Locating joist above lath & plaster ceiling

[HappyJoe]

I've done this before and for the same reason as I'm doing it now: to hang a Sheila Maid clothes dryer. Last time it was easy - just looked in the loft made holes to locate the joist from below - but now it's not as the ceiling joists have been reinforced for the new loft room and are inaccessible from above. It's a terrace, so the joists are running transversely, so I measured 16" out from a transverse wall and drilled up, failed to find it so drilled a fraction of an inch to the side, failed and now have 10" of holes in the (Artex) ceiling but still no joist! Tapping and listening indicated that the joist was above the first hole...

Is there another way to hit the joist? The thought of chipping away the Artex and plaster until the joist nails can be seen is too awful.

 

[JohnD]

get a wire coathanger, straighten it out with a slight curve, poke it through one of your holes and feel for the joist.

 

[xr4x4]

its guess work im afraid.

 

[JohnD]

no it isn't!

give it a poke like I said!

 

[xr4x4]

you cant see the joists, so its still a bit of guess work ist it.

i know ive done it.