[SML] Marley-type floor covering question.

[SAMUEL JONES]

The theory is so wrong it makes my head hurt.

1. If you can afford (both in money and weight) a thicker floor like a Harlequin Studio, Harlequin Cascade, or something similar it will be a lot easier to keep the ripples from forming.

2. Whether or not you get a light weight floor or a heavier weight floor, be sure that the tubes you roll them on are straight, perfectly straight, and round, perfectly round.  The vast majority of PVC is not straight enough to be acceptable, but they can be found, and it will take a lot of time to find them.  Be sure you get thick enough PVC pipe.  At the UCLA Dance Dept. we had much better luck with carpet tubing, and it is usually cheaper, sometimes free.

It is curved tubes that unevenly stretch the floor.  Try not to store them for any length of time on top of each other.  Never store them on end.  The strength of the tubing becomes very important if you store them on racks hanging on pipes.  Carpet tubes were strong enough if they were kept dry.

HTH,
Sam

Samuel Jones
sjones at autoplotvw.com
Technical Director, UCLA Dance Program, Retired
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> On Feb 12, 2016, at 11:20 AM, christopher pike via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:
> 
> Here's the question: A very knowledgeable person at Entertainment
> Floor Systems says that the ripples happen because the air underneath
> the floor covering expands and contracts.  I respect their knowledge,
> but there is only an infinitesimal amount of air in the gap between
> the floor covering and the subfloor.  I just can't believe this amount
> of air could do that much expanding.   I recognize that the people at
> EFS are more knowledgeable than myself, but I'm having a hard time
> grasping this.  What do you think about this theory?  Could it be
> wrong?