# Help with riser construction.



## robk_11 (Feb 4, 2007)

Hey guys, I was wondering if someone could give me some help with building a sturdy riser. I have a sofa and love seat that I moved down to my under construction basement HT. The wife argues against it (of course:nono, but I would like to put the loveseat on a riser behind the sofa. She would rather have the loveseat Blocking the front right speaker :raped: . It is a never ending struggle... I know it is just building a box, but can anyone give me some material recommendations to make the thing sturdy enough to hold some poundage!

thanks as always,

Rob


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## chhelo (Dec 28, 2006)

Rob,

I built my riser using the concept by Auralex for a tactile riser. I basically used 2x10's on edge and used manufactured decking material from Lowes for the front and back of the riser. Decked it in 3/4 inch OSB. Since my theater seats are curved I built the riser with a curve to match. Only change I might have made is 2x12's instead of 2x10's. I also added side access steps at about 6 inches for the step up.

Per the info on the riser I used insulation bats to fill in between the 2/10's to about 1/2 the height. Also calls for 4" holes cut into the front face of the riser for bass response. 

Decoupled from floor with 5/8" radiator hose (4 2" pices under each 2x10).

You can see basic layout under Chuck's Home Theater post.

I do not have my equipment up and running so I am unable to confirm if it will have a tactile response. If it need more motion I will add buttkikers to my theater seating. 

It is about 7 feet deep to allow for the chairs to recline. If you are not using reliners the riser can be smaller.

Tell the wife the riser is for the premium seating and since its the love seat position its just for you and her. She will buy that hook, line and sinker.

Chuck


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

I would agree with the construction above except for the radiator hose. Over time, it will crush and get hard. Use something like a stud isolator that is specifically designed for that kind of weight load, constant pressure, etc.

Good luck with the battle :boxer: 

Bryan


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## cburbs (Mar 27, 2007)

Here is an example of a riser.....
http://www.ronniejackson.com/theater/seating.html


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

bpape said:


> I would agree with the construction above except for the radiator hose. Over time, it will crush and get hard. Use something like a stud isolator that is specifically designed for that kind of weight load, constant pressure, etc. Good luck with the battle :boxer: Bryan


I also agree with not using the radiator hose ....I'm in the process of adding a buttkicker and been looking for something to isolate my seats; I have decided to get the isolators recommended by the company. :yes: :yes: :yes: 

I saw them on www.av-outlet.com set of 4 for a chair/sofa is $9.99 and for a platform is $15.00 a piece, you need at least one for each corner.

Good thinking about adding this isolators now ... not like me, that I didn't plan ahead :doh: :doh: :doh: 

Good luck with your wife, I'm sure she will be Happy after you build the riser :T :T :T


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## robk_11 (Feb 4, 2007)

thanks for the recommendations. i will take them into account. the wife will have to like it b/c it is going to happen:flex: ! at least i hope... i like the buttkicker idea too. i'm going to have to do further research into those.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

robk_11 said:


> thanks for the recommendations. i will take them into account. the wife will have to like it b/c it is going to happen:flex: ! at least i hope... i like the buttkicker idea too. i'm going to have to do further research into those.


I will save you some time reserching prices (I can't say anything about them because I have not installed it, hopefully I will get mine this weekend, but I read good things about it ) raying: raying: raying: 
Best price is from one of the sponsor here Ultimate Home Entertainment (www.rtheaters.com), there is a lot of companies selling them and the price starts from $389.99 and up, but I can tell you that if you get it from Ultimate it will less than that. :yes: :yes: :yes:


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## robk_11 (Feb 4, 2007)

thanks for doing the leg work for me David!


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## SurfHB (Feb 27, 2007)

Here is my riser construction with 4 Buttkickers built in. I love the way it turned out.

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/556829749cekeBe


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

SurfHB said:


> Here is my riser construction with 4 Buttkickers built in. I love the way it turned out.


Nice work !!!! :T :T ..... Did you use any rubber isolator to separate the riser from the floor??? ...I was looking at the photos but couldn't find them.:scratch: :scratch: :scratch: 

Did you had a hard time calibrating them??? ... What settings are you using (high crossover on or off, What is the cut off limit you're using??, volume )???? ... I want to experiment with mine .... Right now I have the low filter off, high filter on and crossover at 80Mhz ... volume is only one third :yes: :yes: and shakes all the room ......


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## SurfHB (Feb 27, 2007)

For the islotors, I went to the local sports store and bought about 9 rubber hockey pucks and place one on each corner of the stage. They were about $1.00 each give or take a little. I tried to use as few as possible
Here is a picture: 



As for the settings on the amp, I can't remember right now since I am at work. I believe that the low filter is off and the high filter is on.....It seems that every single movie I play is different with the low frequencies. For the most part, I keep the volume pointed to around the 10 or 11 o'clock mark. And I just set it after the movie starts so it is not to loud. 

If you notice in my pics, I built the stage so that on the back row the support beams "float" and are only connected at the ends. When the Buttkicker's vibrate, the 2 support beams "flex" a little and helps shake the seats more since they are not grounded or directly forced to stay in one spot. I guess you can think of the flexing of the beams, acts as a trampoline in a way.


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## salvasol (Oct 31, 2006)

SurfHB said:


> For the islotors, I went to the local sports store and bought about 9 rubber hockey pucks and place one on each corner of the stage. They were about $1.00 each give or take a little. I tried to use as few as possible As for the settings on the amp, I can't remember right now since I am at work. I believe that the low filter is off and the high filter is on.....It seems that every single movie I play is different with the low frequencies. For the most part, I keep the volume pointed to around the 10 or 11 o'clock mark. And I just set it after the movie starts so it is not to loud.


Thank You !!! .... Have Fun !!!! :wave: :wave: :T :T


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## Guest (Jun 3, 2007)

I'd just like to point out that you don't need large dimension lumber to make a riser. And if you use 2x10s and want it a little taller, that doesn't mean you need to use 2x12s.

Think about the way your room is framed. It's not done using large dimension lumber like 2x12s, it's done using 2x4s and 2x6s. So think of your riser as a tiny room you are building under your couch and frame it up the same way. You can frame it using 2x6s and make it as tall as you want. You get the height from studs around the perimeter, the support under the decking from 2x6 joists, and you can still isolate it from the floor by using isolators between the plates and the floor. Worried about weight load on the top? Use a little closer spacing on the joists and studs in the riser. 

I made a really big riser using only 2x6s framed 12" OC with 2 layers of 1/2" CDX on the top. It is 16 feet wide and 10 feet deep with a support running down the center. The lower riser is 14" high and the upper riser is 28" high. The riser holds 4 recliners and 8 theater seats. I've had about 30 adults on it at one time. It does flex a little, but it sure is a lot lighter than using larger dimension lumber. I had to keep the static weight down because this is on the second floor over a 3 car garage. The riser is filled with blown cellulose insulation.


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## bpape (Sep 14, 2006)

YOu can do that as long as you do the span vs width calculations and understand that it's a live load and a dead load. The other option for more thickness is just to use a 2nd layer of OSB/plywood on top. Also, that will deaden the riser from ringing more.

Bryan


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