Will painting a stage floor change the sound???

[coldnorth57]

Ok here goes,
The performance hall that I work at, that is attached to a high school (is over 40 years old) has just had the floor sanded. To remove the splinters and old varnish, so not very deep sanding. Then was painted black for the first time in its life and then two coats of Varithane. A week later the local symphony performed on the stage. The conductor and many of the players complained that the floor was absorbing a lot of the sound. They felt that sound for them on stage had change.
Has anybody heard of anything like this before, or is it just them?

 

[DuckJordan]

It's probably just then its just like the argument of putting masonite down changing the sound.

sent from my Droid incredible using tapatalk.

 

[Gretsch]

Orchestras (nay musicians) are always funny, most likely this is all in their heads...

 

[avkid]

It's probably just then its just like the argument of putting masonite down changing the sound.

Masonite is a valid argument, paint is not.

 

[Footer]

It's probably just then its just like the argument of putting masonite down changing the sound.

sent from my Droid incredible using tapatalk.

It actually does change the sound. Masonite absorbs sound rather well. Depending on the floor type it really can have a huge impact on the way the hall sounds. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are invested in concert hall floors. Just 6 years ago Boston Symphony Hall re-did their floor and went as far as hand cutting nails and hand nailing the floor down: PlaybillArts: News: After a Century, Boston's Symphony Hall to Get a New Stage Floor (there is a better article out there, but I can't find it).

Depending on the paint used, it really can change the sound. If a few layers of latex or epoxy paint went down then sealed, that could dramatically change the sound. If the floor was just sanded and re-stained, it really should not change. So, what was the layers of paint?

 

[erichart]

It's certainly possible. Varathane is different from older varnishes. Also, two fresh coats of it over the stage is much different from old varnish which has worn away enough to cause splintering in the stage. Not to mention that sanding the floor could have evened it out where it may have previously been uneven. It sounds like quite a bit of changes happened to the floor, and when you consider the large square footage of a stage floor, the difference in its acoustical properties could be just enough to become noticeable to a conductor and musicians with highly-trained ears.

 

[coldnorth57]

I understand it to be a light sanding, they did not take out anu of the dents in the floor and then it was one coat of ship flat black epoxy paint and then a semi-gloss and then a coat of of matt clear coat, that is what i have been told

 

[ruinexplorer]

If you have regular tap dancers, they will also notice a difference. Personally, I prefer staining the floor to painting, but then I also prefer hardwood floors to Masonite type covering. As was already stated, those who have a more trained ear will notice a difference first, and that may include your audiences. The majority of people will not notice, just like they don't notice a difference between compressed or non-compressed music formats.

 

[MPowers]

Let me preface this post with the statement that acoustics is a science closely akin to alchemy and witchcraft. That said, The major thing that can change with the sanding and resurfacing of the floor is sound absorption and reflection, in terms of strength, pattern, brilliance. The old floor may have been "soft" and scattered and mellowed some frequencies. The new surface is probably harder, fewer frequencies are absorbed and reflections are probably stronger and more directional. Brilliance is probably enhanced. All of these things are a matter of degree. To the professional musicians it it probably highly apparent and noticeable. To an old tone deaf guy like me, I doubt if I could hear the difference, even if I know it is real and it is there.

 

[coldnorth57]

well thanks all ......to my ears its a floor and well it flat

 

[museav]

What makes a Stradivarius so highly prized and so difficult to recreate? There are many large and small variables that can affect the tone and sound of an instrument and for some players the floor is an extension of their instrument.

I do doubt that a newly sealed floor is absorbing more of the sound, however the acoustical characteristics of the floor, some of the subtle resonances and such, likely have changed. There may also be some psychoacoustics involved in that readily visible changes may lead to the perception of greater acoustical changes. There may also be other factors, for example I would guess that soft goods were taken down and maybe even cleaned or treated while the stage was being refinished, so there may also be changes there.