Cement & steel raised floor systems

Hi. I'm in the early stages of converting my garage into a project studio. The garage itself is detached from the house (a half-duplex) , but is adjoining the neighbour's garage. The work I do is mostly film scoring, and I tend to monitor at fairly moderate levels, so isolation is important, but not on the "I'm recording a full drum kit" level. My contractor has suggested using an ASM Raised Access Floor System, which is a welded structural steel assembly covered with a cementitious fill and powder coated epoxy finish. It's raised about 5 inches off the actual concrete garage floor, allowing for venting and cabling to be run underneath. As well, the supports are adjustable, which would make levelling the floor fairly easy, and are more of a semi-permanent thing, should we decide to sell the place in ten years, we won't be chipping out levelling compound. The panels themselves are quite heavy, I'd guess 25 lbs or more, and are allegedly rated at supporting a 3000 lb load. Here's the link to their website: http://asmproducts.com/fs_series.htm So does anyone here have experience with either these products or something similar? Since the panels are as heavy as they are, it seems like they might have enough mass to do a decent job, but I'm concerned that having that much open space beneath would just create a huge resonant space. Any thoughts? Thanks. Jeff

Most folks on this site with a concrete floor simply build on the existing concrete. Sometimes when extreme isolation is required, a separate slab is poured that is isolated from the slab the outer walls sit on. But it sounds like you are not looking for extreme isolation.

Since the panels are as heavy as they are, it seems like they might have enough mass to do a decent job,

A decent job of.... what? In other words, what job do you want them to do? You say you don't need much isolation, and you already have a concrete slab floor, so what are you hoping that this raised floor will accomplish for you? Also, can you afford to lose 5 inches of headroom? Ceiling height is one of your best friends with studio design: do you really have enough height that you can afford to lose 5 inches? - Stuart -

Hey guys, thanks for the replies. I guess my main concern was that having the raised flooring would be creating a resonant chamber in the control room. But yeah, you're right, losing that much height is a bigger concern, and so I've decided to go back to my original plan and do tapered wood joists to level the floor, and fill the space with sand. Jeff

so I've decided to go back to my original plan and do tapered wood joists to level the floor, and fill the space with sand.

Why go to all that trouble? It would probably be much easier (not to mention cheaper and faster) to just the pour leveling cement. And cement would give you a better floor, both structurally and acoustically, than plywood. - Stuart -

The problem is that we've got a pretty good slope on the floor, it's over four inches of drop by the time it's all done, and while we've just moved in and love the place, we're aware that we might outgrow it in 5-10 years, so it's something that'll have to be removable.

OK, I guess that makes sense. As long as you realize that "removable" is not a synonym for "reusable"! :) But a floor with a 4" slope to it makes me wonder what that room was used for preciously! :shock: - Stuart -

Oh yeah, I wasn't planning on transferring the floor from here to wherever we end up moving. ...and the room is the garage, hence the slope. Jeff

A raised floor system or access floor are types of floor that provide an elevated structural floor above a solid substrate to create a hidden void for the passage of mechanical and electrical services. [SPAM REMOVED BY MODERATOR]