[metallicafreak]

HELP! I was planning on ceiling mounting my TV3 but the ceiling (I just discovered) is sheet rock with a good bit of space above. My stud finder came up empty. Can the sheet rock hold it? What kind of screws should I use (I am an idiot and am very clueless).

Help me please I want to watch the Pats today at 3pm!!

FREAK!

 

[Paul_Seng]

You need to get anchors for your screws. They are drywall/sheetrock anchors that are weight rated. Get some that rate at least double the weight of the PJ and mount (and make sure the heads of the screws are larger than the holes on the mount). home depot or lowes has these as do all hardware stores.

 

[filmnut]

The best stud finder I've ever used is a hammer and a nail. Use a finishing nail to minimize the size of the holes. Repair takes spackle, paint, and 10 minutes of your time.


The sheetrock alone should hold it, but only if you use suitable drywall anchors.

 

[kiwishred]

As a reference point, the previous owner of my house had hung the garage door opener by a couple of "toggle bolts" into the dry wall and that held up. However, I used angle iron screwed right into the joists with lag bolts when I replaced it.


Similarly, if it was my new and expensive toy, I would overengineer the mount. You could try screwing a large flat wooden plate into the joists and then screwing the projector mount into that. A 24"*24" (or so) square sheet of 3/4" plywood would probably do the trick. Paint ot taste. Four 3" #10 screws should provide plenty of holding power. Put one pair into each ceiling joist. In typical house construction the joists should run parallel and be spaced on 16" centres. Visualise this when finding them.


If you were super worried about appearance, you could figure out where the joists were, then cut the plywood oversized so that the projector would be centred on the plywood. Your average Home Depot should be able do the cuttting for you.


Happy mounting !

Brent

 

[Jason Turk]

Well the drywall has to be attached to something. Perhaps the joists are not on a 16" center. Note on drywall anchors: the weight rating generally pertains to wall mounted items, not ceiling. The direction of weight on a ceiling often can be too much for the strength of molly blots or whatnot. It's not that heavy a projector, but be careful, because it is expensive!

 

[Paul_Seng]

"Note on drywall anchors: the weight rating generally pertains to wall mounted items, not ceiling."

That's why I recommended 2 times the weight (the rating is for one anchor, not four) and using the recommended amount of screws. I have done it with 90% of my installs and not one anchor, let alone PJ, has budged.

 

[metallicafreak]

Thanks for the awesome replies guys! Unfortunatly, I missed the Pats game and had to listen to it on the radio. Awesome game! Sorry eagles fans. Pau;, I believe you are correct but the damn thng cost too much to take the chance. I think I am going with Brents method as this is what I was thinking also (thanks for the detail!). I just have to find the joists.

FREAK!

 

[dmtremblay]

Here's what I did. I cut a 2x6 to a length so that it would fit (perpindicular) between the two joists (the length ended up being about 14 inches because my joists aren't quite 16" centers). I mounted the 2x6 to the joists with angle brackets so that the bottom was flush with the bottom of the joists. This does involve removing a large piece of drywall (or sheetrock) but when it comes time to patch, it's relatively easy because the 2x6 gives you something to mount the new drywall to. This is also aesthetically more appealing because the 2x6 is hidden. You can then mount the projector through the drywall into the new 2x6 'cross joist'.

 

[metallicafreak]

Well,

I located the joists which were actually perpendicular to what I thought. It worked out better that way. I screwed a 24x24 into the joists in from and behind the spot I wanted to mount with 10 screws and then mounting was a breeze. A total of 3 hours. Next is the screen.

Marc

 

[metallicafreak]

here's how it looks:

 

[metallicafreak]

and another