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I'm sure this has been asked before, but.... (1 Viewer)

Don.l

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Apr 9, 2005
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Don
I am in the building stage of my HT, and still in the framing portion. I'm about 80% finished with framing. I am going to build a riser for the second row of seating, and I would like to build a stage underneath the screen which will be about 25 or so inches from the floor. My questions:

1. Should I wait and build the riser and stage after the drwall is completed? This would allow me to make it more snug, and I won't have to deal with tripping on these risers during the drywall phase.

2. Should I try to fasten the drwall to the concrete floor? Or should I put a layer of felt down, and then make my frame out of 2X6 and then the plywood. Will the weight of the plywood be enough to keep the riser from moving? The stage area will probably have to be fastened somhow as there will be nothing on it.

3. Is it really necessary to fill the riser and stage area with sand? Or, can I use insulation and pack it in there tight? If so, how do you ensure that the sand won't start seeping out the bottom of the riser?

Sorry for the long questions. I'd greatly appreciate any help anyone could offer. I will put some pics up soon.
 

David Noll

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Aug 31, 2004
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1) I would wait until drywall is hung but before it is taped & spackled.

2) I don't think riser will move if just resting on floor. Maybe fasten it to your walls if it is up against them. I would also stuff your riser with fiberglass insulation. Therefore you might want to put felt down if moisture is a problem in your room.

3) Sand is not necessary, but again, stuff stage with lots of fiberglass insulation as to eliminate any reverberation.

David
 

Andrew Stoakley

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Feb 27, 2004
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Andrew Stoakley
Hi Don

1) Build risers after drywall.

2) You don't need to fasten down your riser. The weight of the lumber and screws and couches/chairs and people will hold it in place. I did not fasten my riser to the subfloor or the walls and that sucker isn't going anywhere :)

3) I've never heard of a riser being filled with sand, only speaker stands. I used Roxul's Safe and Sound batting and that seems to work fine. No vibrations whatsoever!

Cheers,
Andrew
 

Bryce_H

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Oct 20, 2004
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I will be in the same stage shortly (getting ready to drywall).

1) and part of 2) Yes, wait till after drywall to build the riser and stage. Do NOT attach either to the walls themselves. Leave about 1/8-1/4 inch around the entire perimater and stuff the gap with insulation. Then use flexible caulking around the entire sureface to "seal" it to the wall. Several reasons why you don't want to attach the riser or stage to the wall. First, you don't want any sound vibrations transfering from the stage/riser to the wall and vice versa. Second if you attach it it will be harder to remove later, either for changes (i.e. adding bass shakers) or removal (i.e. sale of home and new owners don't want a HT, they want another bedroom)

2) I agree you don't need to fasten the stage or riser. I whould recommend putting down a couple of layers of 15lb roofing felt. Has some minor acoustical benefits (prevents and rattling or shaking against the floor). Also look into several articles on how to build a stage and riser. I will be building a riser out of 2*10's and the stage out of 2*6's (each on end). The platform part for each will be 3/4” plywood over 15lb roofing felt over 1/2" plywood over 15lb roofing felt over 3/4” plywood

3) You do not need to fill the riser with sand, in fact it is better to stuff it will fiberglass batting. The stage is personal preferance and another matter. At a minimum, I would fill any cavity that will be under a subwoofer with sand. You need to prevent the cavities in the stage from becomeing big bass resonance chambers. I will be filling my entire stage with sand as both my front main speakers have subs in them (Def Tech BP2002). It will also give me greater flexibility in the furure if I want to add additional subs, I don't have to worry about if I am putting it over a sand filled cavity or fiberglass. I will be using 6mm plastic to line the stage cavities to prevent the sand from leaking out. I am using basic sand from Lowesot. But, make sure any sand you buy is DRY, otherwise it could lead to all kinds of problems. Not the least of which is mold.


As a couple of other side notes to consider when you are building the stage and riser:

- put an electrical source close to the front wall side edge of your riser and stage. This will provide power if you ever decide to run rope lights along the edge

- run a 2"+ conduit from your equipement area to the front of your riser (depends on locaiton of equipment - mine will be behind us). This will allow you to run any cable that you might need (Xbox, camcorder, etc.) from your seat back to the equipment. Also put an electrical outlet in the front of your riser to power any of the mentioned stuff.

Good luck.
 

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