FYI, before you go: The only paint with useful longevity on heavy traffic concrete floors is 2-part epoxy paint. Surface preparation must be scrupulous, it must be scrubbed with muriatic acid, the 2 parts of the paint must by mixed & applied (by brush, roller, or sprayer) on site within about 15 minutes of mixing the parts. But when it's on, it's bulletproof stuff.

 

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...

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Chris Duvall
General Manager
Regal Cinemas Colonnade14
Las Vegas, NV

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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Evans A Criswell
Huntsville-Decatur Movie Theatre Info Site