FAQ - School Walls

Q: What are the advantages of a panel system?

A: A panel system is more cost effective, reconfigurable, maintainable, and allows for a higher level of quality control than seamless textured onsite systems.

Q: How are your panels made?

A: Our panels start with high quality structural grade seven-ply solid cross-strand plywood. The plywood is then textured with a hand sculpted proprietary polymer based concrete with integral color for optimal performance and durability.

Q: How durable is your panel system?

A: Our panels have been in use for over 20 years in commercial climbing gyms. The combination of high quality wood and our proprietary polymer concrete mix results in a long lasting hard wearing product backed by one of the best warranties in the business.

Q: Do your walls have a frame or are they mounted directly to the wall?

A: Yes our walls have a frame. Our nearly 25 years of experience building climbing walls has reinforced our belief that all walls should have frames. A frame adds relatively little cost to the project and greatly increases ease of use, durability and maintainability of your wall. A frame is important because it allows the bolts used in mounting the climbing holds to extend beyond the back of the panel. This greatly simplifies the installation of the climbing holds.

Q: How do the climbing holds attach to the wall and how many attachment points are there?

A: The climbing holds attach with a threaded fastener called a T-Nut. This allows the holds to be easily mounted and repositioned on the wall for maximum versatility. Our standard school panels have 25 T-nuts per panel. We have found that this is an optimal density for school traverse walls. There is a lot of talk about T-Nuts and we have tried all of the options in our nearly 25 years of experience building climbing facilities and this has lead us to use T-nuts that are strong, durable, inexpensive, and easily maintained.
The T-nuts themselves are only part of the story. One of the biggest factors that affects the durability and performance of the T-nuts is the quality of the wood. The higher the quality of the wood the better the T-Nuts perform. We use high-grade seven-ply engineered plywood. This means the T-Nuts stay put better, resist spinning, and pulling through the surface.

Q: How many holds do we need and is there anything else we should consider when purchasing holds?

A: We provide seven holds per panel. We have found that an average of seven is optimal for school walls because it provides plenty of holds to meet your programming needs and serve a wide range of ability levels while keeping the walls affordable. Our holds are color coded to allow for multiple climbs to be set up at the same time and to differentiate between handholds and footholds. Although resin holds are still available most of the companies have switched to urethane holds. Urethane holds are stronger and longer lasting than resin holds. We recommend Urethane holds.

Q: Can we install the walls ourselves?

A: The answer is absolutely. We provide a helpful installation guide. We also provide installation services for projects within 60 miles of the Seattle-Tacoma Area.

Q: How long will it take for Vertical World to install our wall and can there be students in the room?

A: The typical installation takes approximately a day and a half. In most cases it is best to have the room off limits to students during the construction process. If this is not possible we can work around class schedules but it may lead to extended installation schedule.

Q: Are mats provided with your walls?

A: We do provide mats. The mats add a level of protection during climbing and work to secure the wall while not in use. We provide the highest quality 3-inch mats available. The thicker mats increase safety and ease of use. The mats exceed ASTM standards.