Common Mistakes Made When Building a Climbing Wall

Building a home wall seems like a straightforward process in theory. However, many nuances and details significantly impact the end result. Considering these factors at the start will help you avoid common mistakes and get the most enjoyment out of your home wall.

Not Seeking Advice

Home climbing walls are unique installations. While they incorporate many standard building techniques, home walls combine into something quite different from a house or shed. General contractors and handymen may have a lot of experience, but generally, they build walls for buildings, not for climbers to hang from and jump around. Do your research. And don’t be afraid to call us! We will happily consult on your new project.

1/2" Plywood versus 3/4" Plywood

1/2" is never an acceptable thickness for a climbing wall. Think that it is okay for small children? No. The reason 3/4" plywood is the minimum thickness industry standard is because of the tensile load put on the t-nuts and/or screws attaching the holds. Putting a lot of screws attaching the panel may seem like the panel is stronger, but it is not. The fact is that when a load is put on 1/2" plywood, regardless of the quality of that plywood or what is behind it, the hardware attaching the holds will not meet acceptable tensile load standards. 

Drywall

Drywall, also known as gypsum board, is never okay as a part of the structural integrity of a climbing wall. Drywall can only touch a climbing wall panel when a Screw-On hold is attached to the 3/4" plywood. Sometimes the length of the screws pass through the plywood into the drywall. The drywall will never be considered support for a climbing wall. 

You should never lay drywall over plywood. The drywall will microscopically crush, and the hardware can flex and fail. Climbing walls are meant to get scuffed up with shoes, so you need to give up trying to keep your basement climbing wall pretty. It's meant to get dirty, and the seamlines of panels are a part of the climbing wall world. 

Review your structural plan with someone you trust. 

Home walls are heavy and add a lot of stress to the underlying structure. Louie Anderson has seen “many impressive walls that were severely under-engineered and dangerous to climb on”. Get help so your wall is safe, lasts long, and doesn’t pull down the ceiling. You may need a self-supporting structure if you rent or live somewhere permits will be required. If in doubt, make it stronger – add another brace or bolt, more screws, thicker wood, etc.  The standard for overhanging climbing walls is 2x6 lumber. The sides usually have sistered (two 2 x 6s together) on the ends. Then, the remaining stringers are on 16” centers. If the wall is free-standing, the wall must also have at least 2x6 supports on each end secured to the ground. We prefer a beefier post with two sistered 2 x 6s. It is essential that the posts cannot be kicked out, which means attaching them either to the ground or by running an attachment plate back to the wall. 

Get inspired by the community of home walls around the world.

Someone has already built something very similar to what you want. Talk to friends who have been through the process, and search social media for unique ideas. You can also search our Media page for photo examples. 

Over-Complicating Wall Angles

Packaging as many angles as possible into your home wall is tempting, but it has drawbacks. Simpler walls with fewer angle changes are easier to build and maintain while providing a more flexible canvas for climbing. Two large surfaces are generally better if stepping beyond a single angle than many angle changes.

Wall angles

Wall angles influence the climbing movement and route options. Jackie Hueftle notes, “walls with tons of angles tend to shoehorn the route setting into certain moves, and will become uninspiring faster”. A climber’s body position follows the wall angles, so simpler walls allow more continuous movement at that angle.

You can modify it later

Keeping the initial build simple leaves room for adding other corners and features later. Temporary or permanent volumes will add fresh angles to your wall, keeping you motivated with new terrain.

Not Steep Enough

Vertical, slabby, and slight overhangs can get boring quickly and will not get you as strong as steeper walls. Aim for at least 20 degrees overhanging if you have the space, while 30-45 degrees is the favorite angle. Kenny Matys from Atomik Climbing Holds notes, “if we are dealing with a climber in climbing shoes, never vertical if possible”. 30-45 degrees is a favorite angle for more experienced climbers. That degree of the climbing wall is quite tricky and is not appropriate for children or beginners. If a steep wall is your only option and you are not crushing V5+, expect the need for many jugs. Atomik Climbing Holds has an extensive customer service model for choosing climbing holds. You can call them at 801-404-0280 or email cs@atomikclimbingholds.com 

Improve faster with steep walls.

More weight on your arms allows for better power, endurance, and stamina training. Footwork on steeper walls strengthens your core. You’ll feel the gains when you visit lesser-angled walls at the gym or outdoors.

Big holds stick out at lower angles.

Big holds limit your route-setting options and create falling hazards. When falling off low-angled walls, it’s easy to bump into protruding holds.

Steep walls

Sidewalls, volumes, and large footholds can make steep walls easier. Stem off the sidewall or keep your feet on a kickplate to lessen the angle. Adding jugs to volumes on steep walls can make the climbing feel easier than it looks. There are many ways to take the bite out of steep walls. Conversely, with lower-angled walls, it’s harder to make the climbing more difficult; it usually just means smaller holds placed further apart.

Steep walls have downsides and may not be best for young children or true beginners. However, most people will adjust and learn to climb 20+ degrees quickly. Another reason to avoid steep walls is that they require more jugs and larger holds, which are naturally more expensive due to the material used to make them.

Inadequate Fall Zones

You will fall off your home wall. Probably repeatedly, in uncontrolled ways, and every direction. This is a known risk that you can mitigate. If other people will climb on your wall, inadequate fall zones may open you up to liability. The cost of providing a decent landing surface is far less than the cost of recovering from an accident. A safe fall zone will also give you the confidence to try hard and push your limits.

Pads

Pad all obstacles you could hit or move them away while climbing. Imagine your head hitting every object nearby. This includes workbenches, furniture, cars, garage door openers, ceiling joists, trees, fences, or anything else that could hurt you in a fall. Move it, wrap foam around it, or cover it with a crash pad.

Create soft, continuous flooring just like you see in gyms. One old crash pad is not enough. Edges of pads, and seams between them, are notoriously hard on ankles and wrists. The more consistent, the better, both with height and softness. It needs to extend far enough to protect a big swinging fall from the top – in climbing gyms, this is generally 6-8ft out. The flooring must also be thick enough that you don’t hit the underlying surface. While 4” thick mats or crashpads may work for short walls, it’s best to plan 1 inch of foam for every 1 foot of wall height; that’s why you see such thick flooring at climbing gyms. There are no formal standards, but suffice it to say that a single crash pad is not adequate protection for most walls.

Decent home wall padding doesn’t need to be expensive,  but it may take some time and ingenuity. Scott Rennak describes his setup: “While thrifting, I found 16 toddler mattresses, 200 sqft of interlocking ½” foam squares for underneath, and several area rugs for the top. Combined it almost feels like a gym for my short garage wall, and I spent about $200.” If you have the budget, commercial flooring providers will install the best possible landing zone that will allow you full use and enjoyment of your wall. When you have a tighter budget, old mattresses are a great choice; just be careful with the cracks where two mattresses meet. Falling in between mattresses can break your ankle. Use thick and large area rugs to spread your weight to solve that challenge, keeping your ankles out of the cracks.  Another option is to look at the gymnastics industry, which mass produces pads. The general rule of thumb is 1/2" to 1" of pad per foot height of your wall. So an 8-foot wall should have a 4" to 8" pad. We appreciate that many do not heed that advice. When that approach is taken, never use a pad less than 2" thick and an industrial grade pad. Remember, your primary goal is protecting the climber from head injuries.