A new take on the old "Rain on stage" question

[meghanpotpie]

My company is doing a production that wants a rain effect. I know all about the pvc, pumps, trough, etc., but what I can't seem to find is a way to add a little traction to the stage deck so we don't end up with broken limbs. We're building a trough to catch the rain drops but as we all know, water doesn't exactly fall precisely where you tell it to. Have any of you used a method or particular material to provide traction in the wet areas?

[Clifford]

Mix sand in the deck paint, or in with epoxy. Aboard ships and for docks we've used various types of marine non-slip coatings that are commercially available. What ever you use, make sure you test it first. At sea, our test was, if it doesn't work with a half inch of standing water, it shouldn't be used in slippery conditions.

[josh88]

I would second that. The big box stores generally sell fine silica as a paint additive in their departments, but when I worked there we always told people that as long as you get something that isn't too coarse (fine play sand is great) you're set. It's cheap and you can mix in more or less till you find your desired grit.

[Les]

I would second that. The big box stores generally sell fine silica as a paint additive in their departments, but when I worked there we always told people that as long as you get something that isn't too coarse (fine play sand is great) you're set. It's cheap and you can mix in more or less till you find your desired grit.

Yep, I've got one called Sharkgrip (available in pint or quart sized containers) in my Paint department, as well as a very similar product made by Quikrete which comes in a pouch. It'd cost under $2 of additive per gallon of paint. You can also by a ready-mixed version made by Valspar called Skid-not for about $28/gallon. I'm sure other brands/stores have similar varieties.

You might think about adding the anti-slip coating to a false layer of decking (such as masonite) which can be easily removed. Once the coating is on your deck, it's on your deck for quite a while. I wouldn't want to be the one removing it, and painting over it wouldn't yield very good results.

[josh88]

Yep, I've got one called Sharkgrip (available in pint or quart sized containers) in my Paint department, as well as a very similar product made by Quikrete which comes in a pouch. It'd cost under $2 of additive per gallon of paint. You can also by a ready-mixed version made by Valspar called Skid-not for about $28/gallon. I'm sure other brands/stores have similar varieties.

You might think about adding the anti-slip coating to a false layer of decking (such as masonite) which can be easily removed. Once the coating is on your deck, it's on your deck for quite a while. I wouldn't want to be the one removing it, and painting over it wouldn't yield very good results.

Sounds right. If I remember correctly too the valspar while it doesn't specifically say it is obviously a floor paint and they are more durable than regular paint on a floor. But with indoor theatre I don't really see it making a difference given how often some floors get painted. Les nailed the important point about a false deck because you'd basically need to sand down the floor to get rid of the texture once you're done.