STEELDECKs in use on a set
We were hired to build a set for this church that could easily store for annual use during Easter. We were also under a pretty tight time crunch (who isn't in the set construction world). The set called for a variety of playing levels, but building a bunch of platforms was going to be expensive, time consuming, and take up an enormous amount of storage space at the church.
Since Legend rents out STEELDECK, we decided to use rental stages to create the substructure and then just build the fascade to go around it. This ended up being a great plan.
We designed the set with as many standard sized platforms as possible so that the design would match our stock. We had to make a few custom platform units to splice in here and there because of the angles of the existing space, but that wasn't too difficult. And since STEELDECK uses standard schedule 40 pipe for legs, we didn't have to worry about designing the set with standard heights.
Then we simply took 3/8 OSB plywood (because it is cheap), covered it in "castle stone" Vacuform, and just bolted it right to the STEELDECKs. We were able to do this quite easily because the decks come standard with bolt holes along all of their top edges. So all we had to do was create holes in the ply that matched the existing ones.
Since the set was going to sit on a carpeted stage, we cut each piece of ply at the right length so that they would just barely push into the carpet and hold themselves in place. You don't really have to worry about the plywood vibrating from foot traffic on the platforms, because STEELDECK is so sturdy within itself that there is no bowing or flex. As long as they are evenly sitting on a floor, they just don't shake. But it would have been just as easy to bolt the plywood to the bottom of the STEELDECK legs with some u-bolts.
You can see in the pictures, that there are cap stones all around the set. We built these for two reasons. First, it looked more finished and authentic to have something that visually finished the walls off. And second, we didn't want an awkward transition between the top edge of the dimensional vacuform plywood and the STEELDECK smooth surfaces.
Putting the caps on the walls was as easy as screwing them into the decks' surfaces every few feet. The tops of the decks are 3/4" plywood so they can handle some hefty screws. Plus, they are coated with a special paint that has a type of cement mixed into it to provide some moisture resistance and create a nice smooth feel.
After the show had finished its run, strike was painless. All of the facing unscrewed and unbolted quickly. A crew of three disassembled the set and loaded all the rental staging in a couple of hours. And all of the constructed pieces that the church was keeping stored well since most of it was 2 dimensional.
If you are interested in renting, purchasing, or just learning more about STEELDECK, give us a call or email us. Feel free to call us and tell us about your upcoming set. We want to be a trustworthy resource for you.
Check out the STEELDECK website for more information or to look at their catalog for product info. | 
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