Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Suggestions for wall covering in auditoriums

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Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 08-19-2003, 04:35 PM:

Need to repair vandalism in my auditoriums.
What has everyone found to be the best covering for walls that are within reach of patrons while seated? You know, to discourage writing on the walls, gouging the walls, general distruction. [Smile]

Also, I have sound fold down to within 5 ft of the floor. The bottom of the sound fold is looking bad and needs repaired as well. Any suggestions for repair or an alternative?

Posted by Mike Blakesley (Member # 26) on 08-19-2003, 05:45 PM:

Here's some advice for after you get it all fixed up.

This was told to me by Bob Tankersley, industry veteran. He said, the first sign of any damage, fix it IMMEDIATELY. Anything from graffiti to seat rips, should always be out of view of the public as soon as possible.

This is because when a prankster-type person sees "damage," it triggers the urge to ADD to it. Also, when you fix things right away, the vandal does not have the satisfaction of seeing his handiwork on display.

I don't know if this strategy would work in a big city, but it has served us well...we have almost zero problem with damage.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 08-19-2003, 07:56 PM:

Practically all of Cinema West's locations use some form of a carpeting on the walls. It resists a good deal of abuse, and adds some sound-dampening effect to the room. If a section is ripped, slashed, tagged, etc, its not too difficult to remove the affected section and glue in a replacement. Its far cheaper than Soundfold and other wall treatments, and is available at Home Depot.

-Aaron

Posted by Brad Allen (Member # 470) on 08-19-2003, 08:11 PM:

Great advice Mike!

And Aaron, as I understand it, most carpet placed on vertical surfaces (walls) must pass a vertical burn test for firemarshal approval. And Home Depot sure doesn't have that. [Smile]

I like carpet on the walls, I've done it before I knew better, but the approved stuff is very expensive.

Posted by Frank Angel (Member # 248) on 08-30-2003, 06:22 PM:

There is fireproofing chemical that you mix with water and can be sprayed on fabric. It's approved for theatre dry goods (curtains, flats, etc.) and if the directions are followed, it renders flammable material nonflammable, at least nonflammable to the extent required by fire codes. This would allow you to purchase relatively cheap carpet and condition it so it meets the nonflammable criteria.

We did this in one theatre and used carpet tile; this was much easier to handle than full carpet pieces and it was easy to replace if an area got damaged. Problem with the tiles is, you have to be very vigilant that the vandals don't discover that they are tiles. Once they pull one or two off, it can quickly become a real headache. If you have had problems with vandalism, I would vote not to go with tile carpet, at least not in any area easily reached by arms length. It might also be wise to test the holding strength of the adhesive. Most carpet tiles use a really industrial grade adhesive that simply will not release. But there are also some really cheap brand that will not hold well. With the cheap ones you will be spending lots of time regluing them to the wall as they fall off, one by one.

Also, the sound absorption of a carpeted wall can be significant (a very good thing -- eliminating echos and slap back and greatly improving speech intelligibility nearly as much as Sonex or Soundfoil). But be sure to choose a carpet material blend that is a mix of as much natural fiber as you can afford. Polyester materials don't absorb as well as say wool, and in fact can produce a surface that is very reflective at certain frequences and absorptive at others, making the room very spikey and difficult to equalize.

Frank

Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-01-2003, 02:30 AM:

quote:
There is fireproofing chemical that you mix with water and can be sprayed on fabric. It's approved for theatre dry goods (curtains, flats, etc.) and if the directions are followed, it renders flammable material nonflammable, at least nonflammable to the extent required by fire codes.

We got some of a product of that description once, & found after applying it that it specified that it had to be re-appplied after some time (6 months, 1 year, I forgot) to maintain fire retardancy. If it's still hanging & the fire marshall asks about it, you're busted. It's also a hazard. It's down now. It's easier just to order fire retardant materials.

Posted by Jeff Klump (Member # 1870) on 09-01-2003, 03:55 AM:

Try using fabric (curtains) like bunting and drape it down the sides. This results in nice acoustics. At least in our houses.

Posted by Richard Fowler (Member # 893) on 09-01-2003, 10:55 PM:

There two types of flameproof, one of which is called inherently flameproof in which the fabric down to the fiber level is flame resistant. The spray on type is best used for stage settings where in a unforseen emergency the fabric can be dropped or covered. The spray on type usually only has a limited service life averaging a year. Flameproof fabrics generally do not last for many years since the compound or fiber is designed to have or have properties of moisture retainment which eventually rots the fabric. Wall carpets that are flame proof do not have rubber backing ( such as carpet tiles ) and usually will smoke slowly if ignited; this is fairly hard to do if bonded correctly to the flame resistant drywall / plaster / block surface. Another problem point is seating fabric that is not correctly installed since many flame spread tests are based on the fabric and the underlaying support.....when dealing with the public, better safe than sorry.