# Black stage flooring?



## Ryland (Nov 6, 2015)

Hey guys, I've read multiple threads on here but still have a couple questions.

Our church stage is covered with tan carpet (plywood subfloor on top of metal frame). I really would like to black out the stage with the first step being to have a black floor.

I am leaning towards masonite (hardboard) painted black on both sides. Would it be possible to lay this directly on top of the existing carpet? I did screw 10 sheets in the middle of the stage a couple years ago for some special skate boarding tricks during one of our productions and it seemed fine...came up fine also.

What advice would you give? A marley doesn't seem like the right way to go with all the heavy stage pieces/instruments etc.

I'm not totally opposed to black carpet (we don't do much dance). Honestly, it will be easier to sell if I am just covering up what's already there, which is why I've been wondering. Thoughts?


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## Colin (Nov 7, 2015)

If the floor is just going to stay black forever and doesn't need to get screwed/drilled into, then you should check out Stagelam. It's a lexan type sheet that is just about bullet-proof. More expensive than maso but probably worth it in durability and low maintenance. It was installed against my will at my last venue, but against my will only because I wanted to be able to drill the deck and Stagelam is super tough to drill and plug, and smells like *#$% when you do. In a lay it down and leave it sort of situation I would definitely go back to it.


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## Ryland (Nov 7, 2015)

Cool, thanks for the info. I will check into stagelam. We do drill set pieces into the floor for our productions though...


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## Colin (Nov 7, 2015)

Ryland said:


> We do drill set pieces into the floor for our productions though...



Might not be right for you then, as it really is a pain to drill. You will have to pre-drill for every screw, and you'll break some bits if not careful. The upside though is it could be an easier sell since it is very durable, looks great, and is easier to install well. I think when I got mine it came pre-drilled/countersunk. It is much more rigid than masonite so you don't get bubbles and puckers on softer underlayers. Masonite would be tough over carpet for that reason, but Stagelam might work, and would stand up to being removed and put back again and again if that is something you're after.


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## lwinters630 (Nov 11, 2015)

Ryland said:


> Hey guys, I've read multiple threads on here but still have a couple questions.
> 
> Our church stage is covered with tan carpet (plywood subfloor on top of metal frame). I really would like to black out the stage with the first step being to have a black floor.
> 
> ...


No you cannot go directly over. This is will be a failure. Carpet has a nap and will force anything that is on it to move. Put a sheet of paper on the stage carpet, lay a round pen on the paper and gently roll the pen back and forth. You will see the paper start to move across the carpet. That's what will happen to the sheet of wood you put down.

Second problem is it is soft and none of the joints will line up. Ledging will occure.

Remove the carpet. Then put the new floor down. Prime all sides, top and bottom. space/gap as required. 

If you go with carpet, don't use black. It will show every speck. A dark grey will work. Or match the chairs. Modular carpet is easy repair should damage one.


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## Colin (Nov 12, 2015)

lwinters630 said:


> No you cannot go directly over. This is will be a failure. Carpet has a nap and will force anything that is on it to move.



While I'm generally inclined to agree, the carpet in the photo looks like a pretty tight loop pile (berber) and unless it has an obscene amount of carpet padding underneath then this issue is a much lesser concern than with a longer cut pile. A sheet with better stiffness than 1/4" masonite could very well work out. Even masonite could very well work. If the option of going back to carpet is important, then I would encourage Ryland to put a few sheets down over the carpet it to see how it behaves. Worst case is it doesn't work and the carpet comes up. Just a few minutes extra work for the experiment. The other issue that might come up though is that screws may fray and unravel a loop pile making it unusable when the hard cover is removed. 

If the goal of going over the carpet is just to avoid pulling carpet up, that's another story.


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## BillConnerFASTC (Nov 12, 2015)

Lay down 1x4 sleepers, 3/4" ply, and hardboard (or stagelam or other). Put a one by fascia around if needed to keep the whole thing from shifting at all. 

(I'd prefer the sleepers and 3/4" plyron but that's another topic.)


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## lwinters630 (Nov 12, 2015)

Colin said:


> While I'm generally inclined to agree, the carpet in the photo looks like a pretty tight loop pile (berber) and unless it has an obscene amount of carpet padding underneath then this issue is a much lesser concern than with a longer cut pile


For the what it is worth, my statement is based on my knowledge as a former owner of multiple flooring stores. I am still very active as a consultant in the flooring industry. If the OP or anyone want to pm me I'd be happy to reply.


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## Ben Davis (Oct 7, 2016)

Hey, guys. In the next year my theater is planning to renovate our 30 year old welded vinyl floor including the entire subfloor. We have been extremely interested in STAGELAM. However, we recently painted our current floor a flat black and really like how it basically has no reflectivity to it. Some pictures I have seen (the few that are even accessible) seem to show that STAGELAM is pretty reflective, even though it has a matte finish (which I believe does not guarantee it won't be reflective at all). Can anyone here add some insight to this? Also, if you happen to have pictures of your stage with STAGELAM under theatrical lighting so I can see just how reflective it is, that would be extremely helpful before we commit to this decision.


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## RonHebbard (Oct 7, 2016)

Colin said:


> Might not be right for you then, as it really is a pain to drill. You will have to pre-drill for every screw, and you'll break some bits if not careful. The upside though is it could be an easier sell since it is very durable, looks great, and is easier to install well. I think when I got mine it came pre-drilled/countersunk. It is much more rigid than masonite so you don't get bubbles and puckers on softer underlayers. Masonite would be tough over carpet for that reason, but Stagelam might work, and would stand up to being removed and put back again and again if that is something you're after.


Stagelam / Arboron, whichever brand you decide upon, definitely have it supplied pre-drilled and countersunk and BE CAREFUL of the edges as they're EXTREMELY sharp. SHARP like scalpels. You'll only make the mistake of casually running your hands along an edge ONCE.  It's also extremely heavy to ship. The last theatre I was building where it was used, the general contractor was so concerned with the weights of the shipping pallets that he had them staggered all over the loading dock rather than having the extreme weights involved concentrated in any one location. It's also consistently black all the way through.

_Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard._


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