Hardwood Flooring

[disc2slick]

Hey Guys,

So in a fit of blind ambition I agreed to design/build the set for a small theater company in my area (I'm a lighting designer mainly).

A large aspect of the set is the floor, which I want to be hardwood. Obviously we are not going to use realy hardwood, but a paint treatment. I was wondering if anyone could give me any tips on it. Mainly how to replicate the lines that exist between the individual planks, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks gang,
Dan

 

[drawstuf99]

Well, I'd imagine painting those lines and planks would just be some careful measuring and marking, and then just a long time of painting if you choose to paint it.

Also, I've never tried this but I would probably want to go about putting some coats of polyurithane (sp) on the floor just to give it the shine (but being nice to the LD, as you prob know, and not making it too shiny). Just enough to make it look real, and to distract from some of the places of inconsistancy painted on the floor. Another thing, depending on the lightness of the "wood" you are trying to create, I would think darker "hard wood" is easier to fake. Just bc, most of the gradient of colors would be darker and harder to spot from a distance than a brighter colored finish. Just a thought.

 

[Footer]

one option if you have the cash, and it does not really burn that much, is to wet blend on enough luan to cover your deck. After it has dried cut it into 3,4, and 5 inch pieces. Either staple/screw those strips down to the deck. The staple route works, but remember you have to take up all those staples later. This method gives the realism of hardwood for not all that much, and it also gives some nice movement.

 

[moojoe]

When we built a hard wood floor earlier this year for "The Dead", we took sheets of lauan, ripped it down to 6" or 8" (i forget) pieces to resemble floor boards, and laid them on top of Maso in a floor board pattern.
looked pretty **** convincing, had a few people ask how we were able to buy hardwood flooring.

 

[Van]

I'll echo the last two posts. I've gotten stuck with I don't know how many wood floors in the last couple of years. here are two things to consider. blackbox or Pro realistic or stylelised. If you've got the distance ei. your'e producing on a Porscenium stage, then by all means paint it. Base it with medium yellow, ochre, light umber, something like that. Then Line it with a sharpie and a scenic painters lining stick < T-handle ? their calle a ton of differnt things. use a 6 fter though it greatly reduces the repetetivness. > then do your dry brush wood grain trying to stay in the lines, seal the whole thing in either a matte or semi-gloss, Rosco makes an excellent clear matte.
Goung the Luan route is also an excellent choice. to reduce strike time and save your deck I would suggest using the idea of pre-basing the luan strips then laying them down on mesonite using a latex based cove base or flooring adhesive < peanut butter in shop talk > use an 1/8" notched trowel 1/4 is way too much material. if you prebase your luan and then "shuffle" the strips you'll get a much more realistic look to your floor. finish is pretty much the same except that with luan yo may wind up raising the grain with your first coat of clear, which would neccessitate a light sanding before adding another coat. < you don't want actors with splinters in thier toes do you ?> then secure each 4x8 piece of mesonite with a few well placed then filled screws. remember that your'e going to have to have some pieces of wood sticking long and otheres running short to keep the floor looking "right" you don't want it to look like a bunch of 4x8 floors put together.

 

[disc2slick]

hmm, I'm working in a very small (75 or so seat) theater in the round so the viewing distance is very short. Sounds like luan may be my best vet assuming i can convince them to buy it.
-Dan

 

[SHARYNF]

This material is dirt cheap, and the supply companies sell it for floor covering also, You probably can get someone to donate it to you. Probably will be cheaper than all the paint and tape you would have to buy to faux paint the alternative

Sharyn