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Author
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Topic: Auditorium Floors
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Don Anderson
Master Film Handler
Posts: 312
From: West Bend, WI, USA
Registered: Mar 2000
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posted 06-20-2001 09:13 PM
Question for anyone running/owning/managing an older movie theatre. I would like to know how you have treated your flooring in your auditoriums. I work for a small circuit, our 3 screener was once a cool single screener built in the late 20s. The original floors seem to look like concrete that was treated/sealed. Some moron in the 70s decided to paint the entire floors with a latex, yes latex floor paint. Needless to say, it looks like crap. I would like to strip it down to the original surface, that is, if possible. I have been doing touch up work on the areas that the paint has lifted, but as you know the paint will not adhere to the old surface for any length of time. I'd like to get it looking great again. The owners suggested pulling out the seats and putting down tile flooring, that is, if I'm up to a major job like that. We ocassionally get complaints that the floors seem sticky. Its not spilled sodas, but actually their shoes sticking to latex floor paint. Any ideas? I wouldn't mind removing the seats, but then they should replace them with something other than the old seats.
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Christopher Duvall
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 500
From: Denver, CO
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 06-21-2001 04:56 AM
I have to agree with William on the epoxy paint, however there is one draw back. When some idiot spills a drink on the floor, it gets real slick and it will be time to call the lawyers. If you live in a really humid area, during the summer it can get slick as well from condensation when the AC is cranked. Tiled floor can be just as dangerous as well but from what I have dealt with, it is not as slick. On top of that, you have to keep it real clean, because it will show every bit of dirt. Now my favorite floor setup has been plain ole' raw cement that has been sealed. Not as pretty to look at, but it doesn't need to be waxed or scrubbed and it doesn't get very slippery as the other options. All it needs is a simple mopping whenever something is spilled on it. I think as the floor is concerned, simplicity is the key as well as cost effectiveness. That's my 2 cents worth... ------------------
Chris Duvall
General Manager
Regal Cinemas Colonnade14
Las Vegas, NV
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Jerry Chase
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1068
From: Margate, FL, USA
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 06-21-2001 06:15 AM
I'll second the sealed raw cement option. I've dealt with most types of floors in auditoriums and it is the best surface by far. Coloring concrete during construction is possible, but for it to look goood the contractor can't skimp on the coloring agent. If it is done properly, the concrete is evenly and densely colored, can be sealed, and looks fine. In my experience, painted floors always end up looking bad. Some managers I oversaw used to have their floors painted about once every nine months to a year. Within three or four months they would begin to show wear again. Eventually, the floors would get to the point of peeling in sheets, which looked even worse. By that time, the expense and time in stripping things properly was too much to consider in a budget concious circuit. Tile floors can have edges and tiles work up or develop filth in the cracks, which is why you'll rarely see plain tile in a food prep area of a restaurant. I've been in some theatres with tile floors and usually felt the places were dirty, especially around the seat standards. The only auditorium floor that looked great all the time was a concrete floor coated with Kurowax, which was a heavily colored thick goopy wax. The stuff was murder when wet though and I can't imagine it being used today. People used to slip and slide all the time on the stuff, and the only reason they didn't fall down was the narrow width of the aisles. Terrazzo is the ultimate answer for high traffic floors. This is small stones mixed in a grout that becomes truely indestructable. While it is too expensive for auditorium floors, it is great for lobbies and walkways. I'd never seen the stuff used in theatres before moving to Florida, but some of the older theatres here had it and it looked great, with no signs of wear after decades of use. It can be laid with custom multi-colored patterns, brasswork and insignias that never wear off. Terrazzo can be slippery if not cared for properly, but there are anti-slip coatings for it that can give more gripping power wet than dry. Some supermarkets use a form of less expensive terrazzo. Anyway, strip the floor, powerblast it, etch it well and seal it. You may not like the look, but it is the safest and cleanest floor you'll get without spending big bucks.
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