So, you have finished construction of your climbing wall. Once the woodwork is complete, it is very important to go on to the final phase of your climbing wall, i.e. painting and final finishing. Your wall should look like a mountain face and should be safe to practice on.
You can sand the surface, which you want to be painted. Remove any sharp edges in your ply joints and also around your drill holes by sanding them with a sanding machine or manually. Then apply a coat of primer to the wood. You can also apply latex primer if you want the wood to have a genuine sand or rock like finish. Primer helps the paint to stick well with the wood and hence prevents chipping and bubbling. If your wood is wet, then you will have to dry it first before you can start applying anything on it.
Mildew can also be removed from wood by applying bleach mixed with water at a 1:4 ratio. You can use any exterior paint for your climbing wall and since most of them have a fungicidal agent added to the paint, it should prevent further mildew attacks from taking place. To protect any non-painted surface or the floor, cover them with old newspapers or cloth or apply tape on it.
If you are planning to provide a sand like finish to your climbing wall then you can add sand to your paint in the ratio of 1:10. Since sand settles down very fast in your paint pan or container, you will have to constantly keep on stirring your paint mixture before every application. You can also change the sand to paint ratio to achieve a different finish. Also, you can use golf tees to plug in your T nut holes so that the primer and paint does not go into the threading of your T nut.
If it does, you will have a hard time fitting your holds. The final touch is bolting on your holds and jugs to your wall. You can use different footholds at the bottom of your wall, but as you progress higher, you will require very few and none at the top. As per your climbing skills and the construction of your wall you will require some jugs at the bottom and some at the top of your wall. You can buy an entire ready made set of plastic or wooden holds which just need to be bolted on to your wall. Buy one according to the size of your wall and the number of holds required.
You will also require a good mattress, which breaks your fall without breaking your bones in case you slip and fall. The mattress should be around 10 to 12 inches thick and should not only cover the entire base of the wall but should also extend away so as to cushion your fall if you slip while swinging from one hold to another. Your final finished wall should look like a genuine rock wall for you to get into the real mood of rock climbing.
So, once your climbing wall is ready, go in for a test climb. Then call your friends and neighbors over for a rock climbing competition and have fun. Arrange rock climbing related theme parties. Happy climbing.
The three-dimensional model you made of poster board or construction paper is now ready to be transitioned to design drawing. Begin with a simple sketch to define the dimensions. CAD or computer aided design software may be used or you can draw it by hand. CAD is not required, if you can define the entire dimension mathematically.
Each joint or edge should be labeled for the exact distance from the last joint. The distance from existing structure such as wall, floor, ceiling is to be referred. Establish distances, angles and dimensions of the entire structure. Take into consideration the thickness of the plywood sheathing, and the wall studs also, considering the width of the anchoring structure and keep sufficient margins.
Lumber: Actual size and Nominal size
In the US, the size of the unfinished wood is called as nominal size, after the wood is plainer and sanded to the actual size. Usually plaining and sanding will scrape off a quarter or half inch from the nominal size. However, plywood has the same nominal and actual size.
In over hanging sections, spacing and size of the joist will dictate the joist span length. Greater span lengths require larger joists.
An engineer is the right person to determine the design specifications for an overhanging wall, as many factors such as strength of the wood, reinforcement of the joists, and the type of anchor has to be considered.
Climbing walls being heavy need really strong support. The support should not only be able to bear the live load of the climbers, but also bear dead load of the wall itself. Live load of the climbers varies with every move the climber makes and at times can be many times the weight of the climber. The stress the wall undergoes requires it to be supported strongly, if the climbing wall is going to be supported by an existing structure. Then you have to make sure that the existing structure is strong enough to support the climbing wall.
Vertical walls transfer all the weight to the floor, but also exert angular force on the joints away from the wall. In steep overhang sections, three forces are acting on the wall; the weight of the wall itself, the climbers weight, and the forces caused by the climber’s movement. It is advised to seek expert’s and specialist’s opinion before proceeding.
The load the wall is likely to be subjected to will determine the type and size of the joists, anchors, and the thickness of wall studs. Existing structure should be strong enough to take the load of the climbers and should hold itself after being subjected to enormous stress exerted by the climbers. In vertical walls the plywood will offer a lot of vertical strength, but the support should be strong enough to take the live load stress, torque, and resist shearing.
Taking expert advice from structural engineers will ensure that all engineering considerations are taken into account and specifications for the material required finalized. Once this is done, you will be better placed to budget for the material required to build the climbing wall.
Before preparing the plan of the climbing wall, clear and concise training objectives have to be defined. The wall could be built to increase your muscular strength or increase endurance. Different types of configurations are responsible for imparting the type of training desired.
Once the objective is finalized, identifying the location is the next important step to be taken. Climbing walls can be built to fit any size; even if the space is limited an awesome wall can still be built to be effective in your training. Different rock shape, curves, turns, and angles can be achieved by being a little creative.
Climbing walls are generally used for training purposes, hence there is much importance attached to the defining of training needs. When the objective is to increase the endurance then the walls have to be built vertical and if the training objective is to increase strength then the use of overhangs is required. After defining your training objective the next step is to visualize the basic shape and form of the climbing wall. Different sizes, shapes and angles will make the wall more interesting and appealing.
When training objectives, area available, and funds and material required are taken into account, a realistic mental plan of the wall is formed. The creative planning process includes preparing a scale model of the mental plan. The design phase, which is more analytical and deals with the quantifiable aspects of wall constructions, comes next.
After taking into consideration the height and width, a scale model can be built using heavy poster board or construction paper. An ideal scale would be 1 inch equivalent to 1 foot. The scale model built should be easy to work with and easy to replicate. When using poster board do not try and bend the board to fit the angles, as the plywood during the actual construction is less flexible.
Climbing walls are three-dimensional and two dimensional paper drawings do not help in conceptualizing the building plan. The three-dimensional model will help in ironing out any flaws at the conceptual stage itself. Establishing the shape, height, and width is possible with the model. You can also have a ballpark cost estimate worked out with the three-dimensional model.
If the wall is going to be installed on an existing structure then the structural strength of that structure assumes importance, as it should be able to take the additional stress of the wall being installed.
Freestanding walls offer many advantages that walls fixed on existing structures don’t. Freestanding walls are portable and can be transported to a new location; they do not damage existing structures, and are suitable for renters. However, freestanding walls are difficult to design and are certainly more expensive than the fixed walls. The freestanding wall structure has to support its own weight and have a perfect balance so as not tip over in case of all climbers are on the same side.
Modular plans can be assembled and reassembled in different shapes and angles according to the training needs of the climbers. Plans with adjustable angles offer more flexibility in creating shapes that challenge the climber’s physical abilities and also help in overcoming space constraints.
