studs in a stucco ceiling?

I'm no construction expert but aren't ceiling joists perpendicular to wall studs? If you can find the wall stud I would think you could find the ceiling joist.

Or, couldn't you use toggle bolts to attach the rack?

Boom, I have a hanging potrack next to my stove... which, with pots, must weigh over 50 lbs.; it would pull down a ceiling if hung from togglebolts.
So, it is hung on chain from heavy-duty clothesline hooks embedded in the floorjoists above the ceiling.
I had to drill a half-dozen tiny holes before I located the joists, but that's no biggie;
The extra holes were easily filled with joint compound, which disappeared when it dried.

Here is a great search engine; I hope it will help

http://www.ehow.com/

Good point Magus. Seek and ye shall find. 1/8 drill holes are easy to fix with spackling compound.

Studless
Studless, you didn't say what was above the ceiling, an attic or a second floor?

If it is an attic, you can look up there and see where the ceiling rafters are located and measure out from the walls in the kitchen.

If it is a second floor, your stud finder should slide over the wood floor easily. If carpeted, it probably won't work.

A construction rule of thumb is that studs are usually 16 inches on center. So you can measure out from the wall in 16 inch increments and possibly find the stud area to narrow your search.

The stud finder should work on a stucco surface; it's just harder to slide it across the surface. You might consider taping a large piece of paper over the stucco in the area you want to drill into to make it slide easier. The paper should not interfere with finding the nails in the stud.

BBB

locate the approximate spot where you want to hang the pots, duct tape 1/2 stick of 40% dynamite, detonate from the other side of the garage, clear the debris put in a new ceiling with stuts (rafters) in the exact same location, hang pots. Oh yeah, and replace roof.

Dys
Dys, now you know why I won't let you in my house with a hammer in your hand.

BBB

I like the anarchy feel to dys's home improvements.

The Zoning Board, Assessor's office, Police and Fire Depts. are not as easily amused.

got it -- thanks all
combination of a few helpful tidbits from you all.

I started with the "perpendicular to wall studs", and then went fishing - series of small drill holes to locate the joists, which were 16 inches apart.

thanks for all your help. next time I will take Dys' method and blow the place up.. for now, spackle took care of the extra holes issue.

thanks again y'all -

studded

I've tried the stud sensor on stucco, and it flat didn't work for me either. It gave a false positive at every ridge.

I forgot to post that the joist perpendicular to studs is a myth. When laying out studs for drywall one must start from a corner and...que sera ...sera.

oops...and studs are usually 16" o/c
joists 24"

I wouldn't call it a myth exactly. If the wall is a bearing wall then the joists will be perpendicular to the studs. If it is a partition wall they may or may not be.
Studs are usually 16" o.c. though in some cases they may be 24" o.c. (permitted in some areas for partition walls)
Likewise ceiling joists are usually 24" o.c. (if there is an attic above the room) but are more often 16" o.c. if they serve as floor joists for a room above.

Grieg. We're both right of course, but I was answering Boomers query.