Topic: Platform Construction Materials

[Paul LaDuke]

I am in the process of selling and buying a home.  The new place will have room for a platform IF I want to build one.  My question is to all of you what materials have you had success with and what have you not had success with in building a home platform?

I like Mike's Gym's design of 2 sheets of side by side plywood laid on top of each other in a perpendicular orientation then a third layer of plywood in the middle with 2 sheets of rubber mats on either side of that.    Buying 5 sheets of plywood can get expensive but you can cut cost by using other materials.  Has anyone tried OSB, MDF or particle board for their design?  Any other material suggestions would also be helpful. How about a top course of laminate flooring to really dress it up?  Since you will only need a few peices of flooring, you may get this at a great price or free from  a flooring store if it is a damaged box or the last box in a particular style/color.

OSB and MDF would make it alot cheaper and very resistant to warping.  MDF can not get wet.  OSB is very cheap but it's structural strength is along the vertical axis as it stands up lengthwise.  But since you are laying it on the ground, it may make no difference.

[Matt Erdman]

MDF is a perfect subfloor, so that would work as a base. It could be painted if it is a damp, wet environment. I would not use it, or laminate on top because they are slick surfaces. Use plywood for that, or oak floor. Leave the texture, don't sand too much. You can use a tung oil to help seal it, without making it glossy.

2 - 4x8 MDF
1 - 4x8 Plywood
1 - 4x8 Rubber mat

All 3/4 inch. Shouldn't be too much.

[Jim Hooper]

Ah, the best and most important part of the new house . . .

Plywood.  Cheap CDX grade on the bottom two layers, and a handsome $50 sanded sheet for the lifting surface.  Rubber sections full length or 4 foot long and centered with 2x2 plywood panels on the corners.   Everything 3/4 inches thick.  Put a cheap 8x8 piece of scrap carpet under the whole thing which will reduce noise and give you a little vapor barrier between plywood and subfloor.  Indestructible and easy to take apart when you need to.  Stain, but don't put a slick polyurethane finish on, the top sheet, and paint a Murray cross, or logo, or the the word "GO!" or something on the top.

Particle board is cheap, and proves that you get what you pay for.  It will crack and screws will pull out constantly.  Don't even bother.  MDF makes great molding, I know, and if you had big panels of that stuff, I expect they'd be fine.  


I get my rubber mats here:  http://www.ironcompany.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=435

Cutting the rubber mats squarely and to size is harder than you think its going to be.  Bending the mat over a straight edge along the cut line (like the edge of a work table or picnic bench) helps a lot.  Big, stout all purpose shears, like you cut sheet metal with, work well.

[Pete Church]

I am just finishing up a platform as we speak. I went with 4 sheets of mid grade CDX. I went with a 6X8 platform for my needs. I put a nice Birch good quality 3X8 in the middle and 18" rubber strips along the sides. Got my recycled 4X6 rubber mat from here http://www.rubbercal.com/Shark_Tooth_Mat.html

Pete

[Dane Hussey]

Paul,

I used sheetrock screws to hold the layers of plywood together, one foot distance between screws. I also used 5/8" instead of 1/2" plywood. 3/4" would probably be better, but I got it a few months after a hurricane and the prices were unbelievable. Use a cordless drill/screwdriver, it will save your forearms from much pain and misery.

[Paul LaDuke]

Thanks for the replies!  Great info to have handy.

I think CDX plywood and MDF should be about the same price for a 4x8 sheet so MDF would be a better choice since it will not warp.

[Carl Darby]

I just moved too, and the wife wants me to move all the furniture to the appropriate rooms. But first things first, the platform has to be built. I don't have the luxury of a hard level surface to build it on (the only place it can go is outside.) Its much more expensive than what you all are describing, but this design has worked well for me for outdoor platforms before. I start with two 8 foot long 8x8's. These get set in the ground parallel to each other, where the weights will be hitting when I drop them. I cross these with 4x4's, bolted together and screwed to the 8x8's. two sheets of 3/4" plywood top the 4x4's, and finally, because I got them for free, two 1" thick 8'x4' sheets of rubber go on top. Expensive (I'll find out how expensive today when I go get the supplies), but you gotta have a place to lift.

[Pete Church]

Here are some pix of the platform I just completed. It is 6X8.[/img]