gdavey Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 A designer for a show we are doing in a couple of weeks has decided that he wants to use studiotak to cover the floor, in order to give a high gloss finish. Has anybody used this stuff before. I watched the video on Le Mark's website and have to say it looks like a bugger to put down. Anybody out there got any useful hints or tips?Many thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peternewman Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 That's a cheesy video. I've helped lay it or something very similar, a glossy sticky plastic anyway, and t was indeed a PITA to lay. we struggled to get it in a straight line the first few times too, although I think we used an alternative technique for laying, sticking the first bit down, and then pulling the backing back on itself, to slowly reveal more sticky bit. We ended up with quite a few bubbles, but they're easy enough to pop and let the air out of. I think it also got a few small rips and tears in it due to either high heals or tap shoes, I can't really remember, but I think we managed to fix these with a few offcuts, so perhaps get a bit of spare. However despite our issues it looked really cool. I can probably find a few photos if you or your designer are interested? Some knee-pads would also be a worthwhile investment! It is also a real pain to followspot on as well, especially without sights, it was even worse for me, as we also had a mirror material at the back of the stage, so the light just bounces all over the place and you can't work out what is the beam and what is a reflection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJ Posted January 11, 2008 Share Posted January 11, 2008 StudioTak is great stuff! at least it looks great when you get it down.... I have used this for a dance show over a number of years, and it took a few years to really get the hang of it. I'm going to describe my technique for what its worth. If it works for you great, if not... sorry! Your "3rd person" will need a squeegee blade, we use a window cleaning one so its like a broom, but with a squeegee blade instead of bristles. You need 3 people to lay the floor, going one strip at a time, starting at the front of the stage and working your way toward the back. Lay the roll on the stage, and unroll a length of flooring, cutting to length allowing a little extra for safety. Move the roll out of the way, and unpeel the paper backing from the flooring. Now 2 people, 1 at each end should lift the whole length so that it is completely off the floor, and then on a one, two, three... GO, flip it over so that the sticky side is now on the bottom. Now the 2 people at each end should allow the middle to droop down so it just touches the stage, ensuring that the edges line up parallel to the front of the stage. The third person, using the squeegee blade can now work from the middle flattening the flooring, ensuring no horrendous bubbles appear. I reccomend the "lo-tak" version for easy removal (i.e. not removing the wooden stage) and the highest micron you can afford, for ease of laying. Hope that helps! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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