Our
stage floor is in a terrible state, I don't think its been reskinned in over a decade. Its
MDF so I'm putting a proposal together to pay for it to be reskinned. If we end up doing it in
house (more than likely), I believe we need to prep the
MDF before laying it down. Someone once suggested to me that the sheets needed to be painted on both sides to prime them, I'm guessing so that they expand before they're layed. Does anyone have any advice?
I have recovered a number of floors, in a number of ways over the years. The following is what I have experienced with the various possibilities.
Hardboard,
Masonite, tempered board
etc., of all types and thicknesses:
1. Bring into the facility on
stage or as close as possible. Stack with
flat, 3/4” ply and a dozen
stage weights on top. Allow at least 2-3 days to acclimate to the buildings ambient atmosphere.
2. Prime both sides and the edges with high quality primer, can be tinted if you want. Allow each side to dry/cure 48 hrs or as recommended by primer manufacturer.
3.
Base coat each side, allow to dry minimum 24 hrs. or a recommended by manufacturer.
DO NOT STINT OR PUSH THESE DRY TIMES!!! Plan ahead. Allow more than ample time for each step.
Build in “just-in-case” days to your schedule.
IMHO 1/8” product is good for only a short time. One summer season, one academic year, one 6 week run of a musical,
etc.
4: When installing I always liked to start with the PL+CL and work out from there. Any
layout pattern that works for you is fine.
5. Pre drill and counter sink to avoid “mushrooming” around screw heads. Put a stop collar on drill to avoid over drilling the
countersink.
6. Allow space between sheets. I’ve always used a dime. YMMV.
The best solution I have found, IMHO, is a product called “
Plyron”. It is made with a center core of, IIRC, B-B no void, 5/8” ply, with a layer of 1/8” tempered hard board, fully bonded to each
face. It easily lasts several years and in most cases, can be flipped and reinstalled for another several years. The down side is the initial cost, of about $110 per sheet (in 2003), but that is more than made up with savings in maintenance, repair and replacement costs as compared to 1/4” hardboard.
It’s been a few years so I’m not sure of the
current availability or price of
plyron, but if it’s still available, I strongly recommend it.