Basic Wall Panel Build For A Haunted House - Squirreland 

Thanks. I have more stuff coming down the line for next year. Trying to make a project & edit a video in 2 weeks was killer. I wasn't having fun. I've been working on stuff this whole last year & getting a bunch ready for 2023.

Try 300 of 'em....

I glad that it was of some help! Typically I would use a 4x4 post with a sliver of plywood between the panels. Think like the demonstration at the end of the video. Instead of fastening panels directly to one another, I would put a 4x4 post between them with holes drilled all the way through the post, as well as a bit of plywood to accommodate for the thickness of the plywood on the front and possibly the back of the panel. We have boxes of 4" bolts and 8" bolts in a wagon depending on what we were putting together. I would then attach the perpendicular panel with star bit 3" screws and some 1" fender washers (large washers with small holes). Other times I would build panels with the 4x4 post built directly into the perpendicular panel. Then I would have a purpose-built panel for a "T" junction in the panel assembly. For corners, I would use the same 4x4 post and plywood just with shorter 6.5" bolts and the star bit screws and fender washers. I also always made sure that the bolt threads were faced into the panel and not outwards. More than likely myself or an actor or possibly even a guest would go around a corner too fast and catch themself on the threads that were sticking out. For panels with odd angles, anything that isn't 90-degree corners, I would just make a panel that had that corner built into it. Generally, I tried to make everything as versatile as possible. I hope this explanation isn't too confusing. Any other questions that you have feel free to ask, this sounds like a good idea for a supplemental video that covers a bunch of these ideas at once.

@@squirreland Yes I understand and thank you for your time and information. My father and I have been "home haunting" for years and are attempting to put on a legitimate attraction for the end of October.. So I am new to some of the building in this fashion. I have been building a 3D model on my PC of our haunt. My father suggested that we connect two panels for a 90 degree by drilling though the 3 inch + 2 inch overlapping. We also used 2x3s and Masonite. Money saving attempts.. With that said, I am not certain about building and fire codes as far as the way I described my example compared to yours. Your way definitely seems more versatile, cleaner, and non overlapping. I will show him what you mentioned. Let me know what your thoughts are if any about my comment, thanks again.

@@tentofterrorvlogs good luck. Just remember that safety needs to be the #1 concern at all times. Safety for guests and actors. Sometimes that means keeping actors safe from the guests. People react unpredictably when scared or in a heightened state. Professional haunts take a lot of planning. Most places require fire marshal approval. Be careful to not upset any local city officials. They have NO problems shutting down a haunt even if it will cause the haunt to loose money. Best luck!

@@squirreland Thanks again. Yes safety is #1 and we hope all will be well or there is always next year. 👍

Fiber board is mostly made of water-soluble glue. Which means that the first time that it gets water on it, it'll basically melt. It might be cheaper in the short term, but in the long term it'll end up costing more when the fiber board has to be replaced due to moisture damage. I've had some of these plywood panels since 2007 when I did my dark ride and they're still in good condition. Basically, I build stuff for being used 50 years from now instead of building it to work for today and tomorrow. Also, guests can get scared, I have had them turn and try to run away and go face first into a wall panel. The plywood panel survived, the picture frame that was attached to it wasn't so lucky. The fiber board would probably have had a human shaped hole in it like a cartoon. I hope that this helps. I have a more videos on decorating panels. They might give a bit more insight into the benefits of the plywood. I also have several more videos about decorating panels coming down the line.

Well, since I bought the materials for these, prices have increased greatly. Originally, 1 panel was maybe around $90-100USD in materials, not including labor because I built them myself. Back then, a sheet of the plywood that I used was $21.99USD. Now the price for that same sheet of plywood is around $49.99USD. That doesn't include the cost of decorating a panel. I have other videos that I've uploaded about decorating this kind of panel with many more to come down the line. I would say just look up your local lumber yards and check on pricing. Just don't buy any plywood that has a thin veneer on it. The moment that it gets wet, the glue comes apart and all of the decorating that was attached to the veneer comes off with it. The veneer plywood might be cheaper, but you get what you pay for.

Universal Fire Shield. However, certain flame retardants are approved by different places. Check with your local fire marshal before buying anything.

@squirreland thanx! That's the same one I was looking to use also! They are usually ok if we just spray walls down with ForceField... so this is probly a step up.

@@mike_e_allen very nice! best of luck! i"ve thought about doing a video on some of the fire safety & ADA things that i"ve had to do, but that sort of thing changes from fire marshal to fire marshal, city to city to city, county to county and state to state.

I haven't had an issue with it yet.