tellntim said:
hey man can you tell me how you built the flip floor vocal booth, I would be most appricative
Keith
Pictures above Keith.
I built it "free form" meaning all I had was a simple, not to scale, sketch. In fact most of the lines on the drawing weren't even straight.
Essentially, I bolted down a 2x8 or 2x10 "sill" at the top of the stairs, on the side. I then bolted six hinges, across that, with half the hinge hanging off over the open stairwell. I then bolted a 2x6 across the width of the first bolt holes, then added six 2x6's across the width of the stairs, about 1/2" short of the other side of the stairwell.
I then flipped that up, and bolted that together with 1/2" lag bolts, in slightly undersized holes I drilled.
Then I cut and attached a piece of 3/4" plywood on the bottom, and zapped that on with deck screws. Then I added the stringers between, also using deck screws. Stuffed with insulation, chaulked across the tops of the 2x6's in all directions, and deck-screwed down another cut to fit piece of plywood. Then laid the floor over that. To suspend the floor level, I put a floor jack on one of the stairs, sitting on two cinder blocks so I had room to actually jack it, and put a 2x4 long ways from the jack to the bottom of the floor assembly I just made. I put a level on top, and jacked until it was a "hair" over level, tilting up. Then I attached the 2x10 across the other side of the stairwell, for the floor to rest on, and attached that to the studs of the wall using 1/2" lagbolts. Two per stud, across the whole thing.
Removed jack, 2x4 and cinderblocks, and laid down the birch floor on top of it.
At one point after constructing the floor, and the surround walls for the vocal booth, I had all my gear stacked in there rightly. Rack gear, amps, mixers, audio and video monitors, etc. Floor to ceiling, front to back, and the rest went into the attic.
I easily, had 1500lbs sitting on that floor for about six months, no problem, didn't even squeek.
I've added a few things since then... underneath is now a boxed in stairwell light so if the floor is down I can still walk into the downstairs entrance and not kill myself. I can flip the floor up from underneath, though my back doesnt' like doing that too much. So I also installed an air spring, much like what hatchback cars have, though much larger. It's not enough to lift the floor off the 2x10, but it's enough that it makes the floor less heavy to flip up from underneath. Every little bit helps.
I then added the deadbolt as you can see in the pictures, so if it's up it stays up and there is no risk of "clocking" anyone in the head. And, a felt strip across the 2x10 so if it does fall because someone operating it isn't familiar with it, it doesn't make a huge bang when it lands.
There's the text description... and the pictures are higher up.
Do not the stairwell wasn't even close to square, which is why I didn't bother doing a diagram or anything. The flip floor part is actually slightly trapazoid shaped, because the stairwell isn't straight either. But if flips, it's strong, and works for me.
I still haven't made the "stair blocker" part yet, which I need to do before someone slides down the stairs trying to step into the booth. I made the sides last summer, but haven't finished it. Essentially its like two upside down stairs with a flat top, which after I flip the floor down, just drop into the space between the flip floor and the top of the stairs, so it's all filled in nicely. One of those things I never get around to.
I could have made the booth a little wider, as to cover the stairs completely, however then that cuts into the "swing" room at the top of the stairs. Since the booth doesn't quite cover the entire stairwell, with the floor up I was still able to hump up my half-stack sized amp, my 88-key digital piano, and various other long things and still swing around that corner. I didn't want it too tight.
O well... I'll have to try that. Are they effective? This would please my parents alot more than putting things IN the walls!! LOL 
