Need Help - Design of movable floor

[Dennis Peacock]

Thought I'd try and catch a few interested lookers with a catchy "hugh?" kind of title.

I need help in designing a light but strong movable floor for a pro-photographer's studio. He's a friend of mine and he wants a hardwood floor for his studio that he can pull up into "halves" and roll it out of the way for normal backdrop photography and be able to roll the floor out and lay it down when he wants to have a "hardwood floor" in the photograph. This is more for heirloom photography and will mostly need to support kids but will also need to hold the weight of a couple of adults as well.

Size needs to be 10 feet by 10 feet and no more than 8 Inches high.
The flooring will be T&G with a V-Groove between boards to accent the flooring design. We have to remember that it needs to be light enough to pull up by hangles onto built in casters and roll it away for storage out of the studio.

My initial thought is to have a V-Groove right where the two 5' x 10' sections meet so it will be hidden when the floor is folded out. He wants the false floor to sit directly on the existing permanent floor for overall support.

So....are we talking about torsion box type construction or what?

Ideas and suggestions are welcome.

[Chris Padilla]

I'm thinking a tambour type of design for the instant rollout of the floor and several torsion boxes of 2' x 2' variety can can be easily locked together to form the floor yet be easily stacked out of the way (somewhat).

Why does the floor need raised up at all? I think rolling out the floor on the existing floor should be plenty?

[Dennis Peacock]

He wants to be able to store the floor against a wall with the protable floor looking like an upside down "V" to cut down on storage space.

If I am to go with a torsion box design? I'm wondering if I can go as thin as 1/4" hardwood plywood with a 3/4" top and bottom "skin".???

He specifically wants only 2 sections - 5 x 10 feet each

I do like your idea Chris of stackable boxes, but he wants what he wants and I'm sure we can come up with a design that is very workable.

[Brian Effinger]

How about linoleum. I know it isn't a woodworking solution, but some of these vinyl floors are pretty realistic these days, and there should be no way to tell the difference in a photo. He could just spread it out when he needs to and roll it up when he's done. Have him check out congoleum's website: http://www.congoleum.com/ or go to a good flooring store.

[Dennis Peacock]

Brian,

He has a competing photographer not very far away and they have a pine floor stained and poly'd for their heirloom photo shoots. Looks great!!!

He said he wants a floor like that, but better looking and one that will show age with use. We are talking about Arkansas's #1 top-o-the-line photographer here. He saw something he wanted and came to me at church one day to talk to me about making him a floor that could be folded up and put out of the way.

So that's why I'm here....to see if anybody here has any imput or ideas on how to make this happen. He will not settle for a fake floor. Competition is tough, so we are planning on making his floor out of Red Oak T&G with a nice vintage Arts & Crafts finish. It's what he wants and who am I to tell him no.

[Brian Effinger]

Picky, picky!
5x10, 2 sections, no more than 8" high. Can you even get sheet goods in sizes that large? No mater what support system is used, I'd use engineered flooring for the top. It's basically hardwood plywood that can be finished, but it snaps together and is layed down like laminate. You can even glue it or nail it down. That should keep the weight lower than solid wood.
Maybe instead of a torsion box, make an actual floor support system out of metal studs - they are very light and strong. You can get them in various heights and gauges.
I guess I'm just rambling now, but I'll give it some more thought. This is a good architectural challenge. Just like back in school.

[Dennis Peacock]

Brian,

All the sheetgoods I can get my hands on are going to be 4x8 sheets. I'll have to offset where the joints are on the top from where it will be on the bottom. Maybe I can go with 1/2" plywood on top and bottom as long as the torsion box can hold the weight.

I originally thought about using 2x6 pine lumber and then cross-bracing them just like in a floor joist arrangement.

On another note...this can not be an engineered flooring (snap lock) type of floor. You can't get it in the deep V-Groove between boards that he wants.

Here's a pic that is from his friend photographer. She used Pine V-Groove boards and he wants a floor like this one...except he wants it to hold up better than pine. His requirement is that his floor has those "deep v-grooves" in it because they will show in a photograph better.

[Chuck Saunders]

Hi Dennis,
You don't need torsion box construction. Just frame in 1x6 pine and skin with 3/4 ply to attach the flooring. Internal framing on 32" centers. You can be fancy and use T&G ply in 5' lengths. In the theatre business This is how we do it. Remember, you are not spanning anything. Glue blocks in the corners are a plus.

[Brian Effinger]

Dennis - The more I think about it, the more I am gravitating towards the torsion box design. I had thought of making an actual floor, framing with 2x4's or 6's, with plywood and the hardwood on top. The only problem with that is I think that over time this would begin to rack and come apart because it is being moved around constantly. In rough carpentry, the floors usually do not move. And in theater, I would think that these set-ups are more disposable like the sets.
With the torsion box, the system is much more rigid and should hold up under these conditions. You can keep the weigt down with thinner members and skins too. Also, could you drill holes in the web members? Turn them into trusses, like the steel ones that hold up floors and roofs of commercial buildings. That might be worth a look into, because these things might get heavy.

Brian

[Darren Salyer]

If it were me...and thankfully its not. I would throw this out to him....

depending on ceiling height, why not build the floor 1 piece, hinge it at the back wall, and use a harbor freight type electric cable hoist to fold the front edge up to against the wall. Seems the bottom could then be used as a type of backdrop. Easy 1 person use. Un hook the cable, snap away....
just an idea..........

[Angus Hines]

That was sort of my thought too. A folding floor in 10x10 will be heavy no matter how you do it. SO I was thinking the Murrphy Bed type design.

[Dennis Peacock]

I will ask him about the Murphy Bed design and see what he says. Some how, I get the feeling that I will be paying a visit to his studio very soon to have a look-see.

[Chris Padilla]

There's nothing like an on-site visit to help the process along.

I assume you are going to mill up the floor boards yourself?

I should have read your original post more closely. I would go very light, thin on just about everything to keep weight down. Torsion boxes can be very strong and very light: that is what is so great about them. 1/4" grids covered by 1/4" or 1/2" skins. Half-lap the grids nice 'n snug if you can, want. Then go find the nicest, flattest oak boards you can. I dunno how deep a v-groove you need but chances are you should cut some samples and have him look at them. This will determine how thick those floorboard need to be. Maybe you can get away with 1/2" thick floor boards?

Remember, this thing isn't going to be used like a real floor so you can go thin on the oak...save money...save weight....

Sounds like a fun project. I always love working on and designing somewhat unique stuff. It makes ya think!!!!

[Lee Schierer]

Wilsonart and Pergo make a variety of wood grain thin floor laminates that can be glued together in sections. Some of these are nearly impossible to tell from real wood. Since they are only 1/4-3/8" thick they wouldn't weigh much. He could make up four 5 x 5 sections that slip together. You could place them directly on the existing floor and slide them together. No wheels needed.

[Jim Becker]

I don't know that you really need a full torsion box for this one...a base of two-by, 3/4" plywood sub-floor and the hardwood glued/nailed on top. (Engineered would be lighter and faster) Build two 5'x10' halves, making sure that the "hardwood" has a joint that is aligned with the edge. Heavy hinges on the bottom in the middle so that the joint pulls UP to storage position and some casters at the outside that engage the floor when two people raise the middle up to fold. Straps to hold it together when fully folded are necessary, both for functionality and safety.