Sticky Deck

[productionmanagerleah]

So we have a deck that gets painted pretty regularly (once a month at least). We use Rosco Tough Prime black paint. We have a recurring problem every so often where the deck is extra 'stiff' for our dancers after we have painted. This typically happens when the weather starts getting warmer. Usually we paint the deck around 10:30pm on a Saturday night. We are then dark for 2 days. Once we come back, we get a Dancer to test out the floor and make sure it's not too stiff to dance on. When it is stiff, we generally mop it several times and that seems to loosen it up. Of course, after one show and it's been danced on for 3 hours, it's no longer stiff. We are continually looking to find ways to eliminate the stiffness altogether. We have tried using a little bit of 'slip no more' in our mop water or a bit of fog juice in our mop water. Using Coke is out of the question (never works for us). If anyone has any other suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

 

[derekleffew]

Stiff is synonymous with sticky, yes? Have you posed the question to the paint experts at Rosco?

Here's my theory. As Tough Prime is formulated to be a primer, to adhere to any surface and have any paint stick to it, it has more of a tooth than topcoat paints. Temperature and humidity would affect this.

My solution would be to keep doing as you're doing. I especially like the idea of getting a cast member's approval and taking steps to remedy if the floor doesn't pass. Saves aggravation in the long run.

You might also be interested in this ESTA document: ANSI E1.34 - 2009Entertainment Technology - Measuring and Specifying the Slipperiness of Floors Used in Live Performance Venues.

 

[Footer]

Fresh paint, especially primer, will always be sticky. What happens when you have people walk on it for awhile is dust/dirt gets compacted into the top layer of paint eating up the stickiness. Best thing to do would be to actually get the floor dirty. Throw some dirt/sawdust on the floor and then sweep and move. Possibly take a dust broom and load it up with dirt and run that over the stage. Do a good sweep and mop and you should be set to go.

I would give rosco a call though, they might have a solution that is a bit more elegant. There is also the solution of just laying marley.

 

[venuetech]

I never have worked with Tough Prime But i did give up on "Flat" paint in favor of semi-gloss.
we had painted the floor flat black one evening with an airless sprayer, the next day after a spacing rehersal for the dancers. Several dancers ended up with holes in their shoes and reported that the floor was like sandpaper.. normal trafic would have taken the edge off.
never have used flat black for a floor since.

 

[productionmanagerleah]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

 

[MNBallet]

first off, dancers complain. There is always something to complain about, but mostly how your theater's heat is not working.

Get a dance floor. (some people will yell at you for still using the term "Marley" I however still use it all the time)

coking a stage is to make it more sticky. only to be done rarely.

Kenneth Pogin
Production / Tour Manager
Minnesota Ballet

 

[productionmanagerleah]

first off, dancers complain. There is always something to complain about, but mostly how your theater's heat is not working.

Get a dance floor. (some people will yell at you for still using the term "Marley" I however still use it all the time)

coking a stage is to make it more sticky. only to be done rarely.

- Thank you for the suggestion - unfortunately our Producer will not permit us to lay marley. It would make life easier though.

I did try some of the other tips people had and had some success. So thanks for all the help.