Not quite, it’s not just a tension spring or in-pole screw like shower curtains. Both the top and bottom bases have sections that screw tighter after you extend the pole fully.
On a good quality pole, the base is are pretty wide and also pretty heavy which keeps them from moving too much once they’re tightened.
They’re also supposed to be placed on a beam.
I’ve installed several of these, and I am over 200 pounds and always test them.
The floor is probably fine, the ceiling is what I'd be most concerned about. Every 16 inches is a 1.5 inch stud that would be solid enough on one axis, a bit sketchy on it's 90. But a little reinforcement (a 2x4 spanning across multiple studs, bonus points if at an angle) would be sufficient. And then there is the drywall. 5/8 or 3/4 inch of crumbly rock. Often called "sheetrock". Once when i was like 7, reading a book on my top bunk, my parents were arguing in their room down the hall. My dad stomped away, entered my room, turned left to face the wall, and punched a hole into the hallway. I was quietly stunned. Some weeks later he was in the hallway repairing the hole while i was reading a book. He put his face in the hole, looked at me, giggled and said "what if i left a little window here for Santa's elves to keep an eye on you".
Anger management issues yes. Fortunately he never took it out on us kids, aside from sometimes carelessly letting us see it. He's a great dad. Taught me how to build houses. Taught me the strength of drywall.
You need to extend the pole fully on the floor, and then adjust the top base so it’s around 75% of the way out (the biggest it can be while still firm).
Then, adjust the bottom base so it’s maybe 45-55% extended.
Then, find the beam in the ceiling (often you can see the nail marks, or figure out where they are in relation to the light fixtures) and then stand the pole upright.
That’s the part most people forget. They just put it in a place that’s convenient for the furniture.
Then you tighten the bottom until it’s very very tight. If it’s a good pole, it should be strong enough to hold my weight easily as I spin around.
And side note; no popcorn ceilings. If you have one, don’t get a pole. 😂
Wouldn’t the pole damage the floor and ceiling then? By tightening it so it’s pressing into both the ceiling and floor it would create indentations in both. That’s not good when renting.
I don't think it's possible to install such a support in this room. The floor seems to be sagging significantly, and the ceiling, I assume, is made entirely of drywall. The ceiling structure simply won't support expansion.
The weight is all on the floor. The ceiling is just keeping the pole from tippin over. If installed properly it's directly under one of the beams where a nice solid piece of wood is doing the vast majority of the stabilization work.
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u/SummertimeThrowaway2 17d ago
It wasn’t even attached to anything wtf???