need help with ceiling mounts
 

we cannot for the life of us find a joist with the 3 stud finders we have tried. I have to hang a light tonight from my ceiling. the light weighs a good 50lbs...
can anyone give me a suggestion? are there ceiling anchors? I have 2 points to hang, 30" apart. it's a 48" light... I just don't want it to tare down my ceiling.

How old is the house?
Is it a plaster ceiling maybe?
There could be lath behind the plaster which would explain why the stud finder won't work, if so, it would be hard not to hit wood but I would use butterfly anchors in case.

house is 3 years old... we punched a few screw holes and hit nothing....

Ya, what year was your home built ?

I'll assume you looked for joists running in both directions ? Ie; north-south and east-west

We have a popcorn ceiling and I had to use a sheet of paper to get the stud finder to work correctly

I don't recommend using anchors in any thickness of drywall for your light. The drywall won't stand up to it long-term
Best info I could find was a rating of up to only 10lbs in 3/4" drywall

Trust me... You will want to find the joists for a light that heavy.

Is there a ceiling fixture you could take apart to find where the joists are ?

nothing in the area such as a light... and we tired paper, cardboard and still got nothing... I went and picked up a $60 stud finder maybe this one will work... and yes I tried all directions. my basement is 16" centers and they joists run north to south...If I had the option to cut out a small peiece I would... but i'd never get that fixed and the other half is already wanting to murder me!

Depending on how thick the drywall is and how much the light weighs, you could go with toggle bolts. I think the tension rating on a 3/8 bolt in 1/2" drywall is somewhere around 50-60lbs.

Old drywaller here, and I would find the joists or you will eventually have a fixture in your tank. is it a painted ceiling or textured?

I never said it was a good option...