DIY Stand - feet

[bzbatl]

Getting back in after 15 years away. Things change... I now have a wife and a house that I actually care about :lol:

I've always built my own stands, and this time is no exception. The 90 gallon is going to go on the standard 2x4 stand skinned with some paint-grade ply, and I'm going to have a local cabinet shop help me with some doors to match the cabinetry throughout the house. There will be a 20-30 gallon sump in the base.

However - I do NOT want bare 2x4s laying on my hardwoods. What kind of feet should I be looking into? I was thinking about just placing 6-8 of those nylon feet around the perimeter of the base - the kind that nail into stools legs.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

 

[mcgyvr]

Those will work just fine...

 

[bzbatl]

So stupid followup question - would that be worse? Am I going to have 6-8 little round dents in the floor instead of marks from the 2x4s?

 

[mcgyvr]

That all depends on your floor and the specific feet chosen..
Interested in some math?
Got the specifications of your flooring.. Specifically the pressure it can withstand before failure?

Do you let your wife walk in heels on that floor?

P = F/A

Adding the feet will absolutely place more pressure on the floor at those points than spreading it out across the entire perimeter.. Thats a given..
But will it do damage is where more data is needed to run the math..
Without taking the time to do the math not having the feet is likely better as far as the potential for not causing damage to the floor..

 

[bzbatl]

Ooooh maths. I'm trying to find the flooring we have... it's definitely engineering, and it's glued down to the slab.

No one wears shoes in our house. Asian customs and germaphobes dominate my home :lol:

I was leaning toward feet mostly in case of spills, and water creeping under the stand. Want to be able to get something absorbent underneath it. Unfortunately, the stand does not have a removable base shelf.

Maybe spread out the weight on more feet?

 

[mcgyvr]

It is very likely that 6-8 x 1" diameter nylon or similar feet is more than sufficient to prevent any damage to any wood flooring with a tank that size.. I wouldn't loose a minute of sleep over that guess..
The pressures involved are likely far less than the punch through/destructive floor ratings.

Quick math shows that 6 feet 1" diameter would be roughly 1/4th the pressure applied to the floor by a woman in 1/4" dia high heals.... = not a problem at all..

 

[underseaworld]

I have used a thick vinyl under my 2x4 on my hardwood floors in the past and it worked fine. By placing under the 2 x 4 will allow the weight to dissipate along the length of the stand. And another stand I placed plywood sheet under the sealed the plywood to the 2 x 4 lined it with vinyl witch kept in leaks or spill of the nice flooring

 

[bzbatl]

Thanks all! I’ll go with 8 nylon feet spread evenly across the lengths of the stand. Appreciate the insight!