Alternatives to Carpet in the Lobby?

[Scott John]

We are redoing the flooring in our lobby area. A designer we brought in suggested using a vinyl product that has good sound absorption rating. I have never seen anything except carpet used for theatre lobbies and would need to be convinced that not only the impact sound of walking, but also the ambient sound would absorb as well as with getting new carpet or carpet tile. Obviously hard type of flooring would have some easier maintenance.

I don't have a great picture handy, but we have a lower lobby about 62 feet long and 16 feet wide where we have seating/box office... and an upper lobby that is oval (42x18)and has the concession and doors to the auditorium. Doing the lower lobby in a hard surface makes sense, but I would be interested if anyone is using a hard surface in their lobby right near the doors.

It is also a 1938 era Art Deco theatre and the photos right from the opening have carpet in the upper lobby and what we think is a surface called "battleship linoleum on the lower lobby with a tiled walkway.

Thoughts?

[Frank Cox]

I have ceramic tile in my lobby and in the lobby bathrooms. It's great. The only bad things about ceramic tile is that the grout turns grey, regardless of the colour that you used initially, and it's slippery as all get-out when it's wet so you if you're going to mop the lobby do it after everyone is gone. I actually have a really big (four feet or so) dustmop that I use to dry the floor if it gets wet when people are here.

But I've had this floor since I expanded the lobby just over twenty years ago and it still looks just as good as it did the day it was installed (other than the grout colour mentioned above). It never needs any maintenance at all other than mopping it.

[Mike Blakesley]

Scott, Since it looks like you have a 'classic' theater there, I would recommend sticking with carpet but that's just me. Ours was built in 1930 and that's what we've always had. "Traditional" theaters from the golden age of movies usually had patterned carpet on the lobby floors. But.... it is true that a hard surface floor will be easier to maintain. I would suggest, if you do decide to go with a hard surface, at least do some sort of a bold pattern that way it will evoke the old fashioned look a bit more than a more "plain" colored floor would.

[Marcel Birgelen]

One classic movie house around here here replaced part of their carpet with dark ceramic tiles with wood-grain texture. The floor looks like it's made out of hard-wood, but the tiles are made from some advanced ceramic material. Together with some gold trim between the remaining carpet and the new hard floor, the whole thing still looks very stylish and retro-modern, which works pretty well with the art deco style of the rest of the theater.

But I still think that carpet is, in general, one of the better choices for any odd movie place. Carpet doesn't just give a classic, warm feel, it also helps to keep the noise down, especially in rooms with otherwise only hard surfaces.

If you want to stick to carpet, like Mike indicated, look for some bold patterns. Maybe spice stuff up a little by adding some color to the brown, like some dark red or maybe even dark pink notes.

[Steve Guttag]

Classic cinemas had a variety of floors. Carpet, for sure but also terrazzo was big too, particularly for "outer lobbies" that were nearest the street/outdoors and definitely if there was any outdoor portion but before the sidewalk.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

Actually, I worked for Classic Cinemas in Chicago back in the 1980's and when they remodeled the Lake Theater in Oak Park, they actually put in all new Terrazzo flooring in the lobby. It looked beautiful once it was done... But one has to realize that like you can with carpet that Terrazzo can not be easily changed out. SO what you put in you have to live with for 20 or more years. The stuff doesn't wear out and if it gets damaged or scuffed then it can be repaired and or polished.

[Scott John]

Thanks folks... I was surprised by the suggestion of anything other than carpet and have had the flooring person in and they suggest carpet tiles for the upper lobby to keep it more authentic and they would put down some extra underlay to absorb sound.

It seems like a decent middle ground as far as maintenance and getting back to the original "feel" of the place and undoing some of the decor from the 90's that was added. Apparently there are almost unlimited design options for the tiles with lots of different prints and colours.

Now onto bathroom renovation options! We need to replace old water stained drop ceiling tiles, and I am looking at putting in some stamped tin/metal or faux versions of it. It costs a little extra, but may give a little better look... more original as well since there were tin ceilings in the building when it was a live performance hall in the 1920's before becoming a cinema.

[Scott Norwood]

Costs aside, I would look at whatever your theatre had originally and try to replicate that as much as possible. I've seen tile, wood, and carpet floors in older lobbies. They can all work. I like the look of carpet (it's inviting and warm-looking), but I can imagine that tile is easier to clean when people inevitably spill drinks on it. In general, I don't like the appearance of older theatres that try to "modernize" by installing stuff like track lighting and other elements that did not exist in their original time period.

[Frank Cox]

When I made my theatre I wanted to make something unusual. After giving it some thought I ended up with pink walls, a blue ceiling and fancy mouldings painted green.

I still get positive comments about it from people who have never been here before.

[Randy Stankey]

When I made my theatre I wanted to make something unusual.

How 'bout yellow bricks?



I wonder if anybody would even get it, these days...

[Frank Cox]

Hey, have a heart there, guy!

[Randy Stankey]

I'd have to get a brain first!

Y'know... It would be neat to see a theater with a yellow brick road that leads from the box office, through the lobby, past the concession stand then up to the ticket podium. If there is a palatial lobby, there could be a giant spiral in the middle of the floor.


If somebody asked how to get to their movie, the usher would just point down. Don't say anything. Just point down and smile.

[Marcel Birgelen]

I remember the MGM Las Vegas Hotel and Casino having a yellow brick road back in the 1990s. I don't remember where it lead though, other than directly to the casino.