Testing out the floor

posted on Monday, April 03, 2006 10:04 PM |

This is nothing other than the 1/4 inch thick wood. I weigh tad more than 150 pounds and I'm jumping I'd say a good solid foot to two feet off the ground.

The polycarbonate is 3/8 inch thick.

I haven't gotten it to full strength either. It is still going to be reinforced with corner braces every couple nodes.

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Your Comments.

I was wondering about the height. A 2x4 is already 3.5 inches high, and if you use 5/8" you will need to rip all your two-bys down the same amount as the thickness of your plywood (take 5/8" off)

I wish I had the time to come down and give you a hand... I love this stuff!

Left by Arnie at 3/31/2006 12:03 AM

Is the total height of the lighted floor 3.5"? You probably want the perimeter decking the same height as the polycarbonate as to avoid a trip hazard, right?

Left by Arnie at 3/31/2006 1:03 AM

Arnie sounds like he knows what he's talking about. Probably because he's from Wisconsin :-)

Left by David at 3/31/2006 1:03 AM

Yeah, If its only a foot and a half around the floor then I would say just use the 3/8" plywood. That will bring your total perimeter decking to 3.875 as well. Are you going to build the perimeter in sections so you can pull them up to mop up the Spotted Cow? It could get pretty furry under there by the time you're ready to move out. Dont want to lose the security deposit.

Left by Arnie at 3/31/2006 1:03 AM

Super good beer. From New Glarus, WI

http://www.newglarusbrewing.com/beers/spottedcow.html

Left by David at 3/31/2006 9:03 AM

I got to say, Spotted Cow is some damn good brew. Had it when I went to the in-laws place up in bufu. Good stuff.

Also, I'm in town this weekend now to try to help get the 2x4s if you want.

Left by David McNelis at 3/31/2006 11:03 AM

Clint,

Thanks for all the detail you are providing during your progress. I hope to do one of these floors in my in-home "club" at some point in the future and I am fascinated by what you have done so far. (I'm more of the carpenter/engineeer type so the programming stuff is way over my head though). Regarding the floor structure: 2x4s should be 16" apart (on centers) under at least a 5/8" thick plywood. You will get a bit of flexing with only the 3/8" stuff unless you move the two-bys closer together, but not sure by how much. It would probably require some experimenting. My guess would be 8" apart. Seeing as this is not a permanent part of the building, the building code really doesnt matter. If you can get away with it height wise, I would recommend using at least 1/2 inch plywood for your perimeter decking.

Keep up the great work!

Regards,

Arnie
Milw.WI

Left by Arnie at 3/31/2006 12:03 AM