Modular Floor on top of a stage

[Pradeep]

We are a small theatre group and rent a local community theatre for our performances. The facility owner does not allow any painting or nailing to the floor. The floor is a SHINY reddish hardwood surface which causes us problems. We are thinking of building our own modular floor which we can be put on top of the stage when we need. We are considering using cam locks for clamping the floor-pieces. Please advise on the materials and the techniques of building the floor.

 

[farmerjo1111]

The easiest way is just to put Masonite over the floor. If it is a big enough area it won't need to be screwed or nailed down. A line of tape at the edges should be enough to hold it in place. I don't recommend building anything such as 4x8 platforms that you are planning on screwing or nailing into. If that piece that is screwed down tips over there is a greater chance that the sub floor could come up with it as well. I hope this helps some.

 

[Footer]

The easiest way is just to put Masonite over the floor. If it is a big enough area it won't need to be screwed or nailed down. A line of tape at the edges should be enough to hold it in place. I don't recommend building anything such as 4x8 platforms that you are planning on screwing or nailing into. If that piece that is screwed down tips over there is a greater chance that the sub floor could come up with it as well. I hope this helps some.

You can also have the best of both worlds. Lay 3/4" OSB running US/DS. Don't screw the OSB into the deck. Then, lay 1/4" maso going SL/SR attaching it to the OSB with 3/4" screws. Its a pain to do, but it does work. Not something I would want to have to do more than about once a year. The taped maso thing will work as well. You could also do painted floor drops and tack it.

 

[Morte615]

Or use Marley and tape the seams to keep it from parting. We use this technique on a few stages during the Halloween Event changeover to protect the original floor.

 

[Van]

I used to have a similar problem at a theater where they had installed vinyl-linoleum on the stage floor. Why, (you might be heard to ask) would anyone do that ? Because they wanted to "..be able to do Ballet" No Joke.
Anyway, I couldn't screw into the deck at all so I built a set of platforms that covered the entire deck DS to US Left to right the whole deck was raised 4 1/2". Depending on your money situation, manpower issues and load in / run times, you might want to consider just laying a deck of 3/4" MDF down then a layer of 1/4" MDF over that at right angles. If you put double stick tape under one edge then makes sure that edge is perfectly square you can lay the rest of the sheets down leaving a pennies thickness between each sheet this will keep the floor from squeaking. cool thing with pennies is you can just leave them inbetween the sheets and collect them all when you strike, or not, since they're pennys you're not out much

 

[derekleffew]

This may be more than you've bargained for Pradeep, but...
From the wiki entry for sprung floor:

Description of one floor, from a Broadway touring show, as told by a technician on the Stagecraft Mailing List:

We troupe a 64'x29'-5" sprung dance floor similar to this; as a
touring floor, it is by definition "modular and portable."

From the stage floor up, the structure is:

1/4" Duron backing
3/4" thick neoprene squares, 4"x4", on 1' centers
3/4" plywood
1/4" Duron, painted dance surface

The 4'x8' panels lock together in staggered fashion with casket locks,
with 4'x4' pieces filling in the odd ends. The edges of the plywood
are routed with 1/2" round, and 1/2" dowel is attached on one long
side and one short side, serving as sort of tongue-&-groove alignment
and making the deck flex as a cohesive surface... Usually.

We inherited this floor from the 'Movin' Out' tour, and have schlepped
it all over the world for the past nineteen months. By and large, it
has held up reasonably well to the grind, with a modicum of care taken
in laying it. The Duron deck surface gets repainted every 6-10 weeks
or so, and touched up where the stuff got damaged from careless Locals
trying to kick it together.

Personally, I like this deck a lot, as do the dancers who have worked
on it on tour for the past year and a half.

Since you mentioned using Roto Lock s to attach together, you'll need at least 1/4" then 5/8" (?) for the thickness of the lock, then another 1/4". I think I'd first try 1/4" "'Masonite'-type sheetgood" or MDF. Gaffers tape upside down under the sheets, and gaffers tape on top.

You might also try a ground cloth. With heavy-enough canvas and many layers of paint, will stay in place. It helps if you have some flat s and platform s to hold down the edges.

... Depending on your money situation, manpower issues and load in / run times, you might want to consider just laying a deck of 3/4" MDF down then a layer of 1/4" MDF over that at right angles. If you put double stick tape under one edge then makes sure that edge is perfectly square you can lay the rest of the sheets down leaving a pennies thickness between each sheet this will keep the floor from squeaking. cool thing with pennies is you can just leave them inbetween the sheets and collect them all when you strike, or not, since they're pennys you're not out much

Good idea Van, but wouldn't you need to start with a layer of Visqueen to make the floor "paint inpenetratable"? I think you'd have lots of 0.061" (1.55 mm) x 0.061" (1.55 mm) holes for which paint to seep though.

 

[Van]

.....Good idea Van, but wouldn't you need to start with a layer of Visqueen to make the floor "paint inpenetratable"? I think you'd have lots of 0.061" (1.55 mm) x 0.061" (1.55 mm) holes for which paint to seep though.

I was assuming the use of 3/4" screws through the 1/4" MDF and only attaching the perimeter with DBL. Stick tape. the 3/4 MDF in the center would be free floating and the 1/4" over the top would cover seams. In my head I was back at the old theatre where I couldn't sink a screw all the way through... But yeah, you'd have the risk of seepageat certain points.

 

[Pradeep]

Thank you all for sharing your experience and advice. Based on what you told us, we are leaning towards the simple Masonite approach.
But I would like to ask a few more questions:
1. Does masonite need to be painted on both sides to reduce warpage?
2. Should a piece of used carpet be attached to the bottom of the Masonite/ply sheets to reduce noise?
3. We are not allowed to paint on the stage by the theatre, so how do we hide the gaffer tape to exactly match the floor paint used for hiding the seams?
4. What treatment do you advise for the DS front edge of this masonite/ply floor?
5. Should we consider off-setting masonite sheets from the ply a little ( 1") to provide a ledge for interlinking the adjacent sheets.

 

[Van]

1. Does masonite need to be painted on both sides to reduce warpage?.

If you use Masonite, Yes definatley even if it it dbl side tempered.

2. Should a piece of used carpet be attached to the bottom of the Masonite/ply sheets to reduce noise?.

I would not. If you are concerned about noise I would purchase some Polyethylene underlayment, like what they use under Pergo floors. Carpet is too thick and if you use any kind of wheeled device; Soft goods cart, Genie, scenic wagon, whatever, you're going to get a 'bow wave' that will shred your floor.

3. We are not allowed to paint on the stage by the theatre, so how do we hide the gaffer tape to exactly match the floor paint used for hiding the seams?.

Believe it or not I have heard of people taking a sheet of melamine, running strips of gaff out on it, then painting the tape to match a floor. I saw this once on a tour where they carried several pieces @4'x8' covered in tape. One of the last duties of Load-in was to re-tape the melamine and paint the gaff so it would be ready for the next show in the next town. Whatever you use make sure it has a realtively clean surface which wont pull away and stick to the tape.

4. What treatment do you advise for the DS front edge of this masonite/ply floor?.

Gaff.

5. Should we consider off-setting masonite sheets from the ply a little ( 1") to provide a ledge for interlinking the adjacent sheets.

If you use 1/4" MDF it will naturally overlap as ply is 4x8 and MDF is 4'1' x 8'1".

Hope that helps!

 

[Pradeep]

If you use Masonite, Yes definatley even if it it dbl side tempered.


I would not. If you are concerned about noise I would purchase some Polyethylene underlayment, like what they use under Pergo floors. Carpet is too thick and if you use any kind of wheeled device; Soft goods cart, Genie, scenic wagon, whatever, you're going to get a 'bow wave' that will shred your floor.

Believe it or not I have heard of people taking a sheet of melamine, running strips of gaff out on it, then painting the tape to match a floor. I saw this once on a tour where they carried several pieces @4'x8' covered in tape. One of the last duties of Load-in was to re-tape the melamine and paint the gaff so it would be ready for the next show in the next town. Whatever you use make sure it has a realtively clean surface which wont pull away and stick to the tape.

Gaff.
If you use 1/4" MDF it will naturally overlap as ply is 4x8 and MDF is 4'1' x 8'1".

Hope that helps!

Thank you Van.
Pradeep

 

[RealGeneral]

I used to have a similar problem at a theater where they had installed vinyl-linoleum on the stage floor. Why, (you might be heard to ask) would anyone do that ? Because they wanted to "..be able to do Ballet" No Joke.
Anyway, I couldn't screw into the deck at all so.....

I'm the lowly TD and I've been begging the new facilities guy at my high school to NOT cover the existing plywood deck in a vinyl/rubber/lino. I've explained it will mar, scratch, and ripple up when the band shells, risers, or a piano is dragged across it, will melt or expand when hot lights get near it on booms or lowered battens, cannot be screwed into, will still get paint spilled on it, will trap rosin and glitter just as well as plywood does, and will be a nightmare to repair or replace a section if the need arises. These folks honestly don't get that its a stage, not a classroom. They don't like how its wooden and are aghast at why it has to be patched/painted every year or so.

Can anyone help me convince them this may be a mistake? Or direct me to people/vendors/who do stages properly? or direct me to a well-written textbook or white paper that explains why 99% of the stage floors I've ever seen are wooden, and only have rubberized or other surfaces placed there temporarily based on the needs of the immediate production, (dance, choir concert, etc.)

Help me Obi-Van-Kenobi. You are my only hope.

 

[museav]

Just a reminder that any discontinuities or changes in the floor height may require a transition and/or being clearly delineated to avoid being a trip hazard.

Some of the stories here remind me of a local county high school that when they built their performing arts center despite it being greatly privately funded the County applied their construction standards to the design which led to things like music practice rooms with 30" wide doors, a two story prop storage room and a scene shop with 7' high doors and so on. They basically took much of the design by the consultants and Architect and altered it to be in compliance with Standards that were developed more for typical classrooms and offices without considering how that might affect the facility use. And of course after the venue opened the instructors, students and patrons all assumed the changes made by the County were the Architect's and consultants' fault.

 

[BillConnerFASTC]

To the OP, a long time ago when I was a college TD, I used luan paneling - back side up - painted in the shop - and laid with tape on the bottom - sticky side up. Not bad at all.

To the plea for support and reference, the only book I know is the long out of print Space for Dance by Leslie Armstrong and Roger Morgan. Our standard - many high school and other stages - is plyron painted with Rosco tough prime (skipping details of resilient system under the sacrificial layer). Try goggling "stage flooring specifications" and you'll get some examples of painted Masonite and similar. You've summarized all the relative points. The problem is people in charge too often seem to only believe people from far away that are proclaimed - by themselves or by others - experts and they seem to think if you work here you must not know much. If you could get the facilities person to pay for the advice, he or she might listen.

 

[teqniqal]

The subject of stage floor has been addressed on other threads, here is some information to consider:
http://www.controlbooth.com/forums/scenery-props-rigging/14128-want-lay-cheap-black-floor.html#post262262