Weight distribution over carpet (>500 pounds)

[Carson Dyle]

1 sheet 4'x8'x3/4" plywood
5 2"x4"x8' lumber
1 piece of 5'x10' carpet (remnant or edge-bound carpet scrap rug)
Nails, screws, and glue
Under $100

You've got to be ****ing kidding. This one thinks you need a 4ft x 8ft platform!

Yeah, lots of useless advice.

 

[DrPizza]

lol

A quality couch, built with hardwood framing, can easily exceed 600 pounds with 2 people sitting on it. Prior to LED televisions, a 36" CRT would have been close to 300 pounds. Put it in a solid oak entertainment center with some other quality components, and again, you're over 600 pounds. I bought a china cabinet last summer that exceeded 400 pounds. Load it up with dishes, flatware, etc., and you're over 600 pounds. Though they're out of fashion, a waterbed could be 1800 pounds... not even including the weight of the headboard and frame. Larger old upright pianos can exceed 800 pounds, especially those with a large cast iron harp.

And your advice is to build a 4x8 platform for 600 pounds?

 

[schmuckley]

Pieces of acetal cut out in 6" squares/circles under the legs.Wider if you want better weight distribution.

 

[highland145]

A quality couch, built with hardwood framing, can easily exceed 600 pounds

Or just sleeper sofas.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

A quality couch, built with hardwood framing, can easily exceed 600 pounds with 2 people sitting on it. Prior to LED televisions, a 36" CRT would have been close to 300 pounds. Put it in a solid oak entertainment center with some other quality components, and again, you're over 600 pounds. I bought a china cabinet last summer that exceeded 400 pounds. Load it up with dishes, flatware, etc., and you're over 600 pounds. Though they're out of fashion, a waterbed could be 1800 pounds... not even including the weight of the headboard and frame. Larger old upright pianos can exceed 800 pounds, especially those with a large cast iron harp.

And your advice is to build a 4x8 platform for 600 pounds?

First of all I said, Though I doubt you need to do anything...

Second I am envisioning the OP's rack as something that has a relatively small footprint, so spreading out the weight of maybe 12-15 square feet to 32 square feet is halving the psi or better.

Third, you're attacking me for suggesting something reasonable, when the second best suggestion is utterly worthless not to mention ugly at best? Once the plywood or, LMFAO, MDF warps, it is doing almost nothing.

Fourth, I'm not including the odd persons intermittently sitting on something when I laugh at lots of furniture approaching that weight. Hardly anything save hutches and pool tables do. That's not lots.

Should I have suggested Lally columns? I doubt we're talking about a house, but then again, the OP isn't very clear.

What would you suggest, oh wise one?

I suggest a flying fuck at the moon for you because you're only replying to this thread to pick on me.

 

[pete6032]

Have you tried 3/4" plywood?

 

[highland145]

Have you tried 3/4" plywood?

Who the hell would suggest that?

 

[DrPizza]

First of all I said, Though I doubt you need to do anything...

Second I am envisioning the OP's rack as something that has a relatively small footprint, so spreading out the weight of maybe 12-15 square feet to 32 square feet is halving the psi or better.

Third, you're attacking me for suggesting something reasonable, when the second best suggestion is utterly worthless not to mention ugly at best? Once the plywood or, LMFAO, MDF warps, it is doing almost nothing.

Fourth, I'm not including the odd persons intermittently sitting on something when I laugh at lots of furniture approaching that weight. Hardly anything save hutches and pool tables do. That's not lots.

Should I have suggested Lally columns? I doubt we're talking about a house, but then again, the OP isn't very clear.

What would you suggest, oh wise one?

I suggest a flying fuck at the moon for you because you're only replying to this thread to pick on me.

Err, uhh, I merely pointed out examples of furniture that was heavier than 600 pounds. Only one of those furnishings did I mention people sitting on it.
And, isn't going from "doubt you need to do anything" to 4 foot by 8 foot area a bit of overkill? But, if he really needed to do anything, if it's on the 1st floor of a house with an unfinished basement, you're right, a Lally column, or simple jack post with a short chunk of 4x6 in the basement would actually work a lot better than a 4'x8' sheet of plywood in the room (and would be cheaper.)

 

[edro]

I think we have two main concerns here and some of us aren't being clear.

1. Damage to the floor structure (joists, subfloor, etc).
600lbs is not going to hurt that at all, especially if it is close to a wall. Server racks are around 2ft wide, so it will be spaced across 2 joists or if centered on 1, will get benefit from 3 joists. A square piece of 3/4" plywood is not going to help or hurt it anymore because it is almost exactly the same foot print as a server rack. The 3/4" SUBFLOOR is spreading the load to the joists.

2. Damage to the carpet. A square piece of 3/4" plywood WILL significantly protect the carpet from all 600lbs being focused on 1 sqin of caster wheels.