Beams and studs vanish once the skin of a building is added.
Ceilings defy gravity, hovering above you with no visible means of support. To do so, they must be firmly attached to one of more beams, or joists, that span the room from wall to wall. The beams are hidden behind the ceiling, and although there may be some visual clues to their locations, they are often undetectable to the naked eye. When there are no visual clues, a stud and beam detector will locate a beam, even one hidden behind more than an inch of plaster.
Instructions
1. Examine the ceiling for small dents in the surface. Occasionally the screws or nails fixing the ceiling to the beams leave shallow depressions in the ceiling surface. A line of regularly spaced marks indicates the position of a beam to which the ceiling is attached.
2. Look for signs of gentle undulations, or waves, across the ceiling. Old ceilings may sag slightly between the beams to form what's called a "pillowed ceiling." The tops of the waves represent the positions of the beams--where the ceiling is attached--and the bottoms of the waves represent the points mid-way between the beams, where the ceiling has sagged.
3. Set up a stepladder anywhere in the room where you can access the ceiling. Ensure that the ladder is fully opened and resting on a flat, non-slip surface.
Tap the ceiling with your knuckles and listen to the sound. Move your hand around while continuing to tap. Dull and hollow notes indicate that the ceiling board is not attached to anything, whereas more crisp and solid sounds indicate that you are tapping a beam.
4. Locate any beams that remain hidden by using a stud detector. Read the manufacturer's instructions before using the detector because different models may bleep, flash lights or display information on a LCD screen when they detect a ceiling beam. Hold the detector against the ceiling and switch it on. Move the detector slowly across the ceiling while observing the display or listening to the sound. As the sensor passes over the edge of a hidden beam, the detector will indicate its presence. Continue moving the detector forward to then locate the opposite edge of the beam.
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