This is a bit of an unusual topic but would appreciate if anyone can share some wisdom.
I am using a large carpeted space for recording bands. I wanted to liven up the space a bit by adding some hardwood flooring but I cannot remove the carpet which needs to stay in place.
So I designed some removable flooring/stage slabs that can be fixed to each other. See photos below.
I was inspired by seeing how removable stages are made for live concert tours and also by removable basketball courts occasionally used by NBA.
Slabs are attached to each other with coffin/roto locks (like touring stages). Hardwood floor sits on 18mm plywood - which is built over a timber framework.
Each panel has 3 locks and 3 receptacles to interlock.
On the design timbers are 2x1 but I think I would go with 2x2.
I have designed for parquet floor but pretty much any flooring could be used.
My main question is would these resonate and pose acoustic problems for instance if stage was used for drums? Would I need to dampen somehow? Or would the weight and rigidity of the structures nullify the problem?
Hi "mago", and Welcome! :)
Why do you need the framework underneath? That creates a cavity, which introduces the potential for resonance under your floor, and will also probably leave marks on the carpet, where the 2x2s dig into it due to all that weight. It might be better to go with a design where the plywood just sits directly on the carpet, which avoids both of those problems. Instead of the hand-holds being cut into the 2x4s, you would maybe do something like canvas straps slightly recessed into the edge of the plywood, so they are still accessible but also do not prevent the modules from fitting together snugly.
- Stuart -
Yeh you're totally right Stuart. But I do a lot of location recording and I want the option to put these on different surfaces.
The frames could take a bit of abuse and easier to replace the timber.
sorry its not clear from the drawings but the "handholds" are coffin locks which is a kind of slide latch with a hex key. This keeps the panels firmly anchored to each other. But they also would be a good handhold point.
What are the variables of the resonance problem?
The density of the ply and the hardwood fingers would surely be pretty hard to resonate.
If I added 2 more timber cross members would this help prevent resonance. If the cavity below is deeper - ie made of 2x2 wood - does it improve situation?
I might just have to build one and try it out.
"The density of the ply and the hardwood fingers would surely be pretty hard to resonate."
It will resonate...to what frequency would have to be tested.
Stuart suggested something similar to placing the plywood directly onto the flooring thereby removing the cavity. This is the best option available.
If you are unwilling to modify your project, then you have to damp the panels. This could be by rigid insulation installed into the individual cavities or possibly a fluffy type attached to the underside of the panels.
In any event the cavity may or may not be a critical interference, the frequencies that are introduced due to the drumming effect may help...or may hurt the audio spectrum.
Good luck,
Sub floor is needed for hardwood flooring. If the carpet is too thick,it may make the planks warps when people walk on it. For
laminate flooring, it just need some underlay to put underlay. But if the sub floor is too thick and soft, the same problem will happen.