[intromission]

Here's the pull-up bar in question:

https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/ethos-pull-up-bar-19au6uthspllpbrxxeac/19au6uthspllpbrxxeac

I wanted to install above a double door. This house has always been kind of screwy with the wall studs as it is, being drywall hung over plaster and lathe. When I hung a TV I lucked out because the electrical outlet gave me a clue.

In this case, the magnetic stud finder found 3 that are 14" on center and then one that is further out at about 16." See attached photo. It wasn't going to work with the length of the backing plate for the bar. The 8 lag screws provided would only have hit 3 pairs of studs from right to left.

I ended up getting a piece of wood to use as an additional backing and bought longer lag screws (plus 2 short ones for the far left section that wasn't going to be attached to a stud. The problem is, the lower holes all seem to be hitting 2x4 but the upper holes don't seem to be. I drilled a couple of larger random holes toward the middle and am seeing a lathe piece running horizontally. Easily drilled a hole right through.

When I check on the other side of the wall the stud finder sticks exactly opposite of where my holes are drilled. There have to be studs there right? Shining a light in the holes it's hard to tell. I see some wood dust but I shouldn't be able to drive a drill bit all the way through the hole without hitting something unless the studs are not actually 2x4's up here. The drywall and plaster adds up to about an 1.5" I'd say.

Anybody with some framing knowledge that can advise? The system weighs about 30 lbs and I'm about 190 lbs. so I can't mess around with this.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Windows on Wash]

A bit of a recipe for disaster in my opinion. If there is no header there, which there isn't based on your description, that space isn't going to want to hold weight and certainly the frame of the door will no.

 

[Nealtw]

All depends on who built and what was the normal at the time.

 

[intromission]

A bit of a recipe for disaster in my opinion. If there is no header there, which there isn't based on your description, that space isn't going to want to hold weight and certainly the frame of the door will no.

As far as I can tell, the header is there because the lower holes seem to be hitting something. It's the upper holes that don't seem to be. Where are the studs is the question? Unless I'm totally misunderstanding what a header is.

 

[intromission]

All depends on who built and what was the normal at the time.

I see. Bummer. Am I more likely to find a workable solution on a load bearing wall? What explains the stud finder connecting in the the same area on both sides of the wall? Is it just the drywall screws driven into the lathe maybe>?

 

[Nealtw]

As far as I can tell, the header is there because the lower holes seem to be hitting something. It's the upper holes that don't seem to be. Where are the studs is the question? Unless I'm totally misunderstanding what a header is.

A header is required in a load bearing wall, It can fill the space, it can be near the bottom and it can be near the top.

A non bearing wall, can have and often has a header but there is no assurance that it will hold much more than the wall board attached to it.

The board just above the opening is the sill, it may or may not have studs under each end.

You would not install it in a non bearing that was built in my area, it would fail for sure.

 

[Nealtw]

I see. Bummer. Am I more likely to find a workable solution on a load bearing wall? What explains the stud finder connecting in the the same area on both sides of the wall? Is it just the drywall screws driven into the lathe maybe>?

Even if you find a load bearing wall. our headers are 3 inches thick in a 3 1/2" wall and it will be close to one side, usually the wrong side. :wink2:


On this door, what is the distance between the trim and the ceiling?

 

[intromission]

A header is required in a load bearing wall, It can fill the space, it can be near the bottom and it can be near the top.

A non bearing wall, can have and often has a header but there is no assurance that it will hold much more than the wall board attached to it.

The board just above the opening is the sill, it may or may not have studs under each end.

You would not install it in a non bearing that was built in my area, it would fail for sure.

I see, thanks.

 

[intromission]

Even if you find a load bearing wall. our headers are 3 inches thick in a 3 1/2" wall and it will be close to one side, usually the wrong side. :wink2:


On this door, what is the distance between the trim and the ceiling?

About 18.5"

 

[Nealtw]

About 18.5"

So get 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood and glue them together to make it 1 1/2"

18 1/2" by what ever you need

Drill and install elevator bolts from the back side to fit your rig and the bolt it to the wall hitting the bottom what ever you have there and the double plate that should be near the ceiling. Maybe. :wink2:

 

[intromission]

So get 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood and glue them together to make it 1 1/2"

18 1/2" by what ever you need

Drill and install elevator bolts from the back side to fit your rig and the bolt it to the wall hitting the bottom what ever you have there and the double plate that should be near the ceiling. Maybe. :wink2:

Hmmmmm...Getting a little out of hand. lol. I see what you're saying though. Was hoping for a minimal look. I wonder if building something to install in the basement to the floor joists wouldn't make more sense at this point. Any suggestions on the easiest way to confirm if there are studs there? Could it be I am just missing the mark? What is the magnetic stud finder grabbing you think, that's exactly 14" apart?

 

[Nealtw]

Hmmmmm...Getting a little out of hand. lol. I see what you're saying though. Was hoping for a minimal look. I wonder if building something to install in the basement to the floor joists wouldn't make more sense at this point. Any suggestions on the easiest way to confirm if there are studs there? Could it be I am just missing the mark? What is the magnetic stud finder grabbing you think, that's exactly 14" apart?

You said drywall over plaster, just a guessing game. :sad:

 

[AllanJ]

Even if you found them and fastened the pull up bar mounts to them, it is possible for the cripple studs above the doorway to be wrenched right out of the wall over the door Actually headers could be wrenched out also if there were not enough nails driven at their ends.

The top holes in the pull up bar wall mounts take the most stress.

 

[intromission]

Even if you found them and fastened the pull up bar mounts to them, it is possible for the cripple studs above the doorway to be wrenched right out of the wall over the door Actually headers could be wrenched out also if there were not enough nails driven at their ends.

The top holes in the pull up bar wall mounts take the most stress.

It's weird then, because there is another product that is built the same way pretty much-The Rogue Jammer pull-up bar (I think mine is the cheaper knock off), and all you see is stories of people attaching it above doorways (that one only requires 6 lag screws/3 studs.) Some people even comment on being told it's ok just to install the 4 lag screws on the ends by the manufacturer. Maybe they are lighter? lol. This review by a gentleman from Wisconsin might hint at a solution but I'm not totally following what he's saying, not being a carpenter myself.

Great Product - Send with more lag bolts please
I purchased this a couple of weeks ago and installed it in the garage, over the door into the house. My daughters and I are "required" to do 1 pull up before we walk in the house after work / school. Everyone is "encouraged" to do one pull up every time they come back in the house after going outside or into the garage. This product is strong, sturdy, heavy duty, and well made. I do wish it came with more than 6 lag bolts. I would like to spread the load (weight) out across more area on the door header (usually two 2" x 6" with plywood in between, nailed horizontal across the top of your door) and on the 2" x 4"s which tie in to the door header (technically called a "cripple stud" if you are a carpenter). If you have a standard 24" "on center" construction this would mean sending along 8 - 10 lag bolts.

 

[intromission]

So get 2 pieces of 3/4" plywood and glue them together to make it 1 1/2"

18 1/2" by what ever you need

Drill and install elevator bolts from the back side to fit your rig and the bolt it to the wall hitting the bottom what ever you have there and the double plate that should be near the ceiling. Maybe. :wink2:

Actually, now that I see what you mean by elevator bolts, this might be a good solution. Then just thread some nuts on to sandwich everything together on the top row?

 

[huesmann]

The easy button here is to get a couple of pieces of plywood a bit wider than the mount, and as tall as the gap between the door molding and the ceiling, some long bolts, probably 7", and sandwich the wall.