Re-painting a drop...

[ResilientRosie]

Hi there! Frequent lurker, infrequent poster here.

Just wondering if anyone could give me some clues as to the best way to go about re-painting (painting over) an old drop. I'm not sure whether or not it has been treated with flame-retardant. How do I begin? Should I just treat it as though it is a new drop and prime it again?

Thanks in advance for any insights!

 

[venuetech]

Theatrical Scenery: Preparing a Scenic Drop

you must staple the drop square. IT WILL change shape. use lots of staples every 2" - 3"

do not latex paint. latex shrinks as it dries. It also creates a storage problem as any fold you put in it will not hang out easily
any drop painted with latex imho is a throw away, I cannot store (fold) it without damage.

a web search for "painting scenic drop" will give you a number of good links.

 

[FatherMurphy]

Painted drops are often made from non-flame retardant treated fabric, as the retardant chemicals can sometimes leach out while the paint dries and alter the painted image, so I'd play it safe and assume that the drop hasn't been previously treated, unless you have documentation indicating otherwise.

I'd be inclined to start with a complete new base coat of paint, although that means you're adding two coats (or more) to the drop (base coat and scenic coats), and cracking/peeling/weight will be increased. After the base coat is dry, you'll be able to see if any of the previous scenic paint has decided to reactivate its pigments and bleed through the basecoat, requiring additional basecoating to cover.

Any paint will shrink the fabric after application (or, more accurately, will expand the diameter of the threads as they absorb moisture, and effectively shorten their lengths), but the latex rubber will lock the threads together, and won't snap back into place after being stretched by folding, thus the wrinkling problem mentioned above. Drops painted only with casein (scenic) paint can be lightly sprayed with water and will return to a flat condition as the fibers expand, and dry wrinkle-free. It depends on your situation and budget how important perfectly flat drops are.

 

[Van]

I've never had an issue with Latex painted drops, as a matter of fact All of Roscos "broadway' series and super sats are ... Latex Based. Typically when you are re-painting a drop it wont resize on you, unless the first scenic didn't do their job correctly. stapling it to a deck is a great way to keep things from shifting around on you however. There should be a pretty darn long article, right here on CB, that I wrote a couple of years ago it deals with all the aspects of painting a drop from scratch. Since you are re-painting the biggest issue is, " what are you painting over ?" how Lurid are the colors? can you get away with a single thin coat of white. One of the best arguements for "old School" casein paints is that you could throw them on a rack and scrub em down, completely, or close to it, removing the original paintjob. then it was a simple matter of re-sizing, basing and repainting. The Bigget issue with latex it more than one layer , or if you go too thick you will develope cracks, and or the fold wrinkles previously mentioned.
As FatherMurphy pointed out most drop materials are IFR and do not require further treatment, but as always, check with your local authorities..

 

[FatherMurphy]

As FatherMurphy pointed out most drop materials are IFR and do not require further treatment

Actually, what I had in mind was drops made of non-flame retardant (NFR) fabrics like natural muslin, with flameproofing being done being done as part of the sizing or painting process, or after painting was completed, thus making you and your scenic artist (not the sewing shop) responsible for any salt blooms mid-drop.

 

[ResilientRosie]

Thank you very much for your help. I believe I will base it and go from there. The more difficult part will be building a frame large enough to staple it to as our shop floor is sealed concrete.

 

[kicknargel]

Regarding a staple surface: it would be an investment, but sheets of homosote make a great paint floor. If you prime both sides, they lay nice and flat and you can just tape them together.