Cozy, Hip Basement Reading Nook

Basements can provide much needed space for growing families. In our case, it has become the kid’s retreat. When we built a loft style hideaway for the kids to hang out in, we wanted to create a fun and challenging way to access it. A climbing wall seemed like the perfect addition.

To get the look we wanted, we went with Home Depot’s PureBond Birch Plywood. It has great graining, looks great with only a clear coat of any shade stain and is formaldehyde free.  It is important to use ¾” thick plywood to support the climbing holds.

We always use Atomik Climbing Holds for climbing walls we build. They have a wide assortment of sizes and shapes, and really great color schemes beyond the typical primary colors you see from other companies.

Locate the studs behind the drywall where the wall will be located. You need to have at least two studs to screw a 4’ wide piece of plywood to, but 3 is better. Make a pencil mark at the top of wall and at the floor at the center of each stud location.

There are a few different suggested hole patterns for climbing walls. We used a random pattern. It’s the easiest to layout and it looks the most natural. We added extra holes so when the kids needed to switch up the climbing routes, all we need to do is move the holds to new locations.

Next, hammer T-nuts through the back of plywood. Keep the T-nuts as straight as possible when hammering them. Once you have placed the T-nuts, you can stain the plywood. We choose a dark stain to complement our basement color scheme.

Once it is completely dry (usually a couple days) you are ready to attach the plywood to the wall. Apply a couple tubes of Liquid Nails to back of the board and set it on the wall. Use your pencil marks to pre-drill and screw plywood to the wall with 2” wood screws. Now you can install your climbing holds to the finished wall. You may have to retighten them a couple times as they compress the plywood. Don’t over tighten them!