Set Design and Construction: Hardwood Stage

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Hardwood Stage

Printed From: Community Theater Green Room
Category: Producing Theater
Forum Name: Set Design and Construction
Forum Discription: Post your questions or suggestions about designing or building a set here.
URL: http://www.communitytheater.org/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3969
Printed Date: 11/24/24 at 1:30pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 8.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com

Topic: Hardwood Stage

Posted By: kbadr
Subject: Hardwood Stage
Date Posted: 4/23/09 at 7:01pm

I am considering installing hardwood flooring for our stage surface. We currently just have plywood covering a frame.

Has anyone build a stage surface using hardwood before? Do you have any suggestions or words of caution? Should I install something under the hardwood first, like thin plywood and/or padding? I assume that I will have to build the frame with more supporting beams, to disperse the weight on the hardwood planks.

Replies:

Posted By: pfinn
Date Posted: 4/24/09 at 12:46pm

The first question is what do you do on this floor? Is this primarily a music hall, drama, musicals, dance?

Do you plan an screwing into your floor? Do you plan on painting your floor? If so, how often? What is currently underneath your floor, concrete? Wood Framing?

There are several options for stage floor materials and hardwood is often not the best choice. Let me know about the questions above, and I can suggest some materials.

Posted By: MartyW
Date Posted: 4/24/09 at 2:04pm

Oh, my! Unless you have a dance hall, I cant imagine WANTING a hardwood floor.... The only thing I can think of worse (as a set builder) is cement...

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Marty W

"Till next we trod the boards.."

Posted By: David McCall
Date Posted: 4/26/09 at 10:38am

Since you are posting on a theater specific group, I have ti assume that you plan to do theater on that stage. We theater folks want a stage that we can screw into or drill holes. We want to paint anyway we want for each show then return it to black after the show is over. Given the option, we might even want to cut a trap door into it for an evil witch to melt into. Taking all of that into a nice shiny tung-and-groove oak floor that we have to be careful with is probably the floor surface we like the least.

My preference would be to screw a layer of 1/4" 4'x8' Masonite to your plywood floor and call it a day. That way you can easily remove damaged sections without having to replace the entire floor.

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David M

Posted By: kbadr
Date Posted: 4/26/09 at 12:58pm

The stage is going to be used for improvisational theatre. We won't be screwing into the stage, or building complex sets.

We currently have plywood on the stage that's painted black. We're trying to make the overall look of the theater space call to mind turn of the century theaters, so I thought hardwood would be a nice way of classing it up.