Oversized flat / skinning a wall

[TomHoward]

Afternoon all

 

I am looking to skin the end wall of a theatre for a design. The area in question is 8.5m width x 7.5m height approx with a couple of doorways and windows etc to line up with existing doorways and windows in the wall.

 

The purpose of this is to allow redecoration and fixing anywhere as it is to be redressed as an hospital interior rather and it's easier than making a freestanding flat of this size.

 

I'm imaging we're going to have to put a few fixings into the wall as this seems almost inevitable but if there is a way this can be reduced to a minimum I'm hoping to keep the damage that will need to be repaired as low as possible.

 

I've had a few thoughts - build a flat on the floor out of 8x4 4mm-ish sheets and battening, but standing this up might be a nightmare. The other alternative would be to build the freestanding frame and sheet upright.

 

I could also try without a single freestanding flat, so putting battens on the wall and screwing into the battens, which would be easier and sturdier but create more damage.

 

I've then considered whether a freestanding frame with a canvas skin would be more appropriate, and take less decoration afterwards.

 

The only other option would be something like Unistrut on the wall and use zebedees and bolt sheets of ply straight onto the unistrut?

 

 

Any thoughts greatly appreciated about how you would tackle this

 

Thanks, Tom

[the kid]

Build as you go ? 8x4 flats that join to each other and the wall ?

 

Or perhaps 2m x 8.5m ish canvas flats and build up a row at a time ?

[TomHoward]

I wondered if rather than going to the effort of building self-contained flats, whether I might batten up the wall at 4' centres and just skin the wall on the batten. This would need a fair few repair holes though which could be a bit of a pain - unless we leave the battens in place.

[J Pearce]

If the wall is normally black paint the battens black and you can use them for future scenic items. If you use 2x1 side on it should be shallow enough to not cause any huge shadow issues.

Obviously you'll know if this would work in your space, but I've seen a few venues with semi permanent battens or unistrut on the back wall, that you wouldn't spot once out front.

[TomHoward]

Yes - unfortunately it's not black - it's a rather tasteful shade of 'Tearose' (whoever thought murky pink was an appropriate venue colour) - however I had been thinking about unistrut running horizontally, and then I could put vertical battens across the unistrut to screw into - removing the battens and leaving the strut. I think the strut could be more useful long term than vertical battens.

 

The back wall is rarely even seen as it's behind a cyc/rear set of black tabs for 90% of the time, but occasionally the tabs come down (it's a multi-purpose space with a retractable seating rake), so whatever is left does need to stand up to close scrutiny.

[Andrew Edwards]

Sorry OT but

 

Wow. You are not alone with that colour.

 

My auditorium was painted that same murky pink in the mid 90s.

 

The prosc was also painted this colour at the same time...it went back to being black within 2 weeks.

 

The foyer/bar are was painted pale green and the furniture/partitions are not unlike those in the Rovers Return (which is what part of it continues to be called).

 

All that lottery money and they gave the job of choosing the décor to someone with questionable taste.