Hanging pothooks from the ceiling — with magnets!

November 20, 2007 5:05 PM

Metal beams holding up the ceiling. Help us hang stuff from them with magnets!

We have a ceiling we can't drill into — asbestos in the acoustic tiles, or so says the management. (Don't worry, they aren't crumbly, wet or broken, and we're leaving them the hell alone. Nobody likes a wet crumbly landlord, right?)

But the metal strips that hold those tiles up are made out of metal that will attract a magnet. We also have a few structural beams running the length of the ceiling. They're painted metal too, and they too will attract a magnet.

We want to hang pothooks from the kitchen ceiling, and potted plants in the living room. How strong would we need the magnets to be to do it? And where could we get a magnet that strong?

posted by nebulawindphone to science & nature (9 comments total)

(It occurs to me that the answer will likely wind up being a function of the weight we want to support. So maybe the real question is, "How much weight can you support with a magnet before needing a special super-expensive one?" and we'll take it from there. After all, we're not living in a place with asbestos and exposed metal beams because we're rich....)
posted by nebulawindphone at 5:14 PM on November 20, 2007

You want Neodymium magnets. I don't have a place to buy them offhand, but I know a place on ebay sells all different shapes and sizes. They are very very strong.
posted by sanka at 5:18 PM on November 20, 2007

Gaussboys has a nice selection of rare earth magnets with built in hooks. I've bought from them in the past and have been happy. They sell other super strong magnets too. Fun stuff.
posted by cosmicbandito at 5:19 PM on November 20, 2007

Waaaaait a sec...is this ceiling an lay-in acoustic ceiling like what's typical in offices and retail spaces? I'm not sure you'd want to hang pots off the supports for those--they're not incredibly strong and they're only attached to the structure by wires. If the metal bars are actually firmly attached to the structure, that's a little different.
posted by LionIndex at 5:39 PM on November 20, 2007

K&J Magnetics is where you want to go. They have everything you could possibly want regarding strong magnets.

Good luck!
posted by milqman at 5:49 PM on November 20, 2007

Waaaaait a sec...is this ceiling an lay-in acoustic ceiling like what's typical in offices and retail spaces? I'm not sure you'd want to hang pots off the supports for those--they're not incredibly strong and they're only attached to the structure by wires. If the metal bars are actually firmly attached to the structure, that's a little different.

It's not a typical drop ceiling — for instance, the tiles won't lift up off of the metal bars. But I don't know if there's a gap above it, or how firmly attached it is if there is a gap. (After all, the &*($#& tiles won't lift up, so I can't check....) I guess if I get the urge to go hanging heavy things off of those bars, and not the big structural beams, I'll probably check with the maintenance folks first.
posted by nebulawindphone at 6:48 PM on November 20, 2007

We need pictures! And/or some dimensions. Not understanding this ceiling system at all.
posted by misterbrandt at 9:39 PM on November 20, 2007

united nuclear has some scarily strong magnets.

they are very dangerous, but also awesome. in a dangerous way.
posted by rmd1023 at 5:34 AM on November 21, 2007

K&J Magnetics has a few hooks with 100 pounds + of pull force. Of course, test test test before installing the whole thing.

I've also used these ring magnets from Forcefield for hanging lanterns in an art installation. The nice thing about the ring magnets is that you only need to get within a few feet of the beam and you'll be able to toss them and have them attach. It was perfect because my ladder wasn't quite tall enough.
posted by Alison at 6:08 AM on November 21, 2007