Leveling a Studio Floor

[mal from cessnock]

Hi members. Hope I've posted this is in the right forum!

My daughter has rented a studio appartment in Melbourne for use as a "budget for hire" photo studio. The existing floor is made of boards and they are uneven.

She hasn't signed the lease yet but has had 20 responses to a sign she posted at RMIT where she's studying photography. Seems fantastic to me for a sign that's only been up a week!

She's asked me how to level the floor so that backgrounds etc won't rip as soon as the model steps on said floor.

I suggested a series of panels made from 3x2"s covered in particle board and constructed so they can be locked together. She says this solution would need to be portable. This method would be heavy and probably expensive.

Anyone got any alternate ideas?

[macmich]

mal
she could go and buy a couple of 8x4 sheets of 3mm mdf panneling which is not heavy
and then the background cloth can drape down the wall and across the sheet
macca

[mal from cessnock]

Thanks Macca - wouldn't the 3mm break on the uneven floor boards with the weight of the model?

[macmich]

ifs the floors that uneven mal
i would talk her out of it
someone going to come a cropper walking into the place and suing your daughter
cheers macca

[I @ M]

Uneven flooring solution =

Get public liability insurance.

Pay lots of money.

Buy the real deal flooring sheets (http://www.gunnersens.com.au/products/building-products/particleboard/particleboard-flooring.html).

Do it properly and pay lots of money.

Lay flooring boards cut to size and joined satisfactorily.

Pay lots of money.

The outcome is that you have a level floor that will be durable and safe but the "budget studio" is no longer affordable to the RMIT students that want to use it. That is why there are ads everywhere in places like Vanbars offering studios at dearer rates, they have done it properly and bought insurance which pushes costs up.

[kiwi]

Can't agree any more than what he says

Costs a lot of money to set up a proper studio, gear, insurance, marketing. Accounting and business advice etc etc

Is it really worth it Mel ?

[mal from cessnock]

I @ M's solution is what I had in mind.

It would cost a couple of hundred dollars to set up a 3600 x 2400 platform made from 16mm mdf on a 75x50mm radiata frame to form a nice platform (stage). I see this as being workable and do-able.

They plan to charge $150 per day - I wonder if they could get their clients to sign a disclaimer against pl insurance or is that too 3rd world and ridiculous?

By doing this the studio would cover their rent!

[kiwi]

I'm sure there will be all sorts of tax and legal issues to sort out

[macmich]

the trouble is
you cannot see whats under the floorboards
and if you build a tempory stand
you would not no if it will hold it and stay without moving and chance of someone of edge
the place might be eaten with whiteants
and your money wasted trying to level it
it might only be a matter of repunching the floor and renaing
but it should be on the landlord to do
cheers macca

[mal from cessnock]

Apparently they are beautifully finished floor boards with the occasional one a bit thicker than the others. I don't think quality of the flooring is in issue.

They are correctly zoned, above a shop in Lygon Street. Ideal location. It's a double studio appartment. They want to live in one and use the other as a studio for themselves and to make a bit on the side.

This young lady is doing so well in her course and is now reaching for the sky. I've never heard of anyone getting consistent 100% scores in photography.

Thanks for all your help with this fellas.