stud finder. It will go from hollow to solid sounding once you find the stud. It can be hard with popcorn ceiling but as long as it’s not too pointy do able.
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Thank you both for your helpful replies! I figured starting out I would just go with a cheaper pole just to see if pole would be something I would be into. If I discover that I really love it and want to continue with it, then I’ll eventually make the investment for an XPole.
I’ve gotten my pole installed right beside my lightbulb for now in the center of the room since I figured the light would have to be installed on the actual joist, but I have not used it yet since I’m not completely sure which direction the joists run and I haven’t put full pressure on the ceiling yet with the pole out of fear of it punching through the ceiling so it’s just put there temporarily for now until I can map out my joists.
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UPDATE: I’ve found a joist! In another room of my house that we’ve been unable to use due to water damage in the ceiling and the ceiling cracking like crazy, we were able to peer through the cracks to see which way the joists run! I’m pretty sure they run the same way in each room, and the lighting in the other room was installed on a ceiling joist so I just used that as reference on where to put my pole in the other room.
But thank you everyone who’s helped!! It truly means a lot! Now I’m able to use my pole knowing it won’t come down on me anytime soon.
Now to get started on some beginner moves!
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Awesome! Glad you found the joist. It’s a pretty safe bet to use a light fixture as a point of reference. I actually did that in my basement. As long as you check your ceiling for cracks periodically and check your pole before each use you’ll be fine. 🙂 I know when I first put mine up I was so scared but now I practically throw myself at it.
Have fun, and happy poling! Keep us updated on how you’re doing!
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