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Hangboard in drywall?

Original Post
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

My idea is to mount both a pullup bar and hangboard so I can also use my inversion boots. I think I could build 2 square frames and mount them on either side of the hall. Then it would be easy to mount a pullup bar on one side and the hangboard on the other.

I tap and tap and can't seem to find any studs though. Am I stupid, maybe, but I've managed to find studs in the wall (and mirror) before.

So drywall anchors are good for like 75lbs max. And drywall is brittle and soft, so even if I use a ton of anchors, the movement and load and unload cycle of actually using it would probably quickly break down the holes.

What would be my best options? Also, I can do some stuff but don't own the place. I won't be tearing down walls for this.

Oliver Richman · · Cleveland, OH · Joined Jul 2014 · Points: 980

Build a free standing frame out of 2x4's??

NickO · · West Slope · Joined Apr 2011 · Points: 30

Stud finder, instead of tapping

Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971

Yea, there is definitely studs there.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35
kcradford wrote:If you don't mind putting a bunch of holes in your wall and don't want to buy a stud finder, you can take a finishing nail and hammer it in moving a few inches each time and till you find a stud. most studs are 12",16",24" apart.
Can I assume studs start at the door frame or end of the hall?
Micah Klesick · · Charlotte, NC · Joined Aug 2013 · Points: 3,971
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Can I assume studs start at the door frame or end of the hall?
Yes, but you don't know the spacing, though a good guess is 16" on center.
Tom Sherman · · Austin, TX · Joined Feb 2013 · Points: 433

I work in construction so I thought I knew what I was doing when I went to mount my hangboard. Drilled where the studs should have been, they weren't there. After much tapping I got fucking pissed and cut a 2x2 block out of the wall. Found out it was plaster on wood-lathe and that's why the stud finder I borrowed was doing wonky shit. I shoved a coat hanger in behind the wall and found out there was a 42"+ span above my doorway without any studs, not even a cripple stud on top!

At this point I said fuck-it and chose a new doorway (dimmer/darker area that I didn't want to use). I hit every stud first try there...

When you say your wall covering is brittle, I am assuming you could be in a similar situation and have some older type wall covering. Be it plaster on wood lath or a less substantial drywall product... I remember I had an apartment before which was entirely covered in cement board, that sucked.

I was just fortunate that in my older building there were some walls that were added using traditional framing once the house was transformed into apartment units.

my 2c

Didn't really answer your question, but might provide explanation to your similar frustrations.

Doug S · · W Pa · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 55

Another reliable indicator for studs is electrical boxes. Switches and outlets are almost always mounted on the side of a stud, so if you take the cover off you can locate a stud. If you have two boxes, and they happen to be 16, 32, 48, etc. inches apart, then you've found your stud layout for the entire wall. Usually...

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35

I have confirmed one stud. To get both the bar and board up, I need one more stud. The edge where the ceiling hits the wall sound solid. Could I drill up or at 45 degrees?

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35
Tim Lutz wrote:Yer gunna die
I have had a pullup bar fail while in inversion boots before. It was unpleasant.
Doug S · · W Pa · Joined Apr 2012 · Points: 55
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:The edge where the ceiling hits the wall sound solid.
Yeah, That is the top plates and should provide you with solid nailing from the ceiling down 2 1/2" (or the thickness of two 2/4's minus 1 layer of ceiling drywall).
Scot Hastings · · Salt Lake City, UT · Joined Apr 2013 · Points: 35

Magnetic stud finder, $9 on Amazon:
amazon.com/gp/product/B000I…

It's actually quite genius. Super strong magnets allow you to find the little tack nails that are used to tack the drywall to the studs. I was contemplating some fancy electronic dohickey when someone convinced me to go this route. It's amazing.

Jamespio Piotrowski · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Sep 2013 · Points: 5

Finding studs in old houses can be a huge pain. neither magnetic nor electronic stud finders do as well as their makers claim. Here's a pretty simple trick that will put fewer holes in your wall.

Drill a small hole where you think there might be a stud. If no stud, get a piece of wire, like a clothes hanger, bent into an L, with one side about 4-6" long. Insert the 4-6" length into the hole and turn it when you get to the bend so the wire is sticking up paralell to and inside the wall. Now rotate the wire, you'll either hit a stud or you won't. If you don't, move over a little less than twice the length of your wire, drill another hole, try again. When you hit a stud with the wire, you'll have a very good idea where it is, and now you can locate it with just one, at most two more holes. Fill the wire holes you drilled with simple spackle, they're small enough to not need anything more than that.

Daniel Winder · · Unknown Hometown · Joined Jul 2009 · Points: 101

What are inversion boots? You could try hanging things from ceiling joists too.

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion · · Colorado · Joined Oct 2012 · Points: 35
Daniel Winder wrote:What are inversion boots? You could try hanging things from ceiling joists too.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=inversion+boots
TheBirdman Friedman · · Eldorado Springs, Colorado · Joined Jan 2010 · Points: 65

I hang in my inversion boots from a door jam pull up bar all the time.
No holes required. Further, with some minimal carpentry skills, you can hang a hangboard from a door jam pull-up bar which is nice because you wouldn't need any holes in the wall, and you'd still get everything you're looking for.

Paul Hutton · · Nephi, UT · Joined Mar 2012 · Points: 740

I tapped on the wall and mounted at the solid sounds. Easy. I'm NO carpenter!

Chantz Petrie · · Azle · Joined Apr 2017 · Points: 130

Pull down not out.

William K · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2019 · Points: 0
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Yer gunna die I have had a pullup bar fail while in inversion boots before. It was unpleasant.
William K · · Unknown Hometown · Joined May 2019 · Points: 0
highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote: Yer gunna die I have had a pullup bar fail while in inversion boots before. It was unpleasant.

Did you install said pull-up bar yourself?  Because…

Guideline #1: Don't be a jerk.

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