Walls and Ceilings - Indoor climbing wall mounted on drywall

Doityourself.com community forum was created to provide answers to all questions related to home improvement and home repair. Doityourself community can help you find information about how-to topics on small fixes to large remodeling projects. With comprehensive how-to content and expertly moderated community forums DoItYourself.com makes it easy to tackle even the most complex home improvement projects.




CanadianMoose
01-21-06, 08:47 PM
Has anyone built or put up a small indoor climbing wall?
I'd like to build one in my finished basement for my very young daughter (who loves to climb everything). My thought was to use covered 3/4inch plywood, and screw it directly onto the studs.
Is there any experience out there that you'd be able to share?


MudSlinger
01-24-06, 07:52 PM
I don't have any experience with climbing walls, although if a 3/4" sheet of plywood was mounted to wooden studs using glue and screws, it would most likely be very secure, as flooring is 1/2 plywood affixed to the floor joists and it holds up everything in your house.

You also want to make sure that the studs are attached to the rest of the house properly to support the weight so the plywood and wall don't come crashing down.

You may want to check with swingset manufacturers and see either what they do, or buy one of thier units and put it in the basement and attach it to your walls the same way they do to thier sets. If they are attaching it to joists and studs, they may have special brackets that will assure your daughter will be a safe climber.

I hope this helps.

bradleyfitz
01-25-06, 09:34 PM
If you're just building a vertical wall, that should be fine.

If you're building a 45deg wall or overhanging wall, obviously there's more work involved, including framing, a kicker and backer plate, ceiling braces, etc.