Helpful Picture Racking Guide

What type do you need?

Just figuring out where to start with your picture and art storage requirements can be a daunting prospect but knowing which type of storage system best suits your needs is a good place to begin and we are confident this helpful picture racking guide will get you started.

There are two standard types of picture racking; top supported and bottom supported.

A brief description is given here of each type of art storage system in our helpful picture racking guide.

With the help of this guide you will glean some clarity regarding the type of system you require based on the helpful guide prerequisites, we will help you to do the rest.

Don’t forget to check that your chosen supplier is the designer, manufacturer and installer of your desired system or you
could find your project going through more than one calculator!

Key points:-

Floor supported is the most common and economical for use where there are no floor loading issues, panels are supported from a mainframe.

Floor running where the floor loading is poor spreads the panel load over tracks mounted below the panels.

Freespace is best for a clear floor and headspace in front of the system, secure and can be closed off.

Top Supported Picture Racking

This is the most common type of picture racking system and is usually the most cost effective.

The pull out mesh panels are supported from above by a steel mainframe designed to offer support independently of the room in which it is built. The only structural constraint with this type of picture storage is the point loading for the legs; there must be sufficient structural support in the floor to withstand the loads on each leg.

AMP Fab will calculate point loadings and offer advice on any issues with floors and location. If the AMP Fab team foresee any problems they will recommend solutions to overcome them; especially floors that have a poor
capacity for localised weight loading. Solutions may include incorporating larger base plates on the racking uprights, increasing the number of uprights or creating load spreading channels; using one or more of these solutions in the design of the picture racking can always solve any problem.

In some instances, if made from concrete or brick and reasonably level, picture racking track can be fitted directly to the ceiling. This negates the need for a main frame and allows the top track to be boxed-in creating a neat and aesthetically pleasing finish; art storage racking can be completed with front fascia panels and even graphics to complement your brand.

Floor Supported Picture Racking

This type of art racking is recommended when adequate floor point loading is not possible and an evenly distributed load is required, here our helpful picture racking guide tells you more.

This type of picture racking is common when the art storage installation is not on a ground or basement floor, where the floor is weak or where the structural integrity of the floor cannot be properly ascertained.

Each picture racking panel is fitted with a set of floor rollers that are designed to run along track laid either on or in the floor; dependent on the final finish required. Guide tracks are also required above the picture racking and as these are not load bearing, they can be fitted directly to the ceiling or to a lightweight frame if a ceiling fix is unsuitable.

If the floor is uneven, the tracks can be mounted on battens to ensure the picture racking is level and the panels do not roll in or out.

The picture racking track can be very neatly ensconced within the floor and ceiling and as the rollers are fitted within each art panel they are not visible giving the whole unit very clean lines.

Floor supported picture racking can be slightly more expensive than top supported picture racking, but it is extremely smooth running and instantly addresses any issues with weight loading on the floor.

AmpFab Fabrication

AmpFab Fabrication