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How to Build a Home Climbing Wall
We try to encourage home wall builders, to build only a bouldering / traverse wall. If you wish to build a top-rope climbing wall, we strongly suggest you have an engineer design the wall to the Outdoor Industry Group standards. To receive the climbing wall standards your engineer will need to call The Outdoor Industry Group directly and ask for the C.W.I.G. guidelines.
If you wish to know more about the difference between a Boulder /Traverse wall and a Top-Rope wall or would like more information on the C.W.I.G. guidelines, please email us at info@edgewalls.com
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Framing / Wall support
Use two by four or two by six studs. Nail with 3 inch spikes or screw with an electric drill or screw gun (see diagrams).
Plywood / Wall surface
Use 5/8 to 3/4 inch, one side good plywood and drill 7/16 holes. Try to keep your drill straight. If you are planing some complicated architecture with many cuts you may want to drill the t-nut holes after your cuts. In most cases however, you can just stack your sheets up and drill them six at a time with a long bit. the more holes the better for a bouldering wall but at least one every foot. Random patterns work best.
Next hammer your t-nuts into the holes in the back of the plywood. Keep em straight. Use a 20 to 26 oz. hammer. Lighter will ruin your arm, heavier will mash the t-nuts unless you are really careful. Be careful anyway, especially if you are burley and used to swinging a hammer. Don't mash. It's a good idea to check each hole with a bolt from the front before you put the plywood up.
Trim the plywood so that the end of each piece lines up with your centers in that plane. Ideally you want each sheet to end in the middle of the joists, studs or rafters so that you have something to screw to, but you can always scab on another piece of two-by if the alignment is not perfect.
Screw the plywood onto the centers with 2 inch # 8 Robert's Head ( the square headed bits ) every 5 inches. Philips head screws are the second choice but avoid using drywall screws as they are not very strong.
Routes
When placing holds on your wall always start threading the bolts by hand. Don't crank with a tool until you are positive you are not cross threaded. Otherwise you will suddenly find that you can't tighten the hold down and then when you try to back it off it jams and the t-nut pops of the back of the plywood. Now you're hooped. You will have to drill out the head of the bolt. Or bust the hold with a chisel and then hack saw off the bolt. This will never happen as long as you remember not to use the tool until you have hand started the bolt. It will most certainly happen if you forget to explain this to your friends.
You can designate your routes with color coded holds or with colored tape. Remember to set some nice easy warm ups. Sitting starts can add height. Think about your landings. Invest in a good landing mat and consider spotting climbers especially around hazards. Remember though that a bad spot is much worse than none at all; it gives a false sense of security - always be as attentive to spotting as if you were belaying a lead climber, near the ground.
Wall Coatings
There are many fancy coatings for climbing walls on the market, but for indoor home walls a flat latex or even bare plywood works fine. If your wall is outside , visit your local hardware store and look at the variety of Deck Coatings available, porch paint works well also. If you want a texture to your wall many of the deck coatings and porch paints are available in slip resistant formulas as well.
Fall Mats
For an indoor bouldering area no more than 10 feet in height with no overhang a 6 inch gymnastic mat is sufficient. If your boulder area has an overhang you will need a fall mat at least 12 inches thick. The best and cheapest is old mattresses - have a donation drive for old mattresses and throw a carpet over them. If you have a low traverse wall you may want to look at a 1 /3/4 Troslyn floor covering, you can then have a thicker fall mat that you can move to your steep overhangs. We have several types of fall matting available, view these on our Fall Mat web page.
12 foot High Bouldering
Area Bouldering Room /
Cave
If you are thinking about adding a climbing wall to your home, school or recreation facility and wish to learn more or would like to find out about building and operating a Rock Climbing GymPlease call us Toll Free - 1-877-984-6840 (US and Canada) or 604-983-5362
Email us at info@edgewalls.com
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Sculpted Climbing Wall Systems 10/320A - 555 Brooksbank Ave. North Vancouver, B.C. V7J 3S5, Canada Tel: (604) 983-5362 Fax:(604) 983-5375 Toll Free USA and Canada: 1-877-984-6840 Email: info@edgewalls.com
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