Movable wall anyone?

[Jim Dunn]

My wife wants me to hide the furnace from view as she walks into her laundry room. My idea is to build a lite weight wall that would almost reach the ceiling. The wall would have a small wheel that could raise the wall just off the floor and allow it to swing.

My delima, as I see it, is how to hinge the wall and still allow it to raise slightly? Any and all ideas would be appreciated.

The pics show the realitively low ceiling area. I'm going to place a soffit and drop a ceiling to just below the beam.

I'm thinking the wall could be built out of 2x2's and have a set of braces to support it on the floor.

I'm only going to hide it from view as you come into the laundry room. The side view is OK for her, thankfully Still need to service it once in a while.

Thanks again

[Joe Pelonio]

I was looking at a similar setup yesterday when doing an installation an the new art gallery at a local college. There moveable walls were on 2" steel pipe
with the sort of hinges used on a cyclone fence gate. The internal frame was welded steel square tubing, and sheet metal was screwed onto it. Theirs were 10' high and 10' wide though. Heavy as that sounds they moved easily.

Perhaps in your case with a light 2x2 frame covered in fabric, you could keep the hinges fixed, and use swivel casters mounted with extra long screws and springs between the casters and the frame to allow it to float a bit. Just leave slight clearance space at the bottom between the frame and the floor, and the fabric can extend beyond the frame to reach the floor but will flop over when the wall is moved.

[Keith Cope]

Jim,

How wide and high would the legs be? My first thought would be to use a ball-type caster at the outside edge of each leg, which would work fine with the whole assembly hinged to the wall--provided that the floor is reasonably level.

[Bruce Page]

Jim, I made a peg board wall around my water heater. I made a simple 2X4 frame and used sheet rock screws to fasten the frame to the wall & the peg board to the frame. I made a couple of cutouts to access the gas cutoff and water lines. The peg board lets the WH breath. The whole thing can be taken down in about an hour – I learned that when the old WH died a few years ago…

[Lee Schierer]

They used to make self closing hinges for doors. THey had a angled pice in the hinge that would ride up against an opposing piece on the other half of the hinge. The weight of the door would swing the door closed. The rise was about 3/4-1" I may even have an old pair in my shop in a box of old harware I was given.

[Jeffrey Fusaro]

wow!

nice work space, bruce!

do you actually make saw dust in there, or do you just use your shop for hosting tv shows?

very impressive!

Jim, I made a peg board wall around my water heater. I made a simple 2X4 frame and used sheet rock screws to fasten the frame to the wall & the peg board to the frame. I made a couple of cutouts to access the gas cutoff and water lines. The peg board lets the WH breath. The whole thing can be taken down in about an hour – I learned that when the old WH died a few years ago…

[Bruce Page]

wow!

nice work space, bruce!

do you actually make saw dust in there, or do you just use your shop for hosting tv shows?

very impressive!

Thanks Jeffery, That is an old pic, taken after a cleanup. You should see it in it's current state!

[Dan McGuire]

How about a series of bi fold doors hinged together. It would be self supporting and easy to move. It may not hide all of the duct work, but would provide some screening. Plus I think it would be fairly easy to do. (famous last words )

[Jim Dunn]

I appreciate the responses I have gotten from this question. In no certain order I comment.

Dan, she hates bifold doors. My first suggestion. She says if that's all the better I can come up with she'll hang a shower curtain over the furnace.

Bruce, as this covers the furnace and it's filter and we change filters each month I need something that is quick and easy.

Joe, Keith and Lee, I think I'm going to take your ideas and run with them. I would like the wall to resemble the rest of the room. So, since I've got the extra material from the rest of the re-model I'm good to go.

Now I just have to wait for all the moisture to evaporate from the 2x4's I bought. Should take about a month for that then it's off to the lake for a little fishing. Should get started about Nov. of this year