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My little brothers got me a set of Metolius Rock Rings (thanks guys, you hit the nail on the head) and now I need some engineering/construction advice.

I'm going to mount them in my basement. The basement once was a young boy's dream, no carpeting, just cement ceiling and walls, exposed 2x4 framing on the ceiling, and some uncovered I-beams for pullups. Unfortunately, it got finished a couple years ago, carpeting put in, drywall installed, I-beams covered. The punchline is that I'm having trouble finding a good mounting place for the rock rings. The basement ceiling doesn't touch the framing of the ground story's floor, thanks to the duct work that got installed.

What's a boy to do? I can't very well start drilling holes in the ceiling hoping to get lucky, and I can't put the rings anywhere else in the house. Please help.

Studfinder. A magnet that locates studs.
How much weight are these supposed to take?
Might need to put them in with 1/4" lags

John Duffield wrote:Studfinder. A magnet that locates studs.

The problem is the 8-12" of space between the drywall ceiling and the studs.

John Duffield wrote:How much weight are these supposed to take?

Ummm...? The studs or the holds? The rings are supposed to take a person's full weight on each one.

John Duffield wrote:Might need to put them in with 1/4" lags

That's probably the best bet.

rip the drywall out!

kiwiw wrote:rip the drywall out!

+ 1 sort of

A good time to learn how to make and fix holes in drywall, something I do all the time.
Get one of those little drywall saws, cut holes and put in your lags and attachments. Then use some Paster of Paris to attach enough framing around the hole and glue the piece you cut out back in. Plaster of Paris drys quickly so you can keep moving on the job, drywall compound takes far longer to dry. Drywall compound smooth with a sponge sandpaper etc. Since the basement just got done, hopefully the paint is still hanging around. Btw, flip your excess paint cans over every six months or so. Lasts nearly forever that way. Touchups make the big job last much longer.

The drywall is attached to something. There must be 2x6's or some kind of framing that make up the ceiling.

What you need to find, though, is the beams that hold the framing up. You said I beams were there before. The framing would be the strongest near the I beams or any posts that may support the framing. If the I beams were, in fact, wood beams, then you could drive lags into the beams directly for a solid anchor.

Greg Enright wrote:The drywall is attached to something. There must be 2x6's or some kind of framing that make up the ceiling.

What you need to find, though, is the beams that hold the framing up. You said I beams were there before. The framing would be the strongest near the I beams or any posts that may support the framing. If the I beams were, in fact, wood beams, then you could drive lags into the beams directly for a solid anchor.

Thanks Greg. I realized that 20 foot sheets of drywall can't hang freely.

The I beam is actually the weakest area. The beam is metal, which is good, but the framing around it is extremely light. Light to the point of not bearing any extra weight.

I'll go get my camera and take some pictures for reference.

Somewhere there have to be 16"-center floor joists, probably at least 2x10s (unless the span is very small: http://www.ci.auburn.in.us/Departments/ ... 0areas.pdf). You can nail/screw strong boards into the sides of the joists (overlapping the entire 10" if you want). These board extensions will come down and below the level of the ceiling. Put these extensions into two or more joists. This is how we have put up pull-up bars in our homes. You just need a small cut in the ceiling drywall for each extension (obviously, the drywall has to come down first to secure the extensions).

Okie Dokie. Push up on the ceiling in a few spots and see if it moves up and down. Check close to the walls as the ceiling framing should be strongest there. If it moves easily, it won't hold your body weight without sagging. However, if the ceiling framing is strong you may be able to screw a couple of lag hooks directly into the framing members.

Get a couple of 3/8" diameter x 4" long lag hooks. They should have 1 3/4" of thread to get a good bite in the wood.

Now I'm guessing the parents are saying there's no way you are going to rip out any drywall. So you must pinpoint the framing members and drive those hooks in. If you have a studfinder, use it back and forth in the area that you want to place a hook. Most studfinders have a bias to one side, so flip it around and slide it back and forth again. Each time it signals a framing member, put a tiny pencil mark right when the signal starts and again when it goes out. If you are lucky, the pencil marks will agree, and the ceiling joist will be right between the marks. But don't drill yet.

Use a magnet to search for screws or nails that were used to hang the drywall. Run the magnet along the line of the framing member. Hopefully, the magnet finds nails or screws that confrim what the studfinder told you. Spend a lot of time on the prep, checking that you really are sure of the joist's location and strength.

Now I'm thinking that you would want to use two joists, one for each ring. The closer to the wall, the stronger, but you probably don't want to be so close that you can't do your workout. Anyway, time to drill. Use a 3/16" drill bit to drill a pilot hole for the hook. Try to center it in the framing member. You can use a smaller bit to drill through your pilot hole at a sharp angle to see if you are centered.

If your hole is centered, screw the hook in. If not drill a new hole and fill the old hole. The screw should go in until the threads disappear, then a couple more turns. I would worry if it goes in too easily, with a lot of snapping wood. If it is too difficult to get it in all the way, remove it and drill with a 1/4" drill bit and try again.

Good luck, however you decide to mount them.

If you have a garage just set it up out there