Boarding a concrete floor

[Innov8ting]

We have removed a fixed rake from our theatre space to create a flexible performance space using Alustage to create seating rakes in various formats.

 

In doing this we have half the floor covered with marley and half bare concrete and need to create a uniform performance surface.

 

We are considering removing the remaining marley and then boarding the full 14m x 11.5m space.

 

Has anyone suggestions on type board? Will MDF be alright or does it need to be ply?

 

How do we fix the boards down? Gluing will make it harder to replace worn boards if needed but screwing may leave risk to perforders from screw heads.

 

Any advice greatly received.

 

Thanks

 

S

[mac.calder]

Screw'ed down ply, 2 layers - one floating at the bottom (or glued), and one on top, running 90deg and screwed to the bottom.

 

Counter sink the screws and then fill with builders bog. Sand flat and paint. It means that if you need to pull anything (boards worn, splintering etc) you can - the top can be a thin layer of "sacrificial" ply, the bottom should be more robust and permanent. Ply+Glue means that if you pull the glued boards, chances are the glue between the bottom ply and the 2nd will separate in points, leaving you with random chunks of glued on wood - which is just painful to remove.

[Brian]

How do we fix the boards down?

 

Before you fix anything timber-based down you should make extra sure that you don't have any damp in the sub-floor.

[s buckley-jones]

assuming you have a smooth concrete surface to start from . flooring under lay , this will cut down the noise, next industry grade chip board flooring glued at the joints.

then counter lay 6mm ply over the chip board . opinion will differ how you fix ply down . double sided tape and ring shank nails if done right nails do not cause a problem if you paint the ply ,which you would do to preserve the surface.

you can use gun grade expanding foam under the chipboard in place of the under lay as this forms a bond between floor and chipboard this will need a bit of testing out first to get it right . a little goes a long way !

[Gareth A]

Strange.

 

When we use to lay our theatre floors, we never ever filled the gaps between boards. We use to leave a credit card size gap between all boards which pretty much was covered with paint.

 

This however allowed the board a little room for expansion if needed. If they are glued together tight and they get too wet and expand would they not start bowing up at the joint?

[Innov8ting]

Cheers for all the replies. Thankfully we don't have any damp issues.

[Innov8ting]

I have been asked by my colleagues if we can use MDF as it is a cheaper option and less likely to create splinters if worn/damaged.

 

Any reason why not?

[MarkPAman]

What are the chances of it getting wet? Do you let audiences have drinks with them etc?

[paulears]

Plenty, unless you want to gamble? MDF is fine, until it gets damp, when it expands, splits and breaks into layers. Our panto flooring each year is 8x4 sheets of MDF and by the end of the run it is a total mess. Big gouges from scenery, ruts from wheels, the edges of each sheet where it meets the others crumbling away, and a dancer doing a slide in the same place each night making sections slippery and polished. Painting the surface makes it disintegrate quicker - I guess the moisture in the paint starts it off, then seals it in, hiding the damage for a while.

 

As for fixing - screw holes in MDF get bigger and bigger and then the corners crumble away. MDF is superb for quick fixes, and painting is easy, and cutting simple. You need something tough and resilient if you expect more than just a few shows on it. Something as simple as pulling a steeldeck section wit two scaff tubes on the floor could destroy it.

[Innov8ting]

Thanks for the MDF comments...all helpful.