Marineboy63 Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 We need to put a hardboard floor down so that we can paint the floor red. How do we stop it warping? (or indeed get rid of the warp it already has.) I've heard lots of rumours about wetting it, or not. Tried it once and it was a disaster. Experiences welcome. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ynot Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 In my experience, once hardboard has warped, or even started on that journey, it's hellishly difficult to get that out. In most cases, nigh on impossible.That said, when you get it delivered there my be a little flex in the boards which may look like it's warping but that's just the lie of the material - this isn't abnormal, and after laying flat a while that should settle.If you have the time, I'd suggest you lay your boards out in advance without tacking them down, letting them settle for a few hours. then go back and position, cut and fix. (Don't forget, if you're painting it, to run wide tape underneath the joins to protect the main floor). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 1) Use 6mm hardboard.2) Cut it down to half-sized (or smaller) sheets ( I've used 1m square).3) Leave a gap between adjacent boards of around 6mm. Note...8'x4' sheets are very rarely 8'x4' or even 1220mm x 2440mm. The quoted size is nominal and the sheets are often up to 6mm bigger which can really screw things up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomHoward Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 How does 6mm hardboard and MDF compare in price and wear? We use 6mm MDF for sheeting flooring. Lies flat but would no doubt cost a fair bit more than hardboard. Is heavy too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 I had this issue, lots of the hardboard now is from poor stock and kept very sloppy in transit / construction, 10+ weeks on a boat from china is not going to make it that great. It is kinda "good luck" on getting it flat unless its a cm or less bend. Double sided tape is one, nice bit of gaff down on the floor followed by some 25mm tesa would be a start as well. I don't remember NEC making the grade when it was warped. I replaced our hardboard just before I left and we had a nightmare,I may have even sent 2 loads back because it was so warped. I think we ended up tacking it down, it was suggested to use ply, my main issue with ply was the risk of splintering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skivvy Posted April 28, 2015 Share Posted April 28, 2015 We use 6mm hardboard to skin our stage. We soak each board on the rough side and then stack them rough to rough, smooth to smooth for 24 hours or so. In the room where we will lay them. After that we lay them, quick sand of the smooth side. Paint. Job done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Qdos use MDF for their panto floors and it suffers pretty badly from heel digs, and running castors over it. Where panels meet it often crumbles, and sometimes even bubbles up mid board. Pretty common for extra screwing down during an 80 odd show run. 8 dancers in the same place every show produces distinct wear marks. Edge or upstage boards can sometimes be reused, but it's a very variable material. Some sheets seem to crumble very easily, while others are much tougher. Hardboard shouldn't be better, but often appears to be. No idea why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Because its "hard" ? where did my coat go ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Easter5053 Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 Watered down base coat on each board and left to dry before they get put down. But if you have the time I would go with the soak and standWe use 6mm hardboard to skin our stage. We soak each board on the rough side and then stack them rough to rough, smooth to smooth for 24 hours or so. In the room where we will lay them. After that we lay them, quick sand of the smooth side. Paint. Job done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I Think (but couldn't swear to it) that MDF is "medium density" and hardboard is "high density", if this is not an imagined urban myth, then yes, hardboard is effectively harder. When putting down new floors, I've always favoured oil-tempered hardboard, which goes down pretty flat. If recycling old stuff, I can't think of a cure for the warp, other than dampen or paint the reverse side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the kid Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 I am sure I actually asked this question thinking about it. I should have a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boswell Posted April 29, 2015 Share Posted April 29, 2015 6mm oil tempered nailed down is what we do, seems to last at least 6yr or more with heavy use and painting.Main need to relay is the layers of paint chipping off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Edwards Posted April 30, 2015 Share Posted April 30, 2015 +1 for oil-tempered. It is important you also leave the boards in the space for a few days to acclimatise. We had a third party re-lay our floor last time and they brought half the boards with them and then faffed for a few days pulling the old out and making good. The other half came straight off the truck and went straight down and within hours were all over the place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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