Built A Lifting Platform With Sand. Did It Work Out?
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- Опубліковано 2 кві 2021
- So the first attempt we used plywood. That didn't quite workout because we didn't have the right mix AND the surface that we were trying to level was just too uneven.
We contemplated going with a self-concrete mixture but thought that that would be way too hard to remove (we rent the studio) so we decided to give sand a try.
Did it work out? Watch the end!
This platform gets used at least once a day and for the last month, we've gone out of our way to drop our weights on it. The most that we've dropped are 205 cleans from about 5 ft.
If you're interested in building your own, you'll need:
1. Lumber for a frame. I wouldn't go any smaller than 2" for the width of lumber. Anything smaller and I feel the frame would start to bow.
As I mentioned towards the end of the video, I'd recommend
2. Brackets for the frame. I used roof brackets for the frame that required me to use screws on the inside of the frame which pushed my gym mats up in the corners. A minor nuisance.
3. Thick poly/Vapor shield. This is to keep all the sand in one place. It's been 10 weeks since we made this platform and we've yet to spring a leak (I doubt we will).
4. Plywood. We built a 8x12ft platform (the gym mats we purchased are 4x6 in size) so it took 1.5 sheets of plywood to cover the sandbase. We used 1/2 sheathing plywood which isn't thick enough. If I was to do this again, I might use 3/4 plywood for improved shock absorption.
5. Tuck Tape. We taped the poly to the plywood to minimize the sand from going everywhere.
Going forward, we're going to stick with this platform until it fails completely and then try to build something with self levelling concrete.
Things that I've learned so that you don't have to:
-Maybe reinforce the sandbox a bit better. I’m not sure how I would have given the constraints of the height of the garage.
-Reinforce the edges of the platform. I roll my home depot concrete bucket squat stand off the platform so the edges are getting chewed up a bit. I think the next time I’m at a hardware store, I’ll be a metal cable guide or large bracket to put over this.
-Use different brackets. The brackets that I used required screws to be put in facing the sandbox so the gym mats would butt up against them making the surface a little uneven. The unevenness also comes from the bunching up of the vapor barrier in the corner as well.
-I would also recommend using thicker plywood. Maybe 3/4 inch if you can. I feel that with the 1/2 inch boards, there’s a bit too much flex so when I drop a barbell, the board doesn’t doesn’t absorb enough of the impact and transfers it to the sand. BUT I can’t use anything thicker than 1/2 inch since the height of the barbell at the top of a snatch or overhead snatch only allows me to have the height that I do.
-Now if I was to have a fresh go with this platform, I’d cut plywood that fit perfectly. Since I was reusing as many sheets as I could, I ended up with a gap in the plywood layer.
The last thing I’ll say is that my platform is fairly small. If you’re planning on doing this for a large area, be prepared to strip down your equipment so that you can top up the sand every once in a while.
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I thought of doing the same. Thanks for doing it.
Great video! Cool to see that iterative problem solving process unfold. I think if you were to just swap the sand out for a fine gravel it would make a world of difference. I’ve seen the type of fine gravel I’m referring to used specifically for this purpose in construction of brick patios and cement slabs. They rake it level then tamp it down to create a solid level base that wont shift or compress over time the way finer sediments like dirt and sand will. Just a theory from a fellow “fly by the seat of his pants” kinda guy though so take it with a grain of salt, but I do feel pretty confident that would help quite a bit. Awesome work though, thanks for sharing this!
Oh wow, I was actually thinking of doing something similar but to a 10x12 area. Thanks for the video, very insightful! 👍
Build the frame out of steel!, or run a piece of 1” steel tube with tabs on the ends of it across the frame, it will be stronger than the wood and thin enough to fit your height requirement.
Could have boxed the base into sections with 2x2s and filled each individually with sand. More structural integrity and easier to level with sand.
self-leveling cement?
For this you would want to use compacting sand not regular sand. The kind of sand you put under patio blocks.
Next time level the surface with a leveling compound. Then the plywood would have worked easily. Would have been finished in an afternoon. The sand will cause the same issues you already had as it shifts.
yea it’s poly 6000, home hardware has that
Update?
This would be helpful
First