Material recomendation for stage floor
#11
Guys, this may only be woodworking in the broadest sense, but I'm looking for advice on the best material to use for a mobile stage floor. The stage ( 16'x 20' ) is built on wheels and is used outside exclusively. I'm actually refurbishing an existing stage/trailer. Currently the floor is 3/4 ext plywood coated with anti- slip paint. It has worked ok for 7 years, but the ply is beginning to de-laminate and is due for a change. My ideal material would be something that is impervious to weather, stiff enough to be fairly rigid on 2' centers,  doesn't expand and contract excessively, is non slip without a coating, comes in 4'x8'ish panels, not crazy heavy ... and oh yeah, affordable. I fully expect to have to make some compromises, and I know there is a world of synthetic panels out there, but I'm not particularly familiar with them. Thanks!
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#12
(12-04-2018, 04:39 PM)ed kerns Wrote: Guys, this may only be woodworking in the broadest sense, but I'm looking for advice on the best material to use for a mobile stage floor. The stage ( 16'x 20' ) is built on wheels and is used outside exclusively. I'm actually refurbishing an existing stage/trailer. Currently the floor is 3/4 ext plywood coated with anti- slip paint. It has worked ok for 7 years, but the ply is beginning to de-laminate and is due for a change. My ideal material would be something that is impervious to weather, stiff enough to be fairly rigid on 2' centers,  doesn't expand and contract excessively, is non slip without a coating, comes in 4'x8'ish panels, not crazy heavy ... and oh yeah, affordable. I fully expect to have to make some compromises, and I know there is a world of synthetic panels out there, but I'm not particularly familiar with them. Thanks!

This probably won't do it, but the first thing that comes to mind is 3/4" pressure treated plywood. You'd still have to coat it with non-slip material. Might be a little springy on 2' centers. 

Sorry, not much help with 4x4 synthetic material that will meet your specs. Maybe someone else will come along.

Good luck,

Doug
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#13
(12-04-2018, 04:39 PM)ed kerns Wrote: Guys, this may only be woodworking in the broadest sense, but I'm looking for advice on the best material to use for a mobile stage floor. The stage ( 16'x 20' ) is built on wheels and is used outside exclusively. I'm actually refurbishing an existing stage/trailer. Currently the floor is 3/4 ext plywood coated with anti- slip paint. It has worked ok for 7 years, but the ply is beginning to de-laminate and is due for a change. My ideal material would be something that is impervious to weather, stiff enough to be fairly rigid on 2' centers,  doesn't expand and contract excessively, is non slip without a coating, comes in 4'x8'ish panels, not crazy heavy ... and oh yeah, affordable. I fully expect to have to make some compromises, and I know there is a world of synthetic panels out there, but I'm not particularly familiar with them. Thanks!
I would go with 3/4 inch MDO plywood. Same stuff they use for concrete forms and road signs. It is resin impregnated so the weather won't be a problem. The surface is quite slick, however, so it will need a coat of non-slip paint. I think Behr makes a paint for wood decks that would work well.
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#14
Rosco makes stage paint, filters and stage floor coverings.  They also make stage floor paints.  This is the industry standard.  You can do a lot worse; you can't do much better.  You can never be faulted by using Rosco products.

They also make lighting products, stage set paints and flooring paints.

https://us.rosco.com/en/products/catalog...g-products

From their website:

Rosco, founded in 1910, is best known for the products it originally manufactured: color filters, gobos, scenic paints and fog products for the entertainment industry.

The company now offers products in more than a dozen categories, including LED Lighting, Backdrops and Digital Imagery, Window Control, Image and Effect Projection Equipment, Staging Products, Projection Screens and Flooring products for dance and television studios.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#15
(12-04-2018, 04:39 PM)ed kerns Wrote: Thank you for your replies. I'll look into Rosco, I had never heard of the company. MDO is a great material and I'm considering it, If I can't come up with anything that wouldn't require painting or coating. I'm actually thinking about Line-x truck bed liner as an option if I need to coat a substrate.
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#16
Quote: I'm actually thinking about Line-x truck bed liner as an option if I need to coat a substrate.

Spray-on bed coating was my first thought but my concern is even with a texture would it be non-slip when wet? 
Confused
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Wild Turkey
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#17
This is worth reading too:

https://signaturecorp.com/events/dance-floors/
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#18
(12-05-2018, 12:00 PM)Wild Turkey Wrote: Spray-on bed coating was my first thought but my concern is even with a texture would it be non-slip when wet? 
Confused
Confused

Yes.  The dance floors have what is known as "controlled slip" and is required for many dance forms.  Irish dancing and tap dancing require impact resistant coverings as well as solid substrates.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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#19
(12-05-2018, 12:16 PM)Cooler Wrote: This is worth reading too:

https://signaturecorp.com/events/dance-floors/
Interesting Cooler, Thanks! Just for clarification, this stage is used primarily by bands and sometimes as a speaker podium. That's not to say it couldn't be used for dancing, but my biggest concern is slip and falls getting on and off.
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#20
(12-06-2018, 07:18 PM)ed kerns Wrote: Interesting Cooler, Thanks! Just for clarification, this stage is used primarily by bands and sometimes as a speaker podium. That's not to say it couldn't be used for dancing, but my biggest concern is slip and falls getting on and off.

The dance floors from Rosco are not "anti-slip" as we would normally understand it.  It is a calibrated slip.  Just enough slip for the dancers to perform their dances.  Much like you need a certain amount of slip on a bowling ally (why you have to wear bowling shoes), you need a certain amount of slip to dance.

You can get more anti-slip with Rosco's  anti-slip additive to their stage floor paints.  It is probably just granulated sand or something similar, but it is designed for this application.  It would be good for a band, but bad for a dance troupe.
No animals were injured or killed in the production of this post.
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