eq_shadimar Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 I am in the process of designing a custom wall unit to house all the HT equipment and I have some questions reguarding the bottom or base of the unit. I was hoping that someone here has gone through this and can offer some insight. What I am debating about is if I should design a wood "floor" for the unit. I am only talking about a piece of 1/2" or 3/4" plywood. I was thinking that this would provide a more stable base for the Cornwalls and big screen tv. The second question would be if I put a floor on the unit should I just place it on top of the existing carpet or cut out the carpet and place it on top of the concrete floor (maybe with some slight padding underneath??). Any suggestions would be great. Thanks, ------------------ FOR SALE OR TRADE COMPLETE R*3 SYSTEM FOR 3 HERESY'S Main System - Cornwalls (L/R main) RC-3 RS-3's (white) SVS 20-39CS Harman Kardon AVR 510 Hafler P505 (running sub) ProMedia 4.2 v400 for PC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 Hey eq_ I have been debating that very question myself with my own little setup. It sounds like I am in a slightly different situation than you (e.g, NO CORNWALLS) but the issue is similar. Here are my own thoughts, mostly based on the care and feeding of computer rooms. In all of my computer facilities we use the black rubber mats you see in heavy use commercial facilities centers like kitchens or checkout areas. It is fairly stiff, approx. 1/2" thick with an approx 3/4" hole pattern. I have seen it in some of the local home improvement centers and I have a source locally if you can't find it there. This stuff will carry huge amounts of weight and it seems to work great for our servers. I would probably cut up the carpet and install something on top of a layer of this rubber pad. As you are well aware, your gear is all extremely heavy. What I might consider doing is building a metal frame using HVAC SuperStrut and put your plywood on that. If you space the SuperStrut correctly, I bet you really don't even need the plywood except for cosmetics. I know our Home Depots carry SuperStrut and I think the HD on the Tollway just north of 190 has a great selection. So I guess what I would do would be: 1.Cut up the carpet 2. Build a SuperStrut frame to the perfect proper height, width, etc. for each component 3. Glue the black padding material to the frame's bottom where it touches the concrete 4. Skin out the frame with plywood/veneer etc. depending on cosmetic details. Go check these materials out and I bet you can whip up something really cool. fried EDIT The SuperStrut is in the Electrical section and the black rubber mat is around the flooring section where they sell the door mats. Not all the stores carry the mat I am thinking of, but when you see it you will recognize it. It's about the only thing that screams INDUSTRIAL NOT FOR HOME USE in that section. This message has been edited by Fried Elliott on 08-22-2001 at 04:51 PM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eq_shadimar Posted August 22, 2001 Author Share Posted August 22, 2001 Cool ideas! I am very familer with the superstrut stuff as we used that to build our cleanroom's inner rooms with. I never would have thought to use it but that could work very nicly as the superstructure esp since on day I hope to have a Cornwall center channel. I will have to go give it a look. Right now I am playing around with Visio and painters tape on the walls to figure out placement and stuff. It is going to be quite a project. Laters, ------------------ FOR SALE OR TRADE COMPLETE R*3 SYSTEM FOR 3 HERESY'S Main System - Cornwalls (L/R main) RC-3 RS-3's (white) SVS 20-39CS Harman Kardon AVR 510 Hafler P505 (running sub) ProMedia 4.2 v400 for PC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 Me too! I go put some tape on the wall/floor, measure, go hit Visio, go surf eBay, come here, repeat... I have built some really cool load bearing structures with the SuperStrut. Its really not that expensive either. Get yourself a cheapo cutoff blade for a circular saw and just start hacking it up. Be sure to wear goggles! WoodWorld on Floyd Road has a good selection of hardwoods and hardwood paneling. Their prices are equal or better than HD or Lowes. Depending on how "techno" you want your look, you might use the mat as the top surface too. A little recessed pad area for each component... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fried Elliott Posted August 22, 2001 Share Posted August 22, 2001 eq_ Stopped by the Lowes and Home Depot in Garland out on the very east end of 190. Both have SuperStrut. Also, both have a 3'x3' version of the mat almost identical to the mat I use they call "Industrial Anti-Fatigue Mat". The HD had something called "Powerlink" and "Soflink", which are the consistency of a tumbling or gymnastics mat. It would be good for lighter components like turntables and other players. Check 'em out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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