# Quick Garage Ceiling Question



## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

We have a 2 car garage attached to our townhome. Was built in 2000. The walls and ceiling has been drywalled.

So far 3 different, working stud finders are telling me that the ceiling joists in the garage are spaced at 48 inches o.c. Is that normal? It appears there are furring strips or something running perpendicualr to the joists at 16 inches o.c. The drywall is scrwed into the joists and the furring strips (or whatever they are).

I wanted to hang some stuff from the ceiling and fully expected to find joists 16 inches o.c. throughout. That surely isn't the case. So I am just wondering if that is normal for a garage.

I should also add the right above the garage is a finished bedroom that does have floor joists 16 inches o.c. So I am assuming there is a space between that floor and the garage ceiling.


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## Julian the woodnut (Nov 5, 2008)

Is there a steel I beam in the center of the garage? If it's below the cieling then there isn't a space between the floor and cieling. Don't rely on a stud finder. Get a small nail and pop some holes in the cieling to find the joist. You should know which way the joist are running by looking at the taped joints in the drywall( I'm sure the tapers did a quick job in the garage, and didn't make it perfect). I've built many houses in the Chicagoland area over the last 18 years, so feel free to ask me questions.


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## Handyman (Jan 2, 2008)

Tom That doesn't sound normal in any state. You may locate one ceiling joist using your stud finder and them measure over 16" and using a finishing nail drive it in the ceiling in about 3/4" inch increments left or right and find the other joist. You can fill the little hole with spackle.


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

Handyman said:


> Tom That doesn't sound normal in any state. You may locate one ceiling joist using your stud finder and them measure over 16" and using a finishing nail drive it in the ceiling in about 3/4" inch increments left or right and find the other joist. You can fill the little hole with spackle.


Thank you...yes we have tried that....nothing there at all.......its a bit odd.......


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

That's hard to believe that ceiling joists would be spaced 4' O/C. From what you said, there is a room above and it has floor joists @ 16" O/C. 
Without tearing up the drywall on the ceiling to see exactly what's up there, you may be able to get a set of original plans. You can't be sure what the material is that is spaced @ 4'. You also should check to see if you got false readings when you used your stud finder.

If you can't do that, you want to make sure what you will be fastening to. Ideally you would want to run fasteners into the sides of joists/rafters. You don't want to hang from the furring strips. I would do further checking. You might pick a spot where you know what you'll be hanging, and cut out a hole in the drywall and take a peek.

If the joists are spaced too far apart, you could surface mount a 2x4 or 2x6 with long lag bolts into the joists, and then hang from that. I wouldn't suspend excessive weight.


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## Webster (Mar 6, 2009)

Tom, 
Could your joists be running different than the house? and your picking up the blocking between the joists every 48 and your furring is your joists?
Rick


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*Tom, how about this?*

I use a 4" hole saw with a pie plate underneath to catch the dust. Reach up in to the space with you hand or take a mirror and flashlite and see what's really there. After you find out glue a backer strip across the hole from above, glue the cutout from the hole saw back in the hole, a little dry mud and your done. If you really feel courageous, get a drywall saw and make a hole big enough to get your head in and have a look around. Same way as above to replace the cutout...backer boards, glue etc. Eliminate all the guess work! :thumbsup: bill


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

cabinetman said:


> That's hard to believe that ceiling joists would be spaced 4' O/C. From what you said, there is a room above and it has floor joists @ 16" O/C.
> Without tearing up the drywall on the ceiling to see exactly what's up there, you may be able to get a set of original plans. You can't be sure what the material is that is spaced @ 4'. You also should check to see if you got false readings when you used your stud finder.
> 
> If you can't do that, you want to make sure what you will be fastening to. Ideally you would want to run fasteners into the sides of joists/rafters. You don't want to hang from the furring strips. I would do further checking. You might pick a spot where you know what you'll be hanging, and cut out a hole in the drywall and take a peek.
> ...


it almost seems like the garage ceiling is, for lack of a better term. a drop ceiling of sorts. I did check that the material that is spaced at 48 inches. It is in fact a wood stud. I actually had decided to do just what you said and surface mount a 2X4 cleat on the ceiling lagged into the edges of two joists. There really won't be a lot of weight so I am pretty comfortable with that. I have just never seen anything like this.

We definitely won't be fastening nto the furring strips at all. I am curious as heck so I probabaly will cut a spy hole to try to figure out what in the world is going on up there


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## Wood4Fun (Aug 29, 2008)

there is no way they are 4' apart. While I'm not familiar with building code in Illinois, I know they don't vary THAT much from one state to another.


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## Tom5151 (Nov 21, 2008)

well after much further review it turns out they aren't 4 feet apart after all. The reason my stud finders can't pick them up is because there are 2 layers of 1/2 inch drywal and 1 inch of ridgid foram insulation covering them. So essentially 2 inches of material between the outside surface of the ceiling and the bottom edge of the joists. That doesn't really solve a lot for me but at least it makes some sense now....

Thanks everyone....


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