Trying to make some mobile walls in my studio?

[ainsoph]

Hey, sorry if this isn't the right place, but I'm trying to make some 8' tall moveable, mobile walls for my photo studio, and am trying to figure out the best way to go about it. I think it would help me with repeat rentals, having a different setup often, and would kill my creative rut.

Requirements (ideally):

1. 4'x'8 panels

2. Lightweight, enough to move daily if need be

3. Paintable/attach-to-able

4. Free-standing AND mountable

5. Flush with the floor

6. Ideally double sided so that I wouldn't have to paint as often.

7. Smooth surface, not obvious wood grain

So, I want to have them act as a mock wall against the wall that's already there 90% of the time, but would like to be able to stand them and make a little room or whatever when it's called for. The obvious solution is to put them on wheel, but if they're on the bottom, they won't be flush with the floor, and if on the back, they won't be close enough to the wall to be discreet.

My current best solution:

Four 3/8" thick 4'x8' PVC panel boards. I'm thinking I put a piece of molding along the wall, and sort of hang them from that the way you would a picture frame? So I can easily lift them up and off when I need to. Primary concern here is not damaging the wall behind them, so ideally they'd never touch. I figure I could mount some sort of foldable stand on the backs of them that would be hidden when they're on the wall. Two can have door hinges on the back for me to easily make a corner wall when need be.

Second current option. Everything the same, but super thin PVC board, just attached to a thin wood frame.

Think heavy duty Vflats.

Would that thick green hard foam at homedepot work for this?

Didn't want to use drywall, as I want them to not crumble or damage easily, and remain flush together. BUT, I actually know next to nothing about home improvement stuff, so if there's a way to get drywall not to do that and I'm just an idiot, please tell me

If anyone has done or seen something similar, or has any ideas let me know! I feel like what I want is possible, just trying to think outside the box here, and figure out a gameplan before buying an excess of stuff that won't work.

TLR: I want a moveable prop wall that can be changed as often as need be and be made into smaller/folding walls.

 

[jaberg]

This has been a solved problem for theaters and film sets for many years.

https://chicagocanvas.com/creating-stage-flats-theatre-flats/ There are also a number of YouTube tutorials that address flat construction.

 

[ainsoph]

Someone actually reccomended the exact same thing, never occured to me. Not sure how I feel about using cloth/canvas. Do you think using a super thin pvc sheet as the front would essentially do the same thing? Canvas is expensive and wrapping it tight honestly seems like a headache.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

Someone actually reccomended the exact same thing, never occured to me. Not sure how I feel about using cloth/canvas. Do you think using a super thin pvc sheet as the front would essentially do the same thing? Canvas is expensive and wrapping it tight honestly seems like a headache.

Corroplast would probably work. Light but fairly stiff. Not too expensive. I bought 4x8 sheets at a local sign and display company.

Gato

 

[jaberg]

Do you think using a super thin pvc sheet as the front would essentially do the same thing?

I don't see why it wouldn't work. One downside is that PVC sheet is fairly glossy and won't take paint very well if you want to add texture or color. It will be harder to get the PVC "tight' than it will be when using muslin… unless you use a heat-shrinkable product. It's also going to be more difficult to repair "invisibly" if the face gets stretched or torn. I've never to my recollection used PVC. I've built hundreds, if not thousands, of traditional Broadway flats.

Canvas is expensive

This depends on your definition of expensive I guess. Unbleached muslin, the material I'm most familiar with for constructing Broadway (or New York) flats is about $4 yard. That's retail pricing. Quantity discounts are generally available at better "professional" fabric stores. (They're out there, usually in a warehouse building, but they're not as "in your face" as JoAnn, Michaels, etc. Ask someone who sews — really sews — where they get their fabric — or where they go for exotics.)

A typical 8 foot flat will use three yards. The muslin can be repainted endlessly and patched if damaged. Used for many, many productions over many years. Like a good apple box, or a quality c-stand, it's an investment in studio infrastructure.

and wrapping it tight honestly seems like a headache.

Piece of cake. You don't wrap it "tight". Just secure it all around (I use staples in addition to glue on the frame) and spray the muslin with warm water to shrink it down tight. You can even skip the spray and just apply paint, but I was trained by a traditionalist. I've (almost) always sized before priming or painting.

Hollywood flats are another possibility. They're constructed using lauan plywood instead of fabric. The frames are built as "boxes", lumber on edge, not "flat" (like a picture frame) and they don't store quite as compactly. The advantage is that the frames can be clamped or bolted together when lining them up to build longer walls. (They can also be screwed into the floor if your studio allows for it — but they still need a rear support.) Any sheet good could be substituted for lauan, though again, I'm looking for something that will take paint readily — which eliminates a lot of plastic products.

A "box" flat can also be made using fabric — or a flat style using a hard cover. I like the fabric box hybrid myself — the best of both worlds — until it comes time to stack them for storage, when they take up 4 times the space

Good luck!

 

[jaberg]

One more thought. If I bleached muslin is beyond your budget, you might look into “upcycling” old bedsheets from a thrift store. (Or replacing your own sheets. ) Pre/oft-washed sheets won’t shrink much, if at all, when sized so you will need to pull them tight across the frame. You won’t get 8’ or 12’ of height from a single panel of fabric either, and the seam might be an issue depending on your use.

A good primer coat will cover the crimes of construction. As well as the sins of past use.

 

[Gato Amarillo]

I think unbleached muslin painted (as per your first post) would be a better choice, but if a person wanted to consider sheets WalMart has flat sheets in standard sizes at pretty reasonable prices. Choices depend on the size of store and season, but most stores should have white, black, and two or three colors. A twin sheet is roughly 5-1/2 x 8 feet, enough for a slightly short flat.

I use these on a collapsible frame as portable backdrops. I would not expect them to shrink much, so you would need to spend extra time to fit them tight.

Gato

 

[jaberg]

One more thought. If I bleached muslin is beyond your budget,

Unbleached muslin.